About Us
The Campaign for a U.S. - Afghanistan Partnership (“CUSAP”) is a membership organization for U.S. and Afghan citizens who believe Afghanistan can be a strong, prospering nation, but continued support of the United States is necessary to ensure this will happen.
Afghanistan is not Vietnam; and it is not a quagmire. Afghanistan was a stable nation-state until the Soviet Union invaded and commenced a brutal campaign, killing over one million Afghans. With U.S. support, the Afghans liberated their country.
Following September 11 2001, the United States again helped liberate Afghanistan, from the tyranny of the Taliban and al Qaeda. Vital interests were at stake then: stopping the rise of the global jihadist movement and preventing al Qaeda from having a safe haven from which to launch attacks on the United States. These same interests are at stake now. CUSAP believes the partnership between the United States and Afghanistan — and continued assistance from the United States — is essential to achieving sustainable security in Afghanistan.
CUSAP also believes Pakistan will play a critical role in the future of Afghanistan and that the United States and Afghanistan should cooperate closely in negotiating with Pakistan and demanding that it play a more positive role. All three countries must be committed to a long term plan to unite Afghanistan, strengthen its security, and plant the seeds for its long term economic development.
In recent years, the leadership of all three countries — the United States, Afghanistan, and Pakistan — made mistakes that contributed to Afghanistan’s descent into chaos. A window has now opened, as the United States and Pakistan are graced with the opportunity to embrace new leaders, and insist that they commit to a vision for Afghanistan that is more likely to put it on a path toward sustainable security and prosperity. CUSAP’s vision for achieving sustainable security and prosperity in Afghanistan is guided by the following nine pillars:
I. Ensure Effective U.S. Assistance
II. Focus on Regional Solutions
III. A Strong Bilateral Relationship
IV. A Strong National Army
V. Commitment to Reduce the Drug Trade
VI. Combat Corruption, Foster Good Governance and Rule of Law
VII. Embrace Traditional Islam to Counter al Qaeda
VIII. Generate a Sustainable Economic Base
IX. United Leadership
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Ensure Effective U.S. Assistance
The U.S. Congress is preparing to introduce a multi-billion dollar aid package to Afghanistan and Pakistan. While the amount of this aid must be significant enough to help advance U.S. objectives in Afghanistan, U.S. dollars must be targeted so that they are used effectively. Afghanistan’s future and the success of the U.S. mission there will be determined by the people of Afghanistan. Therefore, U.S. assistance should be targeted at programs on the ground that demonstrate the most promise for achieving U.S. objectives that benefit the Afghan people, including training the Afghan National Army and National Police; reducing the drug trade; combating corruption; providing dependable social services such as healthcare, education, water, and power; fostering good governance and the rule of law; and generating a sustainable economic base.
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Focus on Regional Solutions
Achieving sustainable security in Afghanistan will require cooperation from Afghanistan’s neighbors. Pakistan has a significant impact on Afghanistan’s stability. The United States and Afghanistan must cooperate closely to secure more positive involvement from Pakistan. Any plan to make significant progress toward stability should also include other regional actors. The United States and Afghanistan should cooperate to establish a contact group for ensuring cooperation in Afghanistan that will include China, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other nations in the region.
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A Strong Bilateral Relationship
The United States is the most important foreign actor in Afghanistan. It has the lead on many of the critical programs that assist the Afghanistan government with security and with economic development. In turn, Afghanistan is of great strategic importance to the United States. The United States has invested billions of dollars and lost numerous lives working to make it a stable, functioning nation. The United States cannot give up on Afghanistan now. It should continue its support, but also demand more results from the Afghan government. While the Afghani people want continued support from the United States, they also want to ensure that the United States respects Afghanistan’s traditions and its sovereignty. The United States and Afghanistan need to strengthen and formalize their partnership through a treaty that will ensure close cooperation in pursuit of mutual interests.
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A Strong National Army
Afghans want security and are looking for a leader who can help bring security to the country. The Afghan National Army is one of the most respected institutions in Afghanistan today and it is important that the country’s next leader maintain the trust of the military. While it is not as large as it must be to provide sustainable security, it is growing in numbers and effectiveness as a stabilizing force. With the leadership of NATO, the United States and Afghanistan should press for continued assistance and training for the Afghan army. The United States should also provide more heavy equipment and arms to the Afghan National Army to ensure it has the tools to keep the country secure when international forces withdraw. Supply of U.S. arms and equipment demonstrates to Afghanistan’s enemies that the United States is standing behind its ally.
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Commitment to Reduce the Drug Trade
The drug trade is destabilizing Afghanistan and is a prominent source of financing for radical Islam and terrorism. The Afghan government, in partnership with the international community, must engage in aggressive interdiction efforts. The United States and Afghanistan have a strong common interest in battling the drug trade. International donors must be encouraged to help Afghanistan employ creative agronomics to make the drug trade less profitable than legitimate agriculture.
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Combat Corruption, Foster Good Governance and Rule of Law
Corruption is eroding the confidence of Afghans in the government and contributing to Afghanistan’s economic troubles. Afghanistan cannot become stable without reducing corruption. The next Afghan government must take bold, immediate and wide-ranging action to address this issue. This will help establish legitimacy for the government and its leaders. The United States should tie aid programs and support to demonstrated progress on corruption.
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Embrace Traditional Islam to Counter al Qaeda
Religion is as much a part of the solution to the problems in Afghanistan as it is a part of the problem. There is a strong theological justification for why the Afghan people should not support radical Islam. The United States and Afghanistan should embrace moderate Islamic leaders who will have the support of the Afghan people in combating Islamic extremists. An environment should be created so that Afghanis see the benefit of laying down their arms and reconciling with their countrymen. As the U.S. and Afghanistan consider reconciliation efforts, they must separate traditional Afghan Muslims from radical Salafi-Taliban figures and negotiate only with the former on issues such as development, political power-sharing and economic growth.
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Generate a Sustainable Economic Base
The problems in Afghanistan cannot be resolved without a comprehensive program to build and sustain Afghanistan’s economic base and to ensure military-aged males can support their families with paying jobs. The United States must work with the international community, using lessons learned in many other post-conflict regions, to help Afghanistan rebuild its traditional economic base and develop its wealth of natural resources.
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United Leadership
A successful government in Afghanistan will require a broad array of local support. This can be achieved by supporting elites who can mobilize nationally oriented local networks. The tribal system is also key to securing the peace in Afghanistan. The United States should encourage the Afghan leadership to engage local and tribal leaders.
