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392. EU engagement in the Sahel: lessons from Somalia and AfPak
- Author:
- Damien Helly
- Publication Date:
- 11-2012
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- European Union Institute for Security Studies
- Abstract:
- On 19 November, the Council of the EU welcomed the Crisis Management Concept for a possible EU training mission for Mali, paving the way for the launch of a CSDP operation replicating the work done in Uganda with Somali troops. And many in Brussels have started to speak of EUTM Mali, as if EUTM and more generally the EU approach to the crisis in Somalia was a relevant model for action in Mali.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Security, Terrorism, and Insurgency
- Political Geography:
- Uganda, Afghanistan, Africa, Europe, Somalia, Mali, and Mauritania
393. Civil-Military Cooperation: A Way to Resolve Complex Crisis Situations
- Author:
- Hans-Jürgen Kasselmann
- Publication Date:
- 12-2012
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- PRISM
- Institution:
- Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), National Defense University
- Abstract:
- Discussions about the most effective, efficient, and sustainable approach to resolving complex crisis situations have a long historical tradition, even if ongoing debates among politicians and researchers may suggest otherwise. the discussions about developments in Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, and Afghanistan, as well as evaluations of the disasters in Haiti and Pakistan, call for all participants to find new solutions in response to obvious deficits and the looming prospect of failure. This holds especially true with regard to the question of when, where, and how the military instrument should be integrated with the activities of all the other actors involved in the resolution of complex crisis situations based on an overall political rationale.
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Haiti, and Somalia
394. Making the Afghan Civil-Military Imbalance Conducive to Democratization
- Author:
- Christian Bayer Tygesen
- Publication Date:
- 12-2012
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- PRISM
- Institution:
- Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), National Defense University
- Abstract:
- In-conflict state-building in fragile states (such as Iraq and Afghanistan), defined as building effective and legitimate civilian and military state institutions to advance the stabilization and democratization of the state, creates unbalanced civil-military relations in the host state by producing weak and dysfunctional civilian institutions vis-à-vis relatively stronger and more functional military institutions. This imbalance positions the military to become a dominant political actor in state formation upon the withdrawal of the international military presence. This can have significant implications for the political trajectory of the state.
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and Iraq
395. Thinking About Strategic Hybrid Threats-In Theory and in Practice
- Author:
- Frank J. Cilluffo and Joseph R. Clark
- Publication Date:
- 12-2012
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- PRISM
- Institution:
- Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), National Defense University
- Abstract:
- As the United States resets in the wake of Iraq and Afghanistan, and in the face of growing uncertainty in the South China Sea, a good and important debate is occurring about how best to provide for our national security. Reasonable arguments can be made about the threats posed by potential peer competitors such as China, rogue nations such as North Korea, and prospective revisionist powers such as Russia. Arguments can be made about threats arising from political instability or intrastate conflicts, such as in Pakistan, Uganda, and Syria. Arguments can also be made about the threats posed by jihadi terror groups, organized crime syndicates, and drug trafficking organizations. The dangers highlighted by any one of these arguments are real and perhaps grave. They are not, however, novel.
- Political Geography:
- Uganda, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, United States, China, Iraq, North Korea, and Syria
396. My Time on the Line Examining the Afghan–Pakistan Border as a Factor in Counterinsurgency
- Author:
- Robert Kemp
- Publication Date:
- 12-2012
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- A Foreign Service Officer looks back on the lessons learned from his time posted on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area between 2004 and 2009. Continued international assistance will be necessary to sustain the border-area's fragile ecosystem as troop levels are reduced.
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan and Afghanistan
397. Political Economy and Conflict Dimensions of Afghanistan's Mineral Resources: A Preliminary Exploration
- Author:
- William Byrd
- Publication Date:
- 12-2012
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- Afghanistan has sizable underground mineral resources, which have potential positive economic impacts but also possible downsides—the so-called “resource curse” often involving negative macroeconomic, developmental, fiscal, governance, political and conflict effects. The success of the broader political transition in coming years as well as regional geopolitical factors will have a major influence on prospects for Afghanistan's underground resources. For “mega-resources” such as the Aynak copper and Hajigak iron deposits, the Afghan government has conducted credible tendering to ensure that contracts with foreign companies are on favorable terms for Afghanistan. Good-practice approaches for mega-resources should continue and be further strengthened, but there will probably be further delays in exploitation, and realization of potential will take much time. Exploitation of other largish and medium-sized resources may involve joint ventures with politically-connected Afghan firms and deals with local strongmen, or sometimes criminal networks with linkages to corrupt officials and insurgents. Spreading patronage can reduce short-run conflict risks, but there are risks of corruption, and conflicts could arise over time. For these resources, priorities include transparent contracting and clarity about ownership of companies; setting basic financial parameters for different resources (e.g. royalty rates) to reduce the risk of overly favorable arrangements for extracting entities; and addressing criminal elements and associated corruption. For smaller, concentrated, high-value resources (notably gemstones), informal exploitation using crude techniques is typically combined with illicit export trade, and local strongmen are involved, which can mean periods of stability but also conflicts when bargains are reopened or new actors get involved. The way forward for these resources includes gradually improving and regularizing the framework; setting low royalty rates to encourage formalization of existing activities rather than leasing resources to outsiders; technical assistance to promote more effective extraction; and encouraging processing and value addition within Afghanistan. Finally, further analytical work is required to better understand the political economy and conflict ramifications of mining in Afghanistan.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Development, Economics, Political Economy, and Natural Resources
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan
398. Peacebuilding Efforts of Women from Afghanistan and Iraq: Lessons in Transition
- Author:
- Kathleen Kuehnast, Hodei Sultan, Manal Omar, and Steven E. Steiner
- Publication Date:
- 11-2012
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- In transitioning countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq, women are increasingly finding their rights limited by state and religious leaders. Cultural and national stereotypes can be quickly overcome by the shared backgrounds, accomplishments, obstacles, and aspirations of women in transitioning countries. Women living in countries in transition value opportunities to network with women from other countries in similar situations. Women leaders from Afghanistan and Iraq have genuine concerns about the challenges facing women in the Arab Spring. Their valuable opinions are based on their own experiences of overcoming those challenges. It is essential that women work together and with men to further women's rights. Women must plan for a transition before it happens and have a strategy of work going into the transition process. Laws empowering and protecting women do not work if they are not enforced. International donors need a long-term view of women's programming, as much of the required work will take time. Donors should consider nonurban areas when working with women, and when possible nonelite partners, as these leaders understand the limitations of local conditions. It is possible for women's groups to find common ground with religious leaders.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Democratization, Development, Gender Issues, Islam, and Regime Change
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, Iraq, Middle East, and Arabia
399. Revising COIN: The Stakeholder Centric Approach
- Author:
- Karsten Friis, Erik Reichborn-Kjennerud, and Harald Håvoll
- Publication Date:
- 11-2012
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- With the apparent lack of progress and success in Afghanistan, counter- insurgency (COIN), both as a theory and practice, is falling out of favor within the political and military establishment in the US. This comes at a time when the US is redirecting its geopolitical focus away from global instability towards the Asia-Pacific and the 'New Great Power Game'.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Development, Emerging Markets, Terrorism, and Counterinsurgency
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, United States, and Australia/Pacific
400. Organized criminals won't fade away
- Author:
- Vanda Felbab-Brown
- Publication Date:
- 09-2012
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Institution:
- Chatham House
- Abstract:
- How to solve the problem without generating even greater violence
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and Mexico