Abstract
At the time of writing this dissertation, a native of Dubuque American soldier has died in Afghanistan. This brings the number of soldiers killed to 1747, and the statistics continue to increase. Afghanistan is geographically situated in Asia; it shares the biggest part of its borders with Pakistan (1468 miles), Tajikistan (724 miles) and Iran (562 miles). Most of Afghanistan's current problems are probably because of its geography. Its location between empires with conflicting strategic interests made it a battle ground for proxy wars. Its proximity to the rich resources of Central Asian republics increases its strategic value to various global and regional actors. The sanctuary its government provided to Al Qaeda is the source of its present troubles. In this thesis we shall attempt to study the American policies in the resolution of this Afghan crisis. It is completely understandable that the committed countries do not want to get stuck in the mud in this fight, and to make a new Vietnam of Afghanistan. 71 000 American soldiers are at present enrolled in Afghanistan, and it became an obligation to find adequate solutions not to weigh down the balance sheets already importing deaths on that foreign ground. Furthermore, the public opinion which was widely favorable to the launch of the operation seems increasingly reluctant to the continuation of this war. My work does not claim to be able to find a unique strategy allowing to sort out a complex crisis, but to analyze the former and new civil and military American policies to advance their weaknesses and their strengths. This will lead us inexorably in search of the best solutions to answer the Afghan major stakes. For eight years, the international powers, more particularly that of the Americans, have taken into account the evolutions of the Afghan society and the military Taliban's strategies to adapt itself as well as possible to the transformations and answer the difficulties with suitable means. There is still a long way to go but the Obama government has shown its will to pursue the fight and the reconstruction of the Country, and to make Afghanistan the major target of the American efforts against the international terrorism. The beginning of the progressive withdrawals of military contingents from Iraq towards Afghanistan last year is a blatant example. In this report we are thus going to deal with a current and crucial subject, the concrete problem will be: to what extent can the American policies lead to a resolution of the Afghan crisis?
