HENRIK HEINDENKAMP, Royal United Services Institute, London, UK. Presented by CIPS. Free. In English. Registration is not required. Germany’s contribution to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission has fundamentally shaped the German discourse about the use of the military instrument and the general organisa… Read More
Tag Archives: Afghanistan
Rewriting the History of Iraq (Post)
The recent 10 year anniversary of the Iraq war brought forth a flood of retrospective analyses, many dedicated to answering the vexed question of whether it was worth it. In reading them, one is struck by the arguments of those who remain wedded to the ideological arguments made at the time, many of whom were part of the administration of George W. Bush. The mos… Read More
Tags: Afghanistan, iraq, Peter Jones, Saddam Hussein, United States
Mali: Global Jihad, Local Struggles and the Dangers of a Single Story (Post)
In the wake of the French intervention in Mali, there is much talk of the Sahel region becoming a safe haven for extremist Islamists. Africa’s vast desert territories are perceived as ‘ungoverned spaces’, or ‘black holes’ where a dangerous underworld of terrorists and criminals operate freely and whence they will eventually launch their attacks on a West… Read More
Tags: Afghanistan, iraq, Islamism, jihad, Mali, Rita Abrahamsen, terrorism
To those of us deeply skeptical of the deployment of Western military force in the developing world, the French intervention in Mali in recent days poses something of a dilemma. It appears to be legally and militarily justified, and enjoys strong local and regional support. Yet at the same time, it appears to be based on the same assumptions about Western ai… Read More
Tags: Afghanistan, Al-Quaeda, David Petrasek, France, intervention, Islamism, Mali, UN Security Council
Aiding Afghanistan: A History of Soviet Assistance to a Developing Country (Event)
Book launch and discussion. PAUL ROBINSON & JAY DIXON, University of Ottawa. Presented by CIPS as part of the International Development Week, organized by the Political Science Student Association. Free. In English. Registration not required. This event will mark the publication of Aiding Afghanistan: A History of Soviet Assistance to a Devel… Read More
Tags: Afghanistan, development aid, Jay Dixon, Paul Robinson, Soviet Union
Is Corruption the Cost of Saving Afghanistan? (Post)
Published in the Globe and Mail, July 11, 2012. It was fitting that last weekend’s international donors’ conference on Afghanistan took place in Tokyo: The event resembled the city’s famous kabuki theatre, with its ritualized drama of grand gestures and hidden meanings. The centrepiece of the meeting was a pledge by donors, including Canada, for $16-bil… Read More
Tags: Afghanistan, Canada, corruption, governance, Hamid Karzai, Roland Paris
Pathways to Peace: New Directions for a Comprehensive Peace in Afghanistan (Event)
Report launch and panel discussion: LISA SCHIRCH, Eastern Mennonite University and 3P Human Security NILOFAR SAKHI, Women Activities and Social Services Association (WASSA) HUSSAIN RAMOZ, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Center (AIHRC) PETER JONES, University of Ottawa Keynote speech: “Afghanistan: What Happens Next?” SCOTT T… Read More
Tags: Afghanistan, CARE, peace, Peter Jones
Afghan President Hamid Karzai Endorses Ottawa Dialogue (Post)
The Ottawa Dialogue is a Track Two process involving a distinguished group of retired senior officials and military officers from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is led by Peter Jones, Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. In a recent public statement, Hamid Karzai, President of the I… Read More
Tags: Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, India, Pakistan, Peter Jones
Reassessing the ‘Hearts and Minds’ Model of Counter-Insurgency (Post)
A couple of news items today bring forth contrasting visions of counter-insurgency success and failure. The first recounts the apparently quite successful reconstruction of Grozny; the second, the massacre of 16 Afghans by an American soldier. The contrast makes one wonder why the Russians seem to have done rather better at pacifying Chechnya than West… Read More
Tags: Afghanistan, Chechnya, counter-insurgency, iraq, Paul Robinson, Russia
Can NATO Rethink its Exit Strategy from Afghanistan? (Post)
CIPS Policy Brief No.16, March 2012. By STEVE COLL, New America Foundation. The NATO transition plan for Afghanistan is based on faulty assumptions and must be rethought before time runs out. The international community must invest in a successful political transition in 2014, lest fraudulent elections lead to renewed civil conflict in Afghanistan. Ca… Read More
Tags: Afghanistan, Canadian foreign policy, Central Asia, NATO, Steve Coll, U.S. foreign policy
