In a series of foreign policy advice memos in January 2009, the outgoing US President George W. Bush told Barack Obama of the US’s goal for Afghanistan to become a “democratic” country with a “thriving private sector economy.”
According to a newly released book titled ‘Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama’ by Stephen Hadley, who served as Bush’s last national security advisor, and as reported by the Times newspaper, the outgoing president said:
“Our goal is for Afghanistan to be a reliable, stable ally in the War on Terror; moderate, democratic, with a thriving private sector economy; capable of effectively governing its territory and borders; and respectful of the rights of its citizens.”
Bush also warned his successor of the challenges facing America’s goal, revealing that the quality of governance had declined due to rampant corruption,” and that “Afghan public support for the Afghan government and international military forces had steadily dropped over the last few years.”
And to overcome the challenges, Bush recommended the Afghan government to be bolstered In the eyes of the people of Afghanistan by building support at “local, district and community levels,” as well as putting pressure on Pakistan to “to change its policy that supports militant groups that threaten Afghanistan.”
