Download or read book Afghanistan and Central Asia Prospects and Challenges After the Withdrawal of NATO ISAF Forces written by Steven Blockmans and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Years of conflict have damaged Afghanistan's economic, political, physical, social and institutional structures. Afghanistan ranks 175 out of 187 in the 2013 Human Development Index. Gross Domestic Product per capita is estimated at USD 1,343. Despite improvements in recent years health and education-related indicators remain among the lowest in the world. Discrimination against women is endemic. The government continues to struggle to deliver basic public services, provide rule of law and guarantee internal security. Afghanistan has nevertheless made progress thanks to global partnerships in development, from the pledges made in the 2001 Bonn agreement to the mutual commitments and accountability struck at the 2012 Chicago and Tokyo conferences. Official Development Assistance has substantially grown since 2001. In 2008 Afghanistan became the world's leading aid recipient. Even when excluding security sector assistance, the country's aid dependency ratio remains one of the highest in the world with external assistance funding 71% of GDP. The EU has been a major contributor of humanitarian and development assistance to Afghanistan. Between 2002 and 2012, the EU has committed EUR 2.7 billion through the general budget and disbursed 89 % of that. Taken together with the member states, the European contribution to the development of Afghanistan amounts to more than EUR 1 billion per year. The EU has focused on three areas where its support is complementary to that of others and can add value: policing and the rule of law, which are key to stabilisation; the health sector; and rural development, both of which aim to improve the socio-economic situation of Afghan citizens. Whereas tangible achievements have been made, overall progress has been slow in all three areas, given the complex environment of transition, the enormous challenges faced and ineffective donor alignment. In the area of rural development and health, the overall conclusion is that the EU has made a substantial impact but that future support would necessitate further flexibility and responsiveness from the Commission's side to efficiently respond to the evolving needs of the country. EU efforts in de-mining and counter-narcotics have been less successful over the years. The support has been provided mainly through a project-based approach, yet is--in line with principles of aid effectiveness--being transferred into a more sector-wide approach, and channeled through, for instance, the relatively successful multi-donor trust funds administered by the World Bank and the UN. The critical years lie ahead. Afghanistan continues to be a conflict-afflicted and fragile state. There is considerable uncertainty as to what the political and security environment will look like past the 2014 transition horizon. Afghanistan will require extensive, predictable, and sustained international aid during the next decade to become a self-reliant country. The working hypothesis of the EU and member states seems to be premised on a continuation of support in previously determined focal sectors. This choice may bode well for the future, provided that the overall political and security situation proves resilient and that lessons learnt will be applied. Because active ownership is key for sustainability, an important aim of the EU will have to be to support state-building and long-term development in Afghanistan, focused on democratisation and economic governance, rule of law, basic service needs, and the creation of sustainable livelihoods, alternative to production of narcotics and illegal precursors. Enshrining those operating principles in the future EU-Afghanistan Cooperation Agreement for Partnership and Development, for which negotiations are currently underway, should provide the (legal) basis to structure mutual commitments and mutual accountability. The ongoing debates within the Commission and the Council on the future role of the EU in Afghanistan should lead to the development of a new strategy to replace the 2009 Action Plan; one that is aligned with the strategic thinking of the Afghan government, identifies deliverable objectives and timelines, and sets out a clear division of labour. The way in which conditionality is implemented will be essential if the EU's measures are to have any effect on its addressees. The strategy should be ready for endorsement by mid-2014."--Executive summary, pages 5-6.
Download or read book Afghanistan and Its Neighbors after the NATO Withdrawal written by Amin Saikal and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2016-03-04 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The planned reductions in NATO troop numbers in Afghanistan through 2015 and a final withdrawal at the end of 2016 brings up numerous pressing questions about the security and national interests of not just Afghanistan, but of the broader region itself. The problem of a chaotic Afghanistan—or of an outright Taliban victory—is of great concern to not only immediate neighbors such as Iran, Pakistan, and the former Soviet Central Asian republics to the north, but also to those countries in the region with Afghanistan-related security or economic concerns, such as China and India. Further abroad, Russian, American and European interests and plans for dealing with the fallout from Afghanistan must also be taken into account as these major powers have enduring interests in Afghanistan and the region. This volume puts the prospects for short- and mid-term security dynamics at the core of the analysis, with each case being placed in its proper contemporary historical, economic, and political context. The book will offer a truly comprehensive, nuanced, and timely account of the security situation in and around Afghanistan.
