Afghanistan Policy Under Trump

On August 21st, President Trump announced his new Afghanistan strategy, calling for the deployment of more troops and a conditional regional process. Yet many details of the strategy remain vague and Afghanistan continues to face an ongoing political-military crisis, as moves towards the 16th year of American military involvement in the country. What impact will the Trump strategy have, and where does Afghanistan stand today. 

To discuss these issues, New America welcomes Peter Bergen, Vice President of New America, John Dempsey, a fellow with New America’s International Security Program and former senior advisor to Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke and his successors in the State Department’s Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he oversaw U.S. government rule of law and elections policy in the region from 2009-2016 and Ioannis Koskinas, a senior fellow with New America’s International Security Program who has been based in Afghanistan for the past seven years, to discuss these questions. Koskinas focuses on foreign policy issues with an emphasis on Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and the Levant. Koskinas is the CEO of the Hoplite Group, a company focused on sustainable and innovative solutions to complex problems, in the most challenging environments and harshest conditions. The event will be moderated by Awista Ayub, Deputy Director of New America’s Fellows program and author of Kabul Girls Soccer Club and prior to joining New America worked as the director of South Asia programs at Seeds of Peace. 

Follow the discussion online using #AfghanCrisis and following @NewAmericaISP. 

Participants: 

John Dempsey
Fellow, New America International Security Program 

Ioannis Koskinas, @Gianni_in_Kabul
Senior Fellow, New America International Security Program
CEO, Hoplite Group 

Peter Bergen, @PeterBergenCNN
Vice President, New America 

Moderator: 

Awista Ayub
Deputy Director, New America Fellows Program
Author, Kabul Girls Soccer Club