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The Afghan National Army: Unwarranted Hope?

Dec 2009, Vol. 154, No. 6
By Antonio Giustozzi

The re-building of the Afghan National Army is at the heart of NATO’s long-term strategy to stabilise Afghanistan. Billions of dollars have been spent in training, mentoring and equipping a new volunteer army which is representative of Afghanistan’s diverse ethnic groups and operates in the nation’s interests. Yet, at the end of 2009, the Afghan Army is beset by a host of problems including widespread illiteracy, ethnic rivalries, drugs use and poor combat effectiveness. Respected Afghan expert Antonio Giustozzi analyses what has gone wrong and suggests that a new model may be the only way forward.