Download or read book Afghanistan and Central Asia written by Oktay F. Tanrisever and published by IOS Press. This book was released on 2013 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Papers presented at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop entitled as "NATO, the Fight against International Terrorism in Afghanistan and Security Situation in Central Asia since 9/11," held at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey between April 10-11, 2011.
Download or read book China and Afghanistan written by Huasheng Zhao and published by CSIS Reports. This book was released on 2012-03-26 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Because China is principally interested in preventing the destabilization of Xinjiang Province, it has broadly deferred to the United States and its Western allies who are leading military efforts, political reconciliation, and economic reconstruction in Afghanistan. Author Zhao Huasheng writes that China's interests in Afghanistan are more limited than those of the United States, and Beijing has no interest in playing a subordinate role "under the dominance of the West" either. Basically China wants the security threat contained, but is not prepared to contribute to the military effort, including opening a transit corridor on its territory. China is prepared to participate in Afghanistan's economic reconstruction, especially when it advances Chinese foreign economic interests.
Download or read book U S Strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan written by Richard Lee Armitage and published by Council on Foreign Relations. This book was released on 2010 with total page 83 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Council on Foreign Relations sponsors Independent Task Forces to assess issues of current and critical importance to U.S. foreign policy and provide policymakers with concrete judgments and recommendations. Diverse in backgrounds and perspectives, Task Force members aim to reach a meaningful consensus on policy through private and non-partisan deliberations. Once launched, Task Forces are independent of CFR and solely responsible for the content of their reports. Task Force members are asked to join a consensus signifying that they endorse "the general policy thrust and judgments reached by the group, though not necessarily every finding and recommendation." Each Task Force member also has the option of putting forward an additional or a dissenting view. Members' affiliations are listed for identification purposes only and do not imply institutional endorsement. Task Force observers participate in discussions, but are not asked to join the consensus. --Book Jacket.
Download or read book The European Union and Peacebuilding written by Steven Blockmans and published by T.M.C. Asser Press. This book was released on 2010-06-30 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: peace. Only through partnership with local actors can international norms be c- bined with a respect and understanding of local context, and promote the transfer of responsibilities and ownership to the populations concerned. In this work we need to engage with local civil society as well as representatives of media and local business communities. The link between peace, security and development has been widely recognised by the international community, and as a response, the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) was created in 2005. The European Union is committed to actively supporting the work of the Peacebuilding Commission on the basis of its experience, resources and worldwide operability. During the first five years the PBC has brought together all key players on the ground to enable a comprehensive approach to peacebuilding in selected post-c- flict states. In 2010 the progress of the PBC so far will be examined in order to take on board lessons learned for the next steps, ensuring that it can discharge its m- date more effectively and better deliver real progress on the ground. 2010 is also the year for the Review Summit of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) aiming at eradicating poverty. The link between countries affected by fragility and conflict and those lagging most behind in attaining the MDGs indicates clearly the need for stronger ties between security and development efforts.
Download or read book War Will and Warlords written by and published by Government Printing Office. This book was released on with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Compares the reasons for and the responses to the insurgencies in Afghanistan and Pakistan since October 2001. Also examines the lack of security and the support of insurgent groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan since the 1970s that explain the rise of the Pakistan-supported Taliban. Explores the border tribal areas between the two countries and how they influence regional stability and U.S. security. Explains the implications of what happened during this 10-year period to provide candid insights on the prospects and risks associated with bringing a durable stability to this area of the world.
Download or read book Afghanistan written by Kenneth Katzman and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: U.S. and outside assessments of the effort to stabilise Afghanistan are mixed and subject to debate; the Administration notes progress on reconstruction, governance and security in many areas of Afghanistan, particularly the U.S.-led eastern sector of Afghanistan. However, a November 2007 Bush Administration review of U.S. efforts in Afghanistan reportedly concluded that overall progress was inadequate. This mirrors recent outside studies that contain relatively pessimistic assessments, emphasising a growing sense of insecurity in areas previously considered secure, increased numbers of suicide attacks, and increasing aggregate poppy cultivation, as well as increasing divisions within the NATO alliance about the relative share of combat among the nations contributing to the peacekeeping mission. Both the official U.S. as well as outside assessments are increasingly pointing to Pakistan as failing -- either through lack of attention or eliberatestrategy -- to prevent Taliban commanders from operating from Pakistan. To try to gain momentum against the insurgency, the United States is considering new initiatives including adding U.S. troops to the still combat-intense south, possibly assuming U.S. command of the southern sector, and increasing direct U.S. action against Taliban concentrations inside Pakistan. Politically, the Afghan government remains reasonably stable. The post-Taliban transition was completed with the convening of a parliament in December 2005; a new constitution was adopted in January 2004, successful presidential elections were held on October 9, 2004, and parliamentary elections took place on September 18, 2005. The parliament has become an arena for factions that have fought each other for nearly three decades to debate and peacefully resolve differences, as well as a centre of political pressure on President Hamid Karzai. Major regional strongmen have been marginalised. Afghan citizens are enjoying personal freedoms forbidden by the Taliban, and women are participating in economic and political life. Presidential elections are to be held in the fall of 2009, with parliamentary and provincial elections to follow one year later. To help stabilise Afghanistan, the United States and partner countries are deploying a 47,000 troop NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) that now commands peacekeeping throughout Afghanistan, including the restive south. Of those, 19,000 of the 31,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan are part of ISAF. The U.S. and partner forces also run regional enclaves to secure reconstruction (Provincial Reconstruction Teams, PRTs), and are building an Afghan National Army and National Police. The United States has given Afghanistan over $23 billion (appropriated, including FY2008 to date) since the fall of the Taliban, including funds to equip and train Afghan security forces.
