1、A Pathway to Success in Afghanistan:The National Solidarity ProgramM A R C H 2 0 0 9By John A.Nagl,Andrew M.Exum,Ahmed A.Humayunp o l i C y b R i e fIn providing additional military forces for the Afghanistan war,the Obama administration has demonstrated that Afghanistan is no longer an economy-of-f
2、orce campaign.But a troop surge alone is not enough to win the war.In orthodox counterinsurgency theory,providing essential services and strengthening governance are as important as fighting the enemy with guns and bullets.1 A precondition for allied success is an Afghan state that is legitimate in
3、the eyes of its citizens and able to provide them with essential services.A renewed U.S.commitment to funding grassroots development and governance in Afghanistan must therefore accompany the influx of troops.The Afghan governments National Solidarity Program(NSP)and other programs like it deserve m
4、uch more American support.The president of the World Bank estimates the economic rate of return on the NSP to be almost 20 percent.2 NSP is exem-plary not simply in terms of the tangible services it has delivered to Afghanistans population;“owned”by the Afghans and run with an emphasis on trans-pare