Overview of the Afghanistan and Pakistan Annual Review

On December 16, 2010 the White House released the Overview of the Afghanistan and Pakistan Annual Review. A video and transcript of President Obama's discussion about the report is also available which reveals that our core goal is "focused on disrupting, dismantling and defeating al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and preventing its capacity to threaten America and our allies in the future."

Security and Stability in Afghanistan

The Department of Defense has released its latest version (June 2009) of Progress toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan. The report states the "core goal for the United States in Afghanistan and Pakistan is to disrupt, dismantle, and eventually defeat al-Qaida and its extremist allies, their support structures, and their safe havens in Pakistan, and to prevent their return to either country."

In order to achieve the core goal, the report lists the following objectives:

• Disrupting terrorist networks in Afghanistan and especially Pakistan to degrade any ability they have to plan and launch international terrorist attacks.
  
• Promoting a more capable, accountable, and effective government in Afghanistan that serves the Afghan people and can eventually function, especially regarding internal security, with limited international support.
  
• Developing increasingly self-reliant Afghan security forces that can lead the counterinsurgency and counterterrorism fight with reduced U.S. assistance.
  
• Assisting efforts to enhance civilian control and stable constitutional government in Pakistan and a vibrant economy that provides opportunity for the people of Pakistan.
  
• Involving the international community to actively assist in addressing these objectives for Afghanistan and Pakistan, with an important leadership role for the UN.

The 76 page report includes an executive summary, acronyms, statistics and tables, and discussion about strategies to meet the objectives.

Pakistan's Impact and Future

On July 25, 2007, R. Nicholas Burns, the State Department's Under Secretary for Political Affairs, reassured the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that our government is committed "to ensure that the substantial resources the American people provide to Pakistan are utilized efficiently, effectively, and to support what all of us want: Pakistan’s transformation into a more stable, open, and secure nation where its people can, in the future, live peacefully." His testimony includes background information about Pakistan, its efforts as a counter-terror partner with the United States, and its crucial role in maintaining stability in South Asia.