Reconciliation in Afghanistan
David H. Young
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
With
the Taliban close to opening a political office in Qatar for the purpose of
negotiating an end to the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, it is unsurprising that
the Taliban's primary rival insurgent network, Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin (HIG),
is now clamoring for a
seat at the table as well. Yet the Taliban and HIG are quite
different from each other, both in how they think and how they operate, and HIG
would play a complicated but very useful role at the negotiating table with
NATO and Kabul if the process gathers momentum.
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Peace Prospects in Afghanistan
Rachel Reid
Friday, February 10, 2012
There's been much talk of a more "moderate" Taliban in
recent months and years, part of a growing effort to rebrand the movement as a
potential peace partner. Statements are scrutinized for indications that the
Taliban may be becoming more progressive
on women's rights and ethnic or religious minorities. Claims that the Taliban
have reformed their past hostility to girls' education are seized upon
before any data backs it up. Glimmers of modernity among former Taliban officials
are treated as symbolizing a deeper change in the movement (bringing us
headlines like "Mullah
Embraces iPhone"). And more seriously, revisions in the Taliban code of
conduct, the Layha,
are scoured for signs of a growing adherence to the laws of war.
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the defeat of al-qaeda
Thomas F. Lynch III
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
This piece is based on a policy paper by Thomas F. Lynch III entitled "The 80 Percent Solution: The Strategic Defeat of bin Laden's al-Qaeda and Implications for South Asian Security," published on February 3, 2012 by the New America Foundation's National Security Studies Program. To read the entire 30-page paper, please click here.
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Homegrown Terrorism in the UK
Raffaello Pantucci
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
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Pakistan Policies
Nancy Birdsall
Friday, February 3, 2012
In the January/February 2012
issue of Foreign Affairs, Stanford political scientist Stephen Krasner claims
that "current U.S. policy toward Pakistan has failed" and recommends that the United
States take a radically different approach: credibly threaten to sever all
forms of cooperation, including all U.S. aid - military and civilian - to force
Pakistan into cooperating with the United States on security matters. Center
for Global Development President Nancy Birdsall responds.
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Post-NATO Withdrawal
Javid Ahmad and Louise Langeby
Friday, February 3, 2012
Whipsawed by a long-drawn U.S.-led military
operation and a decade of erratic international economic assistance,
Afghanistan is in shambles. With
economic development always considered secondary to security concerns, little
has been done in the past decade to establish a sustainable Afghan economy.
While the international community has tried to generate a steady flow of aid,
the Afghan government is still unable to cater to the population's basic needs.
Moreover, the little economy we have
seen evolve in Afghanistan since 2001 is predominantly based on the
international security presence. The bulk
of Afghanistan's gross domestic product (GDP) stems from international aid, and
the impending 2014 deadline for the withdrawal of international combat troops
will be accompanied by a parallel reduction in aid money. Thus, as the tide of
war recedes, a large chunk of the economy will also disappear, posing an
increasing threat to stability. The country's current economic trajectory
beyond 2014 is fraught with corruption and uncertainty. However, despite the dire situation,
Afghanistan's economic transition has received only minor policy attention,
with the focus remaining on the ongoing security transition. Thus the question
remains: How will Afghanistan sustain its economy beyond 2014?
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Transition in Afghanistan
Roger D. Carstens
Thursday, February 2, 2012
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta stated
that the United States would take a step back from its combat role in
Afghanistan by mid-2013. Newspapers and
news shows alike are reporting that this is a major milestone towards ending
our decade long war in this troubled country.
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Rule of Law
Nick Grono
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Afghanistan
is ruled not by law, but by power and patronage. The absence
of the rule of law fuels the
country's savage insurgency.
When citizens can't rely on the state to protect them against systemic abuses,
then rebellion becomes a far more attractive option. Tragically, in Afghanistan
the abusers, more often than not, are from the government itself - including
ministers, governors, police chiefs and militia leaders.
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The Shelf
Lisa Curtis
Monday, January 30, 2012
The title of Ken
Ballen's recently released book, Terrorists
in Love: The Real Lives of Islamic Radicals, is misleading. I put off
buying it for some time because of the title, which implied it would provide a
sympathetic view of terrorism and constitute yet another rant against "failed" U.S.
counterterrorism policies since 9/11.
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Afghanistan's Democracy
Jed Ober
Monday, January 30, 2012
In
his recent address inaugurating the 16th session of Afghanistan's
National Assembly, President Hamid Karzai rejected claims from some in
the international community that constitutional change is necessary in
Afghanistan and accused foreigners of treating
Afghanistan like a "political lab." "Let me expressly and resolutely stress
that we will never allow the perilous dream of trying another political experiment
to turn into reality," asserted President Karzai. Mr. Karzai's position is unsurprising,
considering the astonishing amount of authority the current constitution bestows
on him. Paradoxically, this authority was originally granted to him partially
with the support of the international community. Unless concerted steps are
taken to raise awareness of the need for reform, Afghanistan's democratic
development will continue to be stymied by the constitutionally-condoned
actions of its modern-day monarch.
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Hubris
Peter J. Munson
Friday, January 27, 2012
Insurgency and counterinsurgency have become topics of great debate
recently. The end of our adventure in Iraq, the drawdown in Afghanistan, and
the hovering budget axe have
created a perfect storm in the defense establishment as competing worldviews,
ideologies, and interests jostle for position in the post-Global War on Terror
years. The debate over
counterinsurgency has become particularly heated, as various
parties not only conduct a postmortem on the tactics and operational
art of
recent conflicts, but also seek to find closure (and perhaps fault for mistakes
made and incredible losses of life and treasure over the last decade). The
wounds, real and recent, inject vitriol to the debate.
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Reconciliation in Afghanistan
Karl F. Inderfurth
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The
on-again, off-again effort by the Obama administration to begin preliminary
peace talks with the Taliban is still struggling to get off the ground. The
first move focuses on a statement by the Taliban against international
terrorism and in support of a peace process and the opening of a Taliban office
in Qatar. For this the Taliban have called for the release
of its prisoners held at Guantánamo Bay.
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