On the 8th February the New York-based Century Foundation published a report arguing that engagement with the Afghan population—and not just the leaders of the government or the Taliban insurgency—is needed to make progress on issues of peace, security, and governance. The report, Building Afghan Peace from the Ground Up, by Marika Theros, research officer at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Global Governance, and Mary Kaldor, Professor and Director of LSE Global Governance, provides crucial findings on Afghans’ perspectives on state and governance, the nature of civil society and the role of the international community in the years ahead.
It results from extensive research with Afghans in civil society as Afghans understand the term (not urban elites, political parties, and formal associations, but rather “the traditional structures, such as the shuras, jirgas, and councils of elders, as well as intellectuals, religious networks, cultural institutions, youth associations, and educators”). The paper assesses conditions on the ground and makes recommendations for building a sustainable peace in Afghanistan.
It finds that although many Afghans see the West as strengthening local powerbrokers at the expense of civil society actors, Afghan civil society networks have nonetheless found ways to operate effectively and build constituencies for peace - under specific circumstances. It argues that Western aid agencies need to engage traditional community organizations. It also finds that the aggressive Western military tactics prevailing before General McChrystal’s population-centric strategy exacerbated insecurity and deepened public resentment, and some remain counterproductive. “One phenomenon cited by many of our respondents is the extremely inflammatory practice of night raids on Afghan homes. Many Afghans believe this to be the single biggest factor feeding the insurgency”.
The report makes four key recommendations:
1. Reduce Violence and Defend Afghan Citizens: The international community should limit offensive operations and should halt night raids. It should focus on supporting emerging islands of stability. And it should protect Afghans from human rights violators (whