Afghanistan: Criteria for a Military Withdrawal of the International Community

President Obama just recently declared that the U.S. had largely achieved its goals in Afghanistan 2011, setting in motion a resolute timetable for the withdrawal of American troops. After almost ten years of international involvement in Afghanistan, the discussion on a strategy for Afghanistan of the international community seems to be more and more reduced to the question of how quickly the U.S. and NATO troops can be withdrawn.  The question, what sort of country we want to leave behind, what the political minimum goals are for the international community keeps fading into the background. With popular support for the military involvement in Afghanistan decreasing everywhere, the U.S. and Europe alike, and the economic and financial crises dominating the political agenda and public debate in the West, is there really no other option than focussing solely on a face-saving withdrawal of U.S. and NATO- troops or should (and can) the U.S. and Europe at least commit themselves to minimum guarantees for the Afghan people which should not be abandoned under any circumstances? Can safety from terrorist threats be guaranteed without rule of law and good governance in Afghanistan?

Speakers:
- Prof. Dr. Eva Gross, The Institute for European Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
- Bettina Muscheidt, Afghanistan Desk, European External Action Service
- Dr. Jamie Shea, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges Division NATO HQ

Moderator:
Ralf Fücks, Co-President Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Berlin