Cops or Robbers? The Struggle to Reform the Afghan National Police
30 July 2007
In a new report by the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU), Andrew Wilder identifies the key issues facing the creation of an effective Afghanistan National Police (ANP). Despite some important achievements, efforts to reform the ANP since 2002 have been disappointing. Notably, the Afghan public considers the ANP to be corrupt and ineffective. Given that the police sector will receive more funds in 2007 than in all the previous...
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Battle Losses and Rebel Violence: Raising the Costs for Fighting
27 July 2007
Popular support is believed crucial for achieving victory in a civil conflict. If so, what explains rebel atrocities against civilians? In a recent article in the journal Terrorism and Political Violence, Lisa Hultman argues that targeting civilians is a rational strategy pursued by rebels who lack the military capacity to defeat the government. She finds strong evidence for her hypothesis that battlefield setbacks and one-sided violence against...
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Understanding State-Building and Local Government in Afghanistan
25 July 2007
In a new Crisis States Research Centre working paper, Sarah Lister examines the relationship between local government and state-building. The paper analyses the pivotal role that governance at the subnational level plays in Afghanistan’s state-building agenda. Only through local government reform and its integration into the state-building campaign can Afghanistan hope to establish the institutions necessary for the creation of a formalized and...
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Canadians 'Highly Skeptical of the Chances of Success' in Afghanistan: Poll
24 July 2007
A new on Canada's mission in Afghanistan, published in the June 2007 issue of Policy Options, reports that Canadians are 'highly skeptical of the chances of success.'
Canadians think the mission in Afghanistan is good for our reputation in the world, but see the mission as very difficult and aren’t convinced we can succeed there. Those are the principal findings of an SES Research poll for Policy Options. When we asked Canadians whether...
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Canadian Public Opinion Trend Data
20 July 2007
A recent Globe and Mail/CTV by The Strategic Counsel shows weakening public support for the mission in Afghanistan. Respondents were asked whether they 'strongly support, support, oppose or strongly oppose the decision to send Canadian troops to Afghanistan.' In March 2006, 55 percent of respondents expressed support for the decision, and 38 percent were opposed. In the most recent poll, conducted on July 12-15, only 36 percent supported...
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NATO in Afghanistan: A Test of the Transatlantic Alliance
19 July 2007
An updated version of the Congressional Research Service's report 'NATO in Afghanistan: A Test of the Transatlantic Alliance' has been released:
"This report follows the path of NATO’s evolution in Afghanistan. The first section covers the initial two stages of ISAF’s mission, and analyzes key issues in the mission: use of Provincial Reconstruction Teams to stabilize and rebuild the country; overcoming caveats placed by individual allies...
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Few Canadians Want Afghan Mission Extended: Poll
18 July 2007
Few adults in Canada believe their armed forces should remain in Afghanistan beyond February 2009, according to a new online poll by Angus Reid Strategies. Only 16 per cent of respondents think Canada should extend the military mission, and 49 per cent believe Canadian troops should be withdrawn from the area before the mandate ends.
The survey reveals a 'gender gap' in attitudes toward the mission: More women (56%) than men (41%) want the...
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More Troops Required to Stabilize Afghanistan: Report
18 July 2007
A new U.K. House of Commons Defence Committee report on the British mission in Afghanistan expresses 'deep concern' at the reluctance of some NATO members to commit troops to International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The failure to provide adequate troop numbers threatens to undermine NATO's credibility and ISAF operations. ISAF tactics, the opium economy, corruption, and the progress of security sector reform are also addressed.
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18 July 2007
More than one quarter of the 249 seats in Afghanistan’s National Assembly are reserved for women, placing it among the world’s top 20 most gender-balanced legislatures. According to a new report from the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, however, this creation of political space for women has not resulted in the substantive representation of their collective gender interests. The report, titled “A Matter of Interests: Gender and the Politics...
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Rising Discomfort with Casualties in Canada
13 July 2007
A new Canadian Press-Decima Research finds that two out of every three Canadians (67%) feel the number of casualties that Canada has suffered in Afghanistan has been unacceptably high, a 5 point rise in little over a month. In Quebec, this number rises to 76 percent. For more, click [Toronto Star].
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