As American strategies for Afghanistan and Pakistan (AfPak) come to fruition, a premium must be placed on articulating what a stable civil society will look like for each state. This may sound like an obvious step in any plan to stomp out terrorist safe havens abroad, but two tactics that Administration officials are entertaining in the region strongly beg the question as to whether President Barack Obama is placing a premium on security, at the expense of government stability.
First, let's look to Afghanistan. Last week, senior Pentagon officials outlined a proposal, likely to be enacted by Obama, which would expand the size of Afghan security forces. Presently boasting more than 90,000 troops in the army and 80,000 police officers, the expansion would more than double the current size of security forces. Investing in a goal of approximately 400,000 troops and officers nationwide would also run up a tab of over $2.5 billion annually for the next six years.
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