Getting Beyond 2014 in Afghanistan --- Please join the U.S. Institute of Peace, Voice of America, and Alliance in Support of the Afghan People for this two panel public event that will examine the U.S.-Afghan relationship, both its history and its future potential. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador James Dobbins will deliver the keynote address. -- Things are not as bleak as they seem in Afghanistan, and Afghanistan's future need not be as bleak as some fear. It is true that 2014 begins with numerous uncertainties, including questions about the presidential election and a post-2014 troop presence. -- But these complications obscure the reality of one of the most unusual, unexpected, but generous partnerships in American history. Over the past dozen years, tens of thousands of Americans have been engaged in the effort to stabilize and rebuild Afghanistan, a country that many had never given any thought to before the attacks against the U.S. on September 11, 2001. Since then, Americans and Afghans have interacted on a personal level, worked together as professionals, and shared their hopes for a better future for Afghanistan.-- These bonds of friendship and shared hopes between Americans and Afghans will endure regardless of the political decisions made in 2014. --- "Getting Beyond 2014" is jointly organized by the United States Institute of Peace, Voice of America, and the Alliance in Support of the Afghan People. It aims to provide a wider perspective on the U.S.-Afghan relationship, looking back at its successes, and forward to its potential. - More, United States Institute - at: http://www.usip.org/events/getting-beyond-2014-in-afghanistan