Rebuilding the System of Justice in Afghanistan
28 September 2007
Matteo Tondini, "Rebuilding the System of Justice in Afghanistan: A Preliminary Assessment", Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, Volume 1, Issue 3 November 2007, pages 333 - 354
This preliminary evaluation describes the role of international assistance in the reconstruction of the Afghan judicial system. It focuses on how international policy has both sought to develop and impose externally designed central administrative models...
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Opium Licensing in Afghanistan: Its Desirability and Feasibility
27 September 2007
Vanda Felbab-Brown, "Opium Licensing in Afghanistan: Its Desirability and Feasibility", Brookings Institution Policy Paper, Number 1 (August 2007).
The licensing of opium for medical purposes in Afghanistan, most prominently advocated by the Senlis Council, would reduce some of the negative effects of unmitigated illicit drug production. It would also eliminate several important negative side-effects of standard counternarcotics...
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New U.N. Report Highlights Widespread Corruption, Insecurity
27 September 2007
In a new report to the Security Council, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has called for an overhaul of the Afghan justice system, citing widespread corruption and 'direct involvement in criminal activities.' Weak governance is eroding public confidence and undermining the legitimacy of the government, the report states. The report is also critical of the Afghan police, stating that "respect for authority and elementary discipline have...
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International Security Assistance Force Mandate Extended
27 September 2007
The United Nations Security Council has extended the mandate (S/RES/1386, S/RES/1510) of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to October 2008. Adopted by the Council on September 19, Resolution 1776 calls on U.N. members to "contribute personnel, equipment and other resources to ISAF." For a list of recent U.N. Security Council resolutions and Secretary-General's reports to the Security Council, please visit...
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Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy
26 September 2007
The Congressional Research Service has updated their report "". The report provides extensive background on the conflict and details U.S. engagement with Afghanistan and the region. A table of has been added to the Monitor's section. Other topics updated in this report include the Taliban 'resurgence' in 2006 and 2007, the divisions within...
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Afghanistan Security Summaries
22 September 2007
The Brussels office of the Washington, D.C.-based World Security Institute publishes a monthly overview of security-related developments in Afghanistan. The archive is available here.
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The Taliban and the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA)
21 September 2007
Magnus Norell, "The Taliban and the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA)", China and Eurasia Forum Quarterly, Volume 5, Number 3 (2007), pages 61 - 82.
This sheds light on the issue of Pakistani support for the insurgency in Afghanistan, mainly the Taliban, who, by way of being the most active, have been ? for all intents and purposes ? able to direct much of the insurgency in Afghanistan. In the study, it will be argued that without...
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Reconstruction as Modernisation: The 'Post-conflict' Project in Afghanistan
21 September 2007
Astri Suhrke, "Reconstruction as Modernisation: The 'Post-conflict' Project in Afghanistan," Third World Quarterly, Volume 28, Issue 7 October 2007, pages 1291 - 1308.
This paper examines the post-war reconstruction programme in Afghanistan, arguing that it contains the seeds of radical social change. The paper analyses the tensions of the present reconstruction project in light of the past experience of similar programmes launched...
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Half of U.S. Casualties in Afghanistan Caused by IEDs: Report
12 September 2007
Half of U.S. combat casualties in Afghanistan have been caused by improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, the Congressional Research Service reports. The report, entitled '', highlights similarities and differences in how IEDs are used in the two theatres, and reviews the measures the U.S. military is developing to counter the IED threat. The report states...
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Suicide Bombings in Afghanistan Increasing; Attackers Tend to Be 'Young, Poor and Uneducated'
11 September 2007
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released a detailed study which presents the recent findings of a comprehensive inquiry into the phenomenon of suicide attacks in Afghanistan. The report, entitled "" is based on interviews with more than two dozen people arrested in failed attacks, or on suspicion of being involved.
Unlike suicide attackers in the rest of the world, Afghanistan's...
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