Afghanistan: The Beginning of the End?

Does the United States believe that it has accomplished the essential part of its agenda in Afghanistan, which was set the day after 9/11, following the elimination of bin Laden? This question is misleading because it overlooks the need to strengthen the Afghan government in order for it to extend its control over the entire country. Nevertheless, this question sums up the new climate in which the debate over the presence of allied troops in Afghanistan is going to take place.

The figure of bin Laden had gained such symbolic importance that his death changes the perception of what is at stake and could lead to a change in the allied objectives in Kabul. As a presidential campaign approaches, Barack Obama could benefit from the situation by accelerating the withdrawal of troops, which should take place between this July and 2014. The death of bin Laden would therefore be the beginning of the end of the war in Afghanistan.

But what is still needed is a political settlement and that a number of Taliban agree to it. Above all, Pakistan needs to contribute more than it has done so far in the fight against al-Qaida and the war in Afghanistan. The sanctuary bin Laden found for five years, in the shadow of the Pakistani “Saint-Cyr,” proves the extent to which Pakistan has become a problem as serious as Afghanistan.