Domestic and Regional Dimensions of Obama's Challenge in Afganistan and Pakistan

The US-led invasion of Afghanistan is the first official war on terror which is the centerpiece of the Bush administration’s foreign policy and it showcases a new brand of realism: a mix of neo-conservative and liberalist thinking. But, from 8 years on, two wars and hundreds of thousands of lives, we can agree on the longevity of the challenge and it is likely to endanger strategic interests of US and its allies in the region, bearing in mind that Afghanistan was always likely to be a difficult theatre of operations for outside military forces. Current US-led operation faces different challenges in south Asia in general and in Afghanistan and Pakistan in particular and as the times passes the tensions between Taliban and Coalition forces deepen,threatening situation which can bring the region into an interstate conflict and terror at transnational level and endanger strategic interests of US and its allies if the crisis of this region takes too long. Great emphasis on hard power in war on terror not only fan the flames of Tensions among regional countries but also would further increase attack against the foreign (inter/trans) national interests on the foreign front. A workable solution for improving the security conditions around the globe in general and in Afghanistan and Pakistan in particular, the study continues to suggest, can be achieved by spreading smart power, taking into account that Global Superpowers such as US often underestimate the impact of soft power in the long term and overestimate the impact of hard power in the short term, but success is out of reach unless it addresses the balance a bit.