Nancy Hatch Dupree, an American icon in Kabul, dies - The Washington Post

Sunday, September 10, 2017

News Type: USIP in the News

“Her body was frail, but her spirit and passion for her work was alive and well,” said Andrew Wilder, vice president of Asia programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, who visited her at Kabul’s Amiri hospital Friday. He said she spent much of their conversation insisting that he tour the university center while in Kabul. “It is a very fitting legacy to her and her husband,” Wilder said. “It was her pride and joy.”

Sixteen Years In, U.S Deepens Military Involvement in Afghanistan - KQED Radio: The Forum

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

News Type: USIP in the News

President Trump announced a new military strategy for Afghanistan last week, promising to send more U.S. troops to train and support Afghan security forces. Guests: Stephen Biddle, professor of political science and international affairs, George Washington University;adjunct senior fellow for defense policy, Council on Foreign Relations Andrew Wilder vice president, Asia programs, U.S. Institute of Peace

Experts Say Trump’s Afghanistan Strategy Will Require Nation-Building - Breitbart

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

News Type: USIP in the News

Andrew Wilder, vice president of Asia programs at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), pointed to the upcoming Afghan presidential elections in 2019. The last election in 2014 required heavy U.S. involvement. Scott Worden, director of Afghanistan and Central Asia Programs at USIP, said that, on one hand, Trump wants to protect the U.S. from terrorism emanating from Afghanistan, but on the other, 30 years of non-democratic institutions in Afghanistan have led to more violence. Belquis Ahmadi, a senior program officer as USIP, said it is now “up to the Afghans to address the needs of its people.”

US Afghan Policy - BBC News

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

News Type: USIP in the News

U.S. Institute of Peace Vice President Andrew Wilder appeared on BBC News on August 22, 2017 to discuss the Trump administration’s revised Afghanistan strategy. He talked about the strategy's regional approach, including its focus on India and whether it will draw sharp criticism from Pakistan.

7 takeaways from Trump’s new Afghanistan strategy - PBS Newshour

Monday, August 21, 2017

News Type: USIP in the News

Trump said we’re not in the business of nation building, but he shouldn’t discount it, either, said Andrew Wilder of the United States Institute of Peace. “Having a democracy there is an important, fundamental to exit strategy from Afghanistan,” Wilder told PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff. “Just killing bad guys — we’ve done a lot of that over 16 years,” Wilder said, but more important is ensuring the country’s 2019 presidential election is legitimate. Otherwise, we’ll see “a descent into anarchy with no legitimate government,” he said.

The America First president just announced he's escalating the Afghanistan war - VOX

Monday, August 21, 2017

News Type: USIP in the News

“We are there to make sure that we don’t have another 9/11 originate in Afghanistan,” Andrew Wilder, an Afghanistan expert at the US Institute of Peace, told me. He was referring to how al-Qaeda was able to plan the attacks in Afghanistan’s ungoverned places. That’s why he feels it is important to commit US troops to the region: to ensure al-Qaeda or other groups don’t have the time and space to plan that kind of strike again. Trump alluded to 9/11 a few times in his speech, citing the same concerns.

Trump's Afghanistan Huddle Ends Without Decisions Announced - Bloomberg

Friday, August 18, 2017

News Type: USIP in the News

“It’s a difficult situation and there’s no real silver bullet, but what’s clear is the policy of leave now and precipitously withdraw our troops is a real recipe for disaster,” said Andrew Wilder, vice president of Asia programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace, who advocates a modest troop increase.