Idea of the Day: Restructure Bureaucratically to Address Pakistan Regionally and to Improve U.S. Government Response

The U.S. government must organize itself differently so that regional strategies are conducted, not just country-specific policies. Interagency and inter-regional teams within the U.S. government should be created to strategize across borders and subject areas. Currently within the National Security Council, Afghanistan is broken out of the region and connected to Iraq under Lieutenant-General Douglas Lute. In the Obama administration, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India should be organized within the same regional department in the NSC. Furthermore, the way that different executive branch departments such as Defense and State organize themselves bureaucratically should be consistent across departments and agencies.
 

For more on this topic, please see:

• Partnership for Progress: Advancing a New Strategy for Prosperity and Stability in Pakistan and the Region by Caroline Wadhams, Brian Katulis, Lawrence J. Korb, and Colin Cookman