Matthew Hoh and Dr. Michael O’Hanlon joined us for a discussion and debate on U.S. policy and military engagement in Afghanistan and the best way forward. Mr. Hoh is a former Marine Corps captain and State Department appointee, and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In the fall of 2009 he resigned from his appointment in Afghanistan and is currently the director of the Afghanistan Study Group. Dr. O’Hanlon is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, and specializes in national security and defense policy. He is the co-author of Toughing it Out in Afghanistan (2010) and returned this week from a visit to Afghanistan.

What are the key assumptions driving debate about U.S. policy in Afghanistan? Do the costs of the war match the national security threat of a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan? Is our current strategy working and can it ultimately be successful?