The Key to Success in Afghanistan A Modern Silk Road Strategy S. Frederick Starr Andrew C. Kuchins With Stephen Benson, Elie Krakowski, Johannes Linn, and Thomas Sanderson SILK ROAD PAPER May 2010 The Key to Success in Afghanistan A Modern Silk Road Strategy S. Frederick Starr and Andrew C. Kuchins with Stephen Benson, Elie Krakowski, Johannes Linn, Thomas Sanderson Published by the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program In Cooperation with the Center for Strategic & International Studies © Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program – A Joint Transatlantic Research and Policy Center Johns Hopkins University-SAIS, 1619 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036 Institute for Security and Development Policy, V. Finnbodav. 2, Stockholm-Nacka 13130, Sweden www.silkroadstudies.org “The Key to Success in Afghanistan” is a Silk Road Paper published by the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and the Silk Road Studies Program. The Silk Road Papers Se- ries is the Occasional Paper series of the Joint Center, and addresses topical and timely subjects. The Joint Center is a transatlantic independent and non-profit research and policy center. It has offices in Washington and Stockholm and is affiliated with the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University and the Stockholm-based Institute for Security and Development Policy. It is the first institution of its kind in Europe and North America, and is firmly established as a leading research and policy center, serving a large and diverse community of analysts, scholars, policy-watchers, business leaders, and journalists. The Joint Center is at the forefront of research on issues of conflict, security, and development in the region. Through its applied research, publications, research cooperation, public lectures, and seminars, it functions as a focal point for academic, policy, and public discussion re- garding the region. The opinions and conclusions expressed in this study are those of the authors only, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Joint Center or its sponsors. © Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program, 2010 ISBN: 978-91-85937-83-7 Printed in Singapore Cover Photos: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Afghanistan; Ministry of External Affairs, India; the official website of the Prime Minister of India. Distributed in North America by: The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies 1619 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036 Tel. +1-202-663-7723; Fax. +1-202-663-7785 E-mail: [email protected] Distributed in Europe by: The Silk Road Studies Program Institute for Security and Development Policy V. Finnbodavägen 2, SE-13130 Stockholm-Nacka E-mail: [email protected] Editorial correspondence should be addressed to Svante E. Cornell, Research and Pub- lications Director, at either of the addresses above (preferably by e-mail.) “…Once we are on our feet with our own economy, with our mineral resources, with our businesses, with Afghanistan be- coming a hub for transportation in Central Asia and South and West Asia…, Afghanistan will remain a strong and good and economically viable partner with the United States and our other allies.” --President Hamid Karzai “Sound strategy demands the use of all the instruments of power. This vision for Afghanistan and the region makes a compelling case that transport and trade can help restore the central role of Afghanistan in Central Asia. By once again be- coming a transport hub, Afghanistan can regain economic vital- ity and thrive as it did in the days of the Silk Road.” -- General David H. Petraeus Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................................... 7 Overview ...................................................................................................................... 9 I: Transport Initiatives to Date ................................................................................. 14 Accomplishment ............................................................................................ 15 Who is Investing? .......................................................................................... 15 Roads ............................................................................................................... 17 Railroads ......................................................................................................... 18 Aviation .......................................................................................................... 19 Building Institutions for Transport and Trade ........................................... 20 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 21 II. Argument for a Highly Visible and Transformative Transport-based Strategy ........................................................................................................................ 22 Key Obstacles to a Modern Silk Road to the Indian Sub-Continent and Southeast Asia ......................................................................................... 25 The Role of U.S. Leadership and What it Entails ...................................... 29 III. What the United States Should Do Now: An Initiative to Reconnect Afghanistan with East and West .............................................................................. 32 Promoting Afghanistan‘s Role in Road Transit and Trade ........................ 33 Connecting Afghanistan by Rail ................................................................... 37 Connecting Afghanistan through Information Technology ..................... 40 IV. Institutional Steps to Embrace and Implement .............................................. 42 A Transport Strategy .................................................................................... 42 Recommendation: A Special Presidential Special Envoy and Interagency Task Force .................................................................................43 Appendix .................................................................................................................... 45 Draft Presidential Policy Directive ............................................................. 45 Subject: Afghanistan and Transregional Transport Initiative .................. 46 Executive Summary One of the most promising ways forward for the U.S. and NATO in Afgha- nistan is to focus on removing the impediments to continental transport and trade across Afghanistan‘s territory. Many existing international initiatives from the Mediterranean to the Indian sub-continent and Southeast Asia are already bringing parts of this network into being. Absent is the overall priori- tization, coordination, and risk management that will enable Afghanistan to emerge as a natural hub and transit point for roads, railroads, pipelines, and electric lines. America and its coalition partners can provide these missing ingredients. Opening the great channels of transport and trade will improve the lives of average Afghans, reinforce the military effort, and create a sustained income stream for the Afghan government. It will begin reaping these benefits with- in 18 to 24 months. This strategy acknowledges the reality that the Afghan struggle is regional in scope, affecting the rest of Central Asia, Pakistan, India, China, Iran, etc., and must be resolved on a regional basis. Such a strategy benefits all and is directed against no one. Priority projects include the completion of the Afghan Ring Road and Kabul- Herat highway and linking them to continental trunk routes, especially to the Pakistani port at Gwadar; completing trans-Afghan rail lines linking Eu- rope and Asia; constructing the TAPI pipeline; and completing electrical transmission lines linking Central Asia, Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, and India. Particularly urgent is the prompt removal of existing ―corks‖ preventing the quick transit of goods, especially bureaucratic impediments at Afghanistan‘s borders and at key borders further afield. This requires prompt governmental action. But the larger task will involve, and be attractive to, the private sec- tor. A transport-based strategy will open promising opportunities to busi- 8 S. Frederick Starr & Andrew C. Kuchins nesses in Afghanistan, neighboring countries, and in the NATO countries, including the U.S. The Government of Afghanistan affirmed in 2007 its commitment to a transport-based national strategy. Most of the prioritized initiatives listed above are already underway by the U.S., regional states, international finan- cial institutions, or private investors. Others require immediate U.S. leader- ship and coordination, especially in the area of risk management. To implement this strategy the U.S. must treat it as a matter of the highest priority, equal to and complementary with, the military strategy. In keeping with this, the U.S. must designate a high-level official to lead a major inter- agency task force that will work closely with military and civilian leaders in the U.S., Afghanistan, among coalition partners, and in regional states. Such an initiative must use all tools at the disposal of the U.S. government to en- gage the private sector. Overview American strategy in Afghanistan is at a crossroads. Expanded forces are im- plementing promising new approaches on the battlefield. But these have yet to be matched by economic measures. The U.S.‘s stated goals—to