The QDDR says that conflict prevention and response should be elevated to a core mission of the State Department and USAID. What does that mean?

RL: Clearly, conflict prevention and response have been a major focus of the U.S. government for decades. But the QDDR demands a more systematic approach, symbolized in part by the recommendation to create a new Bureau for Conflict and Stabilization Operations, which will encompass S/CRS.

On 18 March 2011, the Center for Complex Operations interviewed General David Petraeus, Commander, NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A). The conversation focused on the current counterinsurgency campaign in Afghanistan, interagency coordination and capabilities, and lessons learned from stabilization and reconstruction operations.

The interview will also be published in PRISM Volume 2, Issue 3 in June 2011.

Recent polling shows that 2/3 of Americans don’t believe the war in Afghanistan is worth fighting anymore. What makes you think it is worth fighting?