THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE STANLEY FOUNDATION AND GERDA HENKEL STIFTUNG INVITE YOU TO A PANEL DISCUSSION ON AFGHANISTAN: THE WAY FORWARD


In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, the United States led an invasion of Afghanistan to topple the Taliban government that was sheltering and supporting the leadership of Al Qaeda and its training operations.

Today, Afghanistan poses a unique challenge for the international community as U.S.-led international forces strive to build up a weak Afghan state and security forces, fight off a Taliban insurgency and seek a political solution that will enable the withdrawal of Western forces, without ceding the country to Al Qaeda and its Taliban allies. Increasingly, that battle is being waged also within fragile neighbouring Pakistan.

How can Afghans wrench their country out of more than 30 years of war, create a stable and legitimate system of governance and build a future not dominated by the Taliban? How can Western forces help or hinder this process? Can the conflicting demands of counter-insurgency and economic development be reconciled? Is the West doomed to suffer the same fate as the Soviet Union in Afghanistan? What roles are Pakistan, Russia, Iran and India playing?

Please join us for a unique, open and frank on-the-record debate in which our panel of experts, steeped in experience of the Afghan conflict, will lead a discussion on the options for Afghanistan’s future and the wider strategic picture

Hello from Reuters.com. We'll have live video of tonight's panel starting in around an hour.

The guests are arriving

We're about to start. Thomson Reuters CEO Tom Glocer will be introducing the panel.

Tom Glocer (TG) welcoming guests

PT is based in Paris. Introducing Hekmat Karzai (HK): served as diplomat for Afghanistan in Washington.

Richard Barrett (RB) advises on effective development of sanctions against Taliban

PT: Is the West winning in Afghanistan? Is Obama's goal of stable Afghanistan realistic? Is President Karzai part of problem or solution? Can Taliban be defeated? These are among questions we'll be discussing tonight.

HK: There wasn't any interest from outset in building institutions.

HK: We had special forces who spoke only Spanish and Portuguese. We had various opportunities for reconciliation but we didn't take advantage of them.

HK: In terms of financial assistance, we really did not contribute as much as Afghans expected. President Bush promised a Marshall Plan that never materialized.

HK: In terms of security, we did not really have a solid strategy.

HK: We don't have one group of insurgents. We have five.

HK: Motivation factors include financial reasons; revenge; ideological; governance factors that allow people to join

Now government has strategy: reconciliation and reintegration. But international community does not speak with one voice on reconciliation.

PT now handing over to Galbraith.

Reason strategy won't work is that there is no credible partner

PG: He's considered mayor of Kabul because northern part of country operates independently.

PG: He is further handicapped by the fact that he's now illegitimate. Elections in 2009 were massively fraudulent.