Tag Archives: Afghanistan

History Matters

March 29, 2010 – 5:59 pm

Understanding Afghanistan and Pakistan Understanding Afghanistan and Pakistan today starts with grasping the basics about their interconnected histories, including the roles other powers have played in this region. The situations we see today have deep roots. Some of the story lines are sadly familiar, with mistakes and tragedies repeated. The spring/summer 2010 edition of Peacebuilder magazine is ...More

Ten Steps Toward Ending the Chaos

March 29, 2010 – 5:43 pm

These are excerpted, sometimes paraphrased, from the concluding chapter of Descent Into Chaos – The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia by Ahmed Rashid. Take a multi-prong approach: No single military, development or political solutions. Involve every entity with a stake in this matter: Pakistan, India, United States, European Union, NATO, ...More

The Afghans: Nation Building Is the Answer, Not War

March 29, 2010 – 5:22 pm

Experience shows that use of armed force results in more violence and resistance. — Saeed Murad Rahi, MA ’07 Senior Advisor, Rule of Law Stabilization Program The Taliban and al-Qaeda are major threats to the stability of Afghanistan. But no military can solve this problem once and for all. The long-term answer lies in building ...More

The First D: Economic Development in Afghanistan

March 29, 2010 – 4:45 pm

I was invited to Afghanistan for a week-long consultancy in June 2009 with an organization funded by USAID to bolster Afghan-run businesses. The organization is called Afghanistan Small and Medium Enterprise Development (ASMED), a program implemented by DAI, based in Bethesda, Maryland. Its more than 75 staff members, drawn from five regional ASMED offices in ...More