Download or read book Why the European Union Failed in Afghanistan written by Oz Hassan and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2024-09-26 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The return of the Taliban has undermined EU external action, reversed twenty years of state-building efforts and represents the most significant failure of EU foreign policy to date. Drawing on over 100 hours of interviews with key actors and an in-depth examination of the EU’s state-building efforts, this book offers unparalleled insights into the complex interplay between transatlantic relations and the resurgence of the Taliban. It critically evaluates the EU's strategies, advocating for a nuanced, historically informed approach to international relations. Indispensable for academics, policy makers and anyone vested in the intricacies of foreign interventions in an ever-complex global environment.
Download or read book Militants Criminals and Warlords written by Vanda Felbab-Brown and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2017-11-28 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: " Conventional political theory holds that the sovereign state is the legitimate source of order and provider of public services in any society, whether democratic or not. But Hezbollah and ISIS in the Middle East, pirate clans in Africa, criminal gangs in South America, and militias in Southeast Asia are examples of nonstate actors that control local territory and render public services that the nation-state cannot or will not provide. This fascinating book takes the reader around the world to areas where national governance has broken down—or never really existed. In these places, the vacuum has been filled by local gangs, militias, and warlords, some with ideological or political agendas and others focused primarily on economic gain. Many of these actors have substantial popularity and support among local populations and have developed their own enduring institutions, often undermining the legitimacy of the national state. The authors show that the rest of the world has more than a passing interest in these situations, in part because transborder crime and terrorism often emerge but also because failed states threaten international interests from trade to security. This book also poses, and offers answers for, the question: How should the international community respond to local orders dominated by armed nonstate actors? In many cases outsiders have taken the short-term route—accepting unsavory local actors out of expediency—but at the price of long-term instability or damage to human rights and other considerations. From Africa and the Middle East to Asia and Latin America, the local situations highlighted in this book are, and will remain, high on today's international agenda. The book makes a unique contribution to global understanding of how those situations developed and what can be done about them. This title is part of the Geopolitics in the 21st Century series. "
Download or read book Reconstructing the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces Lessons from the U S Experience in Afghanistan written by Special Inspector for Afghanistan Reconstruction (U.S.) and published by U.S. Independent Agencies and Commissions. This book was released on 2017-08 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This publication is the second in a series of lessons learned reports which examine how the U.S. government and Departments of Defense, State, and Justice carried out reconstruction programs in Afghanistan. In particular, the report analyzes security sector assistance (SSA) programs to create, train and advise the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) between 2002 and 2016. This publication concludes that the effort to train the ANDSF needs to continue, and provides recommendations for the SSA programs to be improved, based on lessons learned from careful analysis of real reconstruction situations in Afghanistan. The publication states that the United States was never prepared to help create Afghan police and military forces capable of protecting that country from internal and external threats. It is the hope of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), John F. Sopko, that this publication, and other SIGAR reports will create a body of work that can help provide reasonable solutions to help United States agencies and military forces improve reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. Related items: Counterterrorism publications can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/counterterrorism Counterinsurgency publications can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/counterinsurgency Warfare & Military Strategy publications can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/warfare-military-strategy Afghanistan War publications can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/afghanistan-war
Download or read book Understanding War in Afghanistan written by Joseph J. Collins and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book America s Strategy in World Politics written by Nicholas J. Spykman and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-07-12 with total page 698 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Less than a year after the United States entered the Second World War, Nicholas Spykman wrote a book that placed the war effort in the broader context of the 1940s global balance of power. In America's Strategy in World Politics, Spykman examined world politics from a realist geopolitical perspective. The United States, he explained, was fighting for its very survival as an independent country because the conquests of Germany and Japan raised the specter of our geopolitical encirclement by hostile forces controlling the power centers of Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia. Spykman warned that the United States could not safely retreat to a defensive position in the Western Hemisphere. Spykman looked beyond the immediate strategic requirements of the Second World War, envisioning a postwar world in which the United States would help shape the global balance of power to meet its security needs. Even though Soviet Russia was our wartime ally, Spykman recognized that a geopolitically unbalanced Soviet Union could threaten to upset the postwar balance of power and thereby endanger U.S. security. Spykman also foresaw the rise of China in postwar Asia, and the likely need for the United States to ally itself with Japan to balance China's power. He also recognized that the Middle East would play a pivotal role in the postwar world. Spykman influenced American postwar statesmen and strategists. During the Cold War, the U.S. sought to deny the Soviet Union political control of Western Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia. Spykman's geopolitical vision of U.S. security, supported by a balanced Eurasian land mass, coupled with his focus on power as the governing force in international relations, makes America's Strategy in World Politics relevant to the twenty-first century.
