According to a consultant for the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Post-Conflict Reconstruction evaluation effort in Afghanistan, the ordinary Afghan is losing faith in his country’s progress and government ability to sustain reconstruction in comparison to one year ago. Seema Patel, who traveled for six weeks in Afghanistan working with Afghan interviewers for the PCR project, found that ordinary Afghans expressed more wariness over security concerns and were only slightly less pessimistic when it comes to the other pillars of reconstruction—governance, justice, economic opportunity, and well-being. She wrote for the PCR online forum that Afghans believe inaccessibility to leaders and corruption are hindering the government’s capacity to meet peoples’ needs.
As the Air Force readied for its June 21-22 strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the service was also putting its Agile Combat Employment strategy into action, dispersing combat aircraft and Airmen from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in preparation for a possible Iranian retaliatory attack. Some defense experts say…
