The Campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan: An Assessment

While the outcome of the General Election in Iraq remains unclear, what is clear is the remarkable stability that has been achieved. Much remains to be done, as evidenced by ongoing bombings, but the progress is undeniable.  The United States continues to play less and less of a prominent role in the field of security, while, concurrently, the Iraqi Security Forces are growing in maturity and capabilities. The Iraqi economy continues to strengthen and relations with its neighbors are improving. What does the future hold for U.S.-Iraqi cooperation? Will the next government be able to continue the security successes in Iraq, or will politics undermine that which has been achieved?
 
At the outset of 2010, the U.S. military launched a new strategy for Afghanistan and has since undertaken offensives in key areas in an attempt to push out the Taliban, implement Afghan governance and establish security. How effective are these operations proving, and what are the auguries of success? Are the strategic objectives attainable? How does one define success in Afghanistan? 
 
Please join Dr. Kimberly Kagan, the President and Founder of the Institute for the Study of War, who will discuss these issues, her book The Surge: A Military History, and the way forward in both Iraq and Afghanistan.   
 
This event will be held from 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. in Washington on Tuesday, May 18. Copies of Dr. Kagan's book will be available for purchase. To attend, please log in to your YPFP member account and register under the event listing. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at events@ypfp.org.  
 
We hope to see you May 18.

Nathalie Maréchal
Elizabeth Scott
Joshua C. Huminski

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Dr. Kimberly Kagan, founder and president of the Institute for the Study of War, is a military historian who has taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Yale University, Georgetown University, and American University. She is the author of The Eye of Command (University of Michigan Press, 2006), The Surge: A Military History (Encounter Books, 2009) and editor of The Imperial Moment (forthcoming from Harvard University Press, 2010). She is also the executive producer of the documentary film, "The Surge: The Whole Story." Dr. Kagan has published numerous essays including "Don't Short-Circuit the Surge" in The Wall Street Journal, "How to Surge the Taliban" (co-authored with Max Boot and Frederick W. Kagan) in The New York Times, and "Why the Taliban are Winning--For Now" on the Foreign Policy magazine website. Dr. Kagan has conducted nine battlefield circulations of Iraq since May 2007 for the MNF-I commanding general, and two of Afghanistan. Three of these visits were formal assessments as part of larger teams. Kagan served in Kabul as a member of Gen. Stanley McChrystal's strategic assessment team, comprised of civilian experts, during his strategic review in June and July 2009. She participated on the Joint Campaign Plan Assessment Team for Multi-National Force-Iraq - U.S. Mission-Iraq in Baghdad in October 2008 and October 2009. She also served as a reviewer for the CENTCOM strategic review in January 2009. Kagan participated in the Olin Postdoctoral Fellowship in Military History through Yale International Security Studies in 2004-2005. She was an affiliate of Harvard's Olin Institute for Strategic Studies, where she was a National Security Fellow in 2002-2003. She received a Bachelor of Arts in classical civilization and a doctorate in history from Yale University.