Download or read book Afghanistan and Central Asia NATO s Role in Regional Security Since 9 11 written by O. Tanrisever and published by IOS Press. This book was released on 2013-02-15 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Instability in Afghanistan has had a considerable effect on regional security in Central Asia, particularly in the aftermath of the events of 9/11, and this has meant that the importance of NATO and its contribution to security in this area has increased considerably. A detailed analysis of this topic is precisely important because it could highlight the areas where the Central Asian countries could increase their security contributions to Afghanistan’s security through enhancing their cooperation with NATO. This book presents the fully revised and updated versions of papers presented at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW), 'NATO, the Fight against International Terrorism in Afghanistan and Security Situation in Central Asia since 9/11', held in Ankara, Turkey, in April 2011. This ARW was supported by the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme. The book takes a comprehensive approach to the regional security complex in Central Asia by emphasizing the human security, socio-political and energy dimensions in addition to the traditional military dimension of the fight against international terrorism in and around Afghanistan. The findings of the book enhance our understanding of the root causes of international terrorism and the effective ways of coping with the security challenges in this region. The book is divided into five parts: First, NATO’s Contribution to Lasting Security in Afghanistan; Second, Responses of the Central Asian States to Political Instability, Organized Crime and International Terrorism in Afghanistan; Third, Energy Security in and around Central Asia; Fourth, International Competition and Co-operation over Afghanistan and Central Asia; and Last but not least, Regional Security Organizations and the Fight against International Terrorism in Afghanistan.
Download or read book Turkey in World Politics written by Barry M. Rubin and published by Lynne Rienner Publishers. This book was released on 2001 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tracing the evolution of Turkey's foreign policy, from isolationism to regional agreements and organizations, this study explores the country's new international posture. Rubin (strategic studies, Bar- Ilan University) and Kirisci (political science, Bogazici University) assess Turkey's policy toward Europe, Russia, Central Asia, and the United States, as well as its growing role in the Middle East. They address the issues central to Turkey's economic, energy, and water policy. They also discuss the interest groups and institutions affecting the policymaking process and the challenges facing the country's rapidly urbanizing and industrializing economy.
Download or read book Great Games Local Rules written by Alexander Cooley and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The struggle between Russia and Great Britain over Central Asia in the nineteenth century was the original "great game." But in the past quarter century, a new "great game" has emerged, pitting America against a newly aggressive Russia and a resource-hungry China, all struggling for influence over one of the volatile areas in the world: the long border region stretching from Iran through Pakistan to Kashmir. In Great Games, Local Rules, Alexander Cooley, one of America's most respected Central Asia experts, explores the dynamics of the new competition over the region since 9/11. All three great powers are pursuing important goals: basing rights for the US, access to natural resources for the Chinese, and increased political influence for the Russians. But Central Asian governments have proven themselves powerful forces in their own right, establishing local rules that serve to fend off foreign involvement, enrich themselves and reinforce their sovereign authority. Cooley's careful and surprising explanation of how small states interact with great powers in this vital region greatly advances our understanding of how world politics actually works in this contemporary era.
Download or read book Temptations of Power written by R. Jackson and published by Springer. This book was released on 2006-08-22 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Temptations of Power examines the new security dilemma which confronted George W. Bush when terrorists proved on 9/11 that they could seriously wound a great military powers on home ground. The authors argue that the response was influenced by neo-conservative exaggeration of the efficacy of military power and belief in the US ability.
