Security governance in Afghanistan and the role of the United StatesA critical analysisSecurity governance in AfghanistanI. Summary: Afghan security forces bear major responsibility for security throughout the country, and the United States and its allies are reducing their military involvement in Afghanistan. The current international security mission ends at the end of 2014 and is expected to transition to a smaller mission primarily consisting of training the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). The number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, approximately 100,000 in 2011, was reduced to a “pre-surge” level of approximately 66,000 in 2012, and to approximately 34,000 in 2014 (Ellwood 2014). According to an American report, American troops will be reduced to around 22,000 men by the end of October. A "residual force" that will remain in Afghanistan after 2014 will likely consist of about 12,000 U.S. and NATO trainers and mentors, about two-thirds of whom would be U.S. forces, plus about 3,000 counterterrorism forces for Mostly American. No decision regarding the residual force has been announced, in part because President Hamid Karzai refuses to sign the required bilateral security agreement (BSA) before leaving office in mid-2014 (Krishnamurthy 2014). However, all candidates in the presidential election that just took place with apparently high turnout and minimal violence publicly support the deal. But his successor likely won't take office until July 2014 at the earliest, limiting the U.S. and NATO force planning process. Fearing instability after 2014, some ethnic and political faction leaders are reviving their militias if the international withdrawal leads to a major push by the Taliban to regain power. The US and Afghan armed forces have not been able to completely eliminate the Taliban, Al Q...... middle of document ......e conditional inclusion in a new, more regional structure where they have a real opportunity to participate and win elections in regions like the greater Kandahar region. However, this is only possible through governance and party political reform described in the previous chapter. Works Cited Ellwood, Tobias. “Stabilizing Afghanistan: Proposals for Improving Security, Governance, and Aid/Economic Development.” Atlantic Council, 2014: 3-28. Fluri, Dr. Phillip. The challenges of security sector governance in Afghanistan. Geneva: Dr Antonio Giustozzi, 2013. Katzman, Kenneth. Afghanistan: governance, security and post-Taliban American politics. CSR Report, New York: Congressional Research Service, 2014. Krishnamurthy, Rajeshwari. “Afghanistan 2014 BSA, Internal Security, Taliban and Indian Strategy”. Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies , 2014: 4-16.