AIDemocracy.org | Afghanistan

Keeping War or Keeping Peace?

March 5, 2012 by remi Leave a Comment

Acknowledgement: While much of this analysis is my own, I got many of the ideas from Shannon Beebe & Mary Kaldor’s fantastic book, The Ultimate Weapon is No Weapon, along with other human security and critical security literature. The withdrawal from Afghanistan after a decade of war provides us a unique chance for a retrospective. Because the war in Afghanistan had three very different phases, with a human security concept playing an increasingly important role in US military doctrine. This doctrinal shift marks not only NATO reacting to the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: Afghanistan, George W. Bush, human security, NATO, Obama

War against Iran: an ambitious attempt

February 20, 2012 by Ana Ila 1 Comment

According to Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess, Iran has the missile capability to reach Eastern Europe and the entire Middle East. Though the US is militarily the most powerful country in the world, Iran is capable of significant retribution for any U.S. or Western attacks. Iran can significantly damage US interests in the region. According to Lt. Gen. Burgess, Iran can close the Strait of Hormuz and reduce the oil supply to the world. Iran can bomb all of Eastern Europe, including US allies. Iran can bomb US facilities in Iraq or Afghanistan. It can also … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: Afghanistan, Cold War, Iran, Iraq, nuclear weapons, sleeper cells

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan: bad news for aid agencies

February 13, 2012 by Ana Ila Leave a Comment

According to announcements in November of 2011, the US will withdraw 30,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2013. Other NATO countries will withdraw 10,000 altogether. However, negative effects of this withdrawal are already felt in multiple areas, aid being one of them. Whether the Afghani government is able to take on these projects is questionable. Many aid agencies suffer losses as a result of the decreased US military presence. Financial allocation to aid agencies in Afghanistan decreased from $4 bn to $2 bn. CARE and Mercy Corps are some … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: Afghanistan, aid, budget, foreign aid

Too early for Taliban negotiations?

January 30, 2012 by Emily 2 Comments

“Our jihad has two targets. One is America and the other is the Foreign Ministry of the Taliban.” In his statement before the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden exemplified the incongruity between Taliban members who once harbored bin Laden and members of their Foreign Ministry, the branch which with the U.S. has historically negotiated. Today, America is once again hoping to engage the Taliban through negotiations with the Afghan government. Given the reality of America’s past attempts with the Taliban, it may seem rash to restart negotiations, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: 9/11, Afghanistan, Government, Guantanamo Bay, Islam, Middle East, NATO, Obama, Pakistan, Peace, security, Taliban, terrorism, United States

“Come on people this is a war”

January 20, 2012 by Ana Ila 2 Comments

Conservative blogger, Pamela Geller, and Dana LoEsch, a CNN contributor and conservative radio host, have made the news with their appreciation of the desecration of the corpses of the Taliban soldiers by the US soldiers. Their actions are examples not only of cultural bigotry, but also of how little these individuals respect the international law of war. Yes, terrorists and the Taliban soldiers do not respect the international law and thus their rights do not apply under the same law either. Ted Lapkin claims in his paper, Does Human Rights Law Apply … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: Afghanistan, Dana LoEsch, human rights, International Law, Pamela Geller, Taliban

Re-evaluating US-Pakistan relations

January 5, 2012 by Emily Leave a Comment

While Islamabad and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) have historically served as American allies, Pakistan’s tense relations with the American government and military as well as with the Karzai regime have forced America to reevaluate U.S.-Pakistan relations. America’s approximately $20 billion in military and economic aid since 9/11 have served to support Pakistan’s weak government, incentivize Pakistan and its intelligence agency to combat terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban, deter nuclear war between India and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: 9/11, Afghanistan, aid, foreign aid, foreign policy, Government, India, military, NATO, nuclear, Pakistan, Taliban, terrorism, war

Get Used to the Orange Jumpsuit

December 27, 2011 by Patrick McDermott 2 Comments

The date is Tuesday, September 11th, 2012. I had just gotten back from seeing my family for the Christmas holiday. I’m sitting in the living room of my apartment, and I’m on my computer getting ready to write a critique of US foreign policy 11 years after 9/11. But just when I’m about to begin, there’s a knock on my door. I’m wasn't accustomed to getting knocks on my door, as I lived in an apartment complex and visitors were few and far between. In looking through the peephole, I realized there were two police officers standing outside my door. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: Afghanistan, aid, China, climate change, Congress, democracy, education, foreign policy, global warming, Iran, Iraq, law, Libya, military, nuclear weapons, Obama, poverty, Somalia, terrorism, war, Yemen

The “transformational decade” in Afghanistan

December 8, 2011 by Paul Guaglianone Leave a Comment

On Monday, delegates from 85 nations and 15 international organizations gathered in Bonn, Germany to discuss the future of Afghanistan after the departure of NATO troops in 2014. They desired to establish a plan of action following the withdrawal and stretching until 2025; however, what was decided upon was anything but clear. The participants of the conference agreed that this would be a transformational decade for Afghanistan and did manage to set two clear goals. First, Afghanistan, which is not currently a fully functioning modernized country, has … [Read more...]

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Where one bipartisan committee fails, another may prove successful

December 2, 2011 by Emily 1 Comment

The recent failure of the Super Committee to cut $1.2 trillion in federal debt over ten years will trigger automatic cuts of the same magnitude ranging from domestic and entitlement programs to defense spending at the beginning of 2013. As these cuts will inevitably affect the activities of the Pentagon, a debate has arisen over whether these cuts will undermine the effectiveness of national security, in particular the U.S. military overseas. President Obama is under pressure from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and many Republicans - in particular, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: Afghanistan, Congress, federal budget, Government, military, national security, Obama, super committee, war

The Drone War

August 19, 2011 by Scott 1 Comment

Drones are becoming more frequently used by the US military and are often times the weapon of choice. These drones tote cameras and missiles that allow for a human being far out of harms way to operate the drone with the utmost precision. Drones have recently been used in Libya, Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Although I do agree with the general idea behind drones, they can’t always be used to solve problems when a more diplomatic solution is necessary. I like the idea of using unmanned vehicles in the sense that it helps protect the lives of our … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: Afghanistan, foreign policy, Libya, Pakistan