Afghanistan: Europe’s Forgotten War

Ahead of the appointment of a new UN envoy for Afghanistan, the report calls on EU and US governments to overhaul their strategies and strike a 'grand bargain' to stabilise the country. In particular, it urges EU governments to deploy more troops in Afghanistan, to relax restrictions (caveats) on their troops, and to reverse the decline in development aid. In exchange, the US should accept a shift from a strategy based on combat operations to one focused on overall political impact, and the protection of ordinary civilians across the country. It should also abandon its failed counter-narcotics strategy.