Myths and Misconceptions in the Afghan Transition
Date
2012-04-09
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United States Institute of Peace
Abstract
The coming period of transition to Afghan control of national security will require greater
cooperation and understanding between all parties.
Cooperation between the international community, the Afghan government and local communities is currently being undermined by a series of myths and assumptions which stem
from the unstable conditions, a perceived lack of shared interests and a handful of highly
publicized incidents. The international community often underestimates local capacity for governance in Afghanistan
and ignores the success that Afghanistan did have with self-rule for much of the 20th
century. Local Afghan communities are skeptical of the aims of both counterinsurgency and state-building
measures, as projects, such as internationally sponsored elections, have failed to yield
anticipated results despite the continued presence of international troops.
There is an urgent need to rethink some of the assumptions on both sides of the table which
threaten to undermine the long-term prospects for peace in Afghanistan.
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Keywords
Afghanistan -- Politics and government -- 2001-, Afghanistan