New Strategies on Afghanistan: What Chances of Success?

The situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating in every respect.  The security situation has worsened progress on political reform, governance and state-building is slow to non-existent.  This is the conclusion to which the EU foreign ministers came on 27 October in Luxembourg.  At the same time they agreed on a new action plan for Afghanistan and Pakistan which includes help with state-building, the training of officials and a substantial increase of the EU’s financial commitment. A week earlier NATO defence ministers endorsed a new US-designed counter-insurgency strategy for Afghanistan and agreed on new key-priorities. The new commitments come amid rising scepticism from EU and US citizens concerning the legitimacy of the new Afghan government and about the chances of winning the war against a resurgent Taliban.  What chances have the new strategies to stabilise Afghanistan and Pakistan?  Will the new strategies overcome the doubts of European and US citizens ?

Speakers:
- Tim Eestermans, Advisor, Policy Unit of the High Representative for CFSP
- Bettina Muscheidt, Deskofficer Afghanistan, European Commission
- Rachel Reid, Afghanistan Researcher Human Rights Watch,London
- Chris Riley, Executive Officer, Media Operations Afghanistan, Press and Media Section, Public Diplomacy Division, NATO HQ 
 
Moderator:
Claude Weinber, Director Heinrich Böll Stiftung European Union, Brussels