Afghanistan's Drugs Economy: Corrupting or Consolidating the Peace?
21 May 2008
Jonathan Goodhand, 'Corrupting or Consolidating the Peace? The Drugs Economy and Post-conflict Peacebuilding in Afghanistan', International Peacekeeping, Volume 15, Issue 3 June 2008 , pages 405 - 423
ABSTRACT: "This article examines how the drugs economy emerged, evolved and adapted to transformations in Afghanistan's political economy. With a primary focus on the conflictual war to peace transition following the signing of the Bonn...
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The Evolution of Insurgent Operations in Kandahar Province
21 May 2008
Sean M. Maloney, 'A violent impediment: the evolution of insurgent operations in Kandahar province 2003-07', Small Wars & Insurgencies, Volume 19, Issue 2 June 2008 , pages 201 - 220
ABSTRACT: Theorizing about Taliban operations in Afghanistan has its limits and it is possible that Kabul-centric strategies do not adequately address the unique circumstances of each region in the country. How exactly has the Taliban gone about attaining...
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Pakistan Agrees to 'Peace Agreement' with Taliban
21 May 2008
Declan Walsh, 'Pakistan signs deal with Taliban militants', The Guardian, 21 May 2008
EXCERPT: "The Pakistani government has agreed to withdraw troops and introduce Sharia law in the conflict-ravaged Swat valley in exchange for a halt to Taliban suicide bombings and attacks on government buildings. The peace deal was signed this afternoon by the newly elected government of North-West Frontier province (NWFP) and representatives of extremist...
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Is a Pakistan Truce Good for the United States?
21 May 2008

Is a Pakistan Truce Good for the United States? An Interview With Daniel Markey, Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia, Council on Foreign Relations, May 21, 2008
EXCERPT: "Daniel Markey, a former State Department specialist on South Asia for the Policy Planning Council, has just returned from a trip to Pakistan. He says the United States should be concerned about the negotiations going on between the Pakistan army and...
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Disarmament Program Failing For Lack of Political Will
21 May 2008
Antonio Giustozzi, 'Bureaucratic faade and political realities of disarmament and demobilisation in Afghanistan,' Conflict, Security and Development, Volume 8, Issue 2 June 2008 , pages 169-192
ABSTRACT: Internationally sponsored disarmament and demobilisation in Afghanistan was characterised by a marked divergence between the bureaucratic process designed by the UN and the political reality of disarmament. The bureaucratic process had...
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