How do we weave together opposing strategies?

By Candyce Torres, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service. “The red thread that runs through a lot of my thoughts on these issues is the difficulty, the need, maybe the failure to integrate economics and economic development into security, into strategy and operation, into plans, into implementation into assessment into intelligence, this is the big challenge in many ways” stated Patrick Cronin, Director of the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University.

Today, the Center for American Progress (CAP) held a discussion regarding sustainable security in Afghanistan and the U.S. Policy. Participants included Reuben Brigety, director of CAP's Sustainable Security Program and Mr. Cronin. Cronin expressed the importance of defense, diplomacy and deterrence while Brigety focused on development programs. He believes that these programs would encourage the local government and Afghan civilians to find solutions to their own problems. Cronin touched on President Obama’s new Afghan strategy which he believes will be very complex. Cronin also thought that it is necessary to look at different phases in order to understand how we should assist Afghanistan.

“Looking at defense, diplomacy, and development, it is an aspiration on the part of any government or organization to try to weave these different disciplines, professions and instruments of policy together” concluded Cronin