Corruption in Afghanistan as ‘Big a Threat’ as Taliban

U.S. soldiers from 1st Regiment 320 Field Artillery 101st Airborne stand guard outside COP Stout before the opening ceremony for a newly completed mosque in southern Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on April 1, 2011. Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images

Welcome to Foreign Policy’s Security Brief. Let’s start off with something completely different: For anyone who’s nostalgic for the Pleistocene era, there’s a new job opportunity for people who want to bring the woolly mammoth back to life. Okay, now back to business.

The highlights this week: A government watchdog outlines billions of dollars wasted in Afghanistan reconstruction, Biden releases a new national security strategy document, and a new study reveals shortcomings in U.S. counterterrorism efforts in West Africa.