Afghanistan: now you see me?

With a sustained drawdown of troops from Iraq Afghanistan has become the focus of the West’s military engagements in the region. The initially well-supported response to the attacks of September 11th had lain neglected in the shadow of America’s ideological adventurism in the Middle East; and in the vacuum of political, military and economic commitment the overthrown Taliban have been resuscitated. But is the West’s renewed interest in Afghanistan too little, too late? This Strategic Update assess the challenges that the Obama administration and its allies face in reconstituting the statebuilding mission in Afghanistan.