Publication

This brief discusses US President Obama's announcement of a 'Zero Option' in Afghanistan which stipulates a complete withdrawal of US troops from the country by the end of 2014. It explores the implications of this policy change for Afghan-US relations, the nation-building process, and security in the region. According to the author, Obama's policy shift is in sharp contradiction with other strategies that the US has been pursing and advocating in public, and further highlights the seriousness of the rift between Kabul and Washington.