Afghanistan Study Group Final Report FEBRUARY 2021 AFGHANISTAN STUDY GROUP Members of the Afghanistan Study Group Co-chairs Senator Kelly A. Ayotte General Joseph F. Dunford Jr. (Ret.) Ms. Nancy Lindborg Study Group Members Ms. Nisha Biswal Ms. Susan Gordon Mr. David Miliband Ambassador James Dobbins Ambassador Mark Green Ms. Lisa Monaco Senator Joe Donnelly Ambassador Marc Grossman Dr. Meghan O’Sullivan Ms. Michèle Flournoy Mr. Stephen J. Hadley General Curtis Scaparrotti (Ret.) This report, which was drafted in December 2020 and January 2021, represents the consensus of a bipartisan and independent Study Group with diverse expertise and affiliations. No member may be satisfied with every formulation and argument in isolation. The findings of this report are solely those of the Afghanistan Study Group. They do not necessarily represent the views of the United States Institute of Peace or the senior advisers who contributed their time and expertise to the deliberations of the Group and the content of this report. All members and senior advisers participated in their personal capacity and on a volunteer basis. Cover includes artwork by Pyty/Shutterstock. Maps on pages 5 and 7 created by Lucidity Information Design. United States Institute of Peace 2301 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20037 Phone: 202.457.1700 Fax: 202.429.6063 E-mail:
[email protected] Web: www . usip.org Making Peace Possible Afghanistan Study Group Final Report A Pathway for Peace in Afghanistan FEBRUARY 2021 Contents Letter from the Co-chairs ........................................ 2 Recommendations ................................................ 47 1. Clarify the End State .................................................... 47 Executive Summary ................................................. 4 2. Reinforce the Conditionality of a Final U.S.