Strategic Regions
- Civil Society
 Succeeding in Afghanistan presupposes more than winning a military war. The emergence of a strong Afghan civil society is essential for stabilizing the country. Poverty, a flourishing drug economy, and the lack of education and the rule of law cause concern and hinder the development process. Creating strategies to strengthen Afghan civil society is an integral part of the reconstruction program in Afghanistan.
(Photo: AfghanKabul, cc license)
Anders Fogh Rasmussen: After the London conference, NATO was accused of trying to achieve peace by bribing the Taliban. In this video, the NATO Secretary General says that this is not the case, and that reconciliation and re-integration efforts will provide an alternative path to the Afghan people. …More
Memo 22: Atlantic-community.org has developed several policy recommendations regarding the international mission in Afghanistan. Members agree that improving the functioning of the state is necessary and that better governance, empowering local institutions must be one of ISAF’s primary goals. …More
Interview with Bente Aika Scheller: Following yesterday’s London Conference, and reflecting the debate currently running on atlantic-community.org, we interviewed the Director of the Boell Foundation’s Kabul office. Dr. Scheller states that along side security, the international community also needs to strengthen Afghan civil society. …More
History has shown that there are similar scripts utilized by authoritarian regimes to manifest dictatorship. ++ “Invoke a threat…establish a surveillance apparatus…subvert the rule of law.” ++ This procedure applied by Iranian and Thai …More
Florian Broschk: The Western effort to conquer “hearts and minds” in Afghanistan is being hindered by a failure to recognize the core role of religion in Afghan society. The West must integrate the language of Islamic morality into its counterinsurgency mission. …More
The British military are increasingly angered by the poor international effort to win over hearts and minds in Afghanistan. ++ British generals have been arguing for years that getting the population on side is the key to success. ++ A …More
Irrespective of slow gains in basic services
as well as little success in reconstruction, the conflict in Afghanistan is
still in full swing. High civilian and military casualties, severe food
shortages, millions of Afghans facing starvation and …More
Daoud Sultanzoy: Daoud Sultanzoy, an Afghan member of Parliament, gives his impression of the risks that his country runs if it does not connect with its people during the coming elections. A growing list of tribulations the common Afghan faces is enumerated - concerns that military might alone would be hard-pressed to mitigate. …More
NATO Review: Nick Grono, Deputy President of the International Crisis Group, outlines elements of the Taliban’s media war in Afghanistan, including its strengths, weaknesses, and how to fight back. …More
Nicholas Lunt: ISAF and NATO have tried to speak to Afghans directly in their own language. Previous communication, even when assisted by locals, has led to misunderstandings and conflict. The solution would be to empower locals to speak for ISAF and NATO directly. …More
Sepideh Parsa: Despite efforts to combat the drug production in Afghanistan, figures continue to rise. To avert the threat which arises from the resurgence of terrorist groups, and to ensure international security, the international community has to make a long- term commitment. This paper aims to outline the dynamics of the Afghan drug economy, focusing on the effectiveness of measures carried out under international law. …More
Royal United Services Institute (RUSI): Bringing food to millions of Afghans can have both strategic and humanitarian results. An operation styled on the Berlin Airlift could also bring new actors to Afghanistan. Likewise, it might be a necessity for keeping the Afghan government afloat, since access to food during famine can determine political allegiances. …More
Mr. Samiullah Wardak was born in Kabul in 1976 and migrated to Pakistan at the age of five. In 2002 he returned to Afghanistan where he had been engaged in reintegration and refugee issues. Mr. Wardak has worked as a program …More
Sending more troops to Afghanistan will not solve the country’s many deep-rooted problems. ++ A larger military presence could alienate the local population. ++ Iraq should have taught us that more troops don’t necessarily mean more security, as …More
The Taliban are losing battles in Afghanistan but are winning the war. ++ The situation looks grimmer now than ever before. ++ The war looks it can’t be won, but we must keep trying. ++ NATO can’t win alone, but it …More
Obama’s foreign policy proposals are too vapid; far from incipient or novel, we are subjected to his recycled ideas - which, albeit, were fresh when first espoused in the face of Bush dogmatism. ++ “These ideas have lost their oomph among …More
|
