Position Paper Summaries

Position Paper #1:

Who is/are the authors?

1. The author is David Kilcullen, he is an expert on Australian counter insurgency.

Thesis:

1. The U.S. cannot allow Afghanistan to become another Taliban-run sanctuary for al-Qaeda, which could lead to another 9/11. The U.S. must defeat the Taliban, even if this means increasing the number of troops.

Three Main Arguments:

1. The U.S. must remain in Afghanistan, and prevent more of the country from falling under Taliban control.

2. Additional U.S. troops are needed, and a sound counterinsurgency strategy must be developed.

3. U.S. forces should be out in the community, working alongside Afghan army and police to support local officials and secure delivery of services.

Position Paper #2:

Who is/are the authors?

1. The author is Micheal A. Cohen and Parag Khanna. They are writers of an article in Foreign Policy titled “Where the Real Fight Is.”

Thesis:

1. The real havens of the Taliban and al-Quaeda are in Pakistan, not Afghanistan. Instead of increasing the number of troops in Afghanista, the U.S. should focus its efforts on Pakistan.

Three Main Arguments:

1. The Taliban is too un-popular in Afghanistan to have a chance of taking back the country.

2. The U.S. should shift the Battle from Afghanistan into Pakistan.

3. The U.S. should focus on the development of Pakistan’s government and armed forces.

Position Paper #3

Who is/are the authors?

1. This passage was written by Tariq Ali who wrote this for the New Left Review.

Thesis:

1. The United States cannot be a stabilizing force in Afghanistan, and should withdraw in favor of a peace initiative by countries of the region.

Three Main Arguments:

1. Like the British and the Russians found out the Afghans do not like being occupied.

2. The Taliban’s rising support is due to our occupation and aggressive actions towards Afghanistan.

3. We should withdraw from Afghanistan, but make a regional pact that would help secure stability in Afghanistan for the next 10 years.

Position Paper #4:

Who is/are the authors?

1. The author is George Will who wrote this article for the Washington Post. The article is named “Time to get out of Afghanistan.”

Thesis:

1. The U.S. objectives in Afghanistan are unattainable. Its forces should be significantly reduced and its future military strategy in the region should be based offshore.

Three Main Arguments:

1. The Taliban can evaporate, and then re-appear, confident that the U.S. forces will forever be too few to hold gains.

2. Job programs and local government services might entice many ‘accidental guerrillas’ to leave the Taliban.

3. Afghanistan never had a effective central government, and this could be a large part of the problem.