New CNAS Report Offers Afghanistan, Pakistan and South-Central Asia Strategy Post-Osama bin Laden

The United
States is at a strategic inflection point in South and Central Asia. The death
of Osama bin Laden, along with the projected transition to a smaller U.S.
military presence in Afghanistan, presents a new opportunity for the United
States to think critically about how to protect its enduring interests in the
region. CNAS released today a new report, Beyond Afghanistan: A Regional Security Strategy for
South and Central Asia, that outlines the key components of a
regional strategy and makes policy recommendations that reflect the rapidly
changing events in Afghanistan and Pakistan.



As the administration, Congress and the U.S. military reassess U.S. strategy in
South and Central Asia ahead of the security transition and U.S. troop drawdown
in Afghanistan, CNAS authors Lieutenant General David W. Barno, USA (Ret.),
Andrew Exum and Matthew Irvine examine the United States’ relationship with
Afghanistan, Pakistan and India and offer immediate and long-term policy
recommendations for protecting U.S. interests in the region, including:

• Negotiate
  a Strategic Partnership Agreement with the government of Afghanistan.
• Develop
  a long-term but differentiated approach to Pakistan that strengthens its
  economy, civilian government and anti-extremist elements while pressuring
  factions that support terrorists.
• Reshape
  foreign and security assistance to Pakistan.
• Broker
  confidence-building measures between India and Pakistan quietly and as
  opportunities arise.
• Sustain
  and deepen a multidimensional U.S.-India relationship and encourage the
  peaceful rise of China.
• Promote
  open trade and transit across South and Central Asia to catalyze economic
  growth and enhance stability.
• Develop
  a strategic public engagement plan for the region to mitigate the effects
  of the intense anti-Americanism that preclude greater cooperation with the
  United States.

Download
Beyond Afghanistan: A Regional
Security Strategy for South and Central Asia.

Check out Andrew Exum's blog Abu Muqawama. 



Follow CNAS on Twitter @CNASdc
and Andrew Exum @abumuqawama.