Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Foreign Affairs Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2009-08-02

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 9780215540744

This report into the global security concerns related to Afghanistan and Pakistan recommends that the UK Government should re-focus its wide-ranging objectives in Afghanistan and concentrate its limited resources on one priority: security. The UK has experienced mission creep, from its initial goal of countering international terrorism, into the realms of counter-insurgency, counter-narcotics, protection of human rights and state building. The Committee recommends that the lead international role on counter-narcotics should be transferred away from the UK. The Committee recognises that the security situation in Afghanistan will remain precarious for some time to come, but there can be no question of the international community abandoning Afghanistan. The issue at stake must be how best the UK and its allies can allocate responsibilities and share burdens so as to ensure that the country does not once again fall into the hands of those who seek to threaten the security of the UK and the West. The Committee says that a negotiated, Afghan-led political settlement with broad popular support represents the only realistic option for long-term security and stability in Afghanistan. There can be no serious prospect of meaningful discussions until Coalition Forces and the Afghan national security forces gain, and retain, the upper hand on security across the country, including in Helmand, and are then able to negotiate from a position of strength. The international effort by the UN, EU and individual countries in Afghanistan since 2001 has delivered much less than it promised and its impact has been significantly diluted by the absence of a unified vision and strategy, grounded in the realities of Afghanistan's history, culture and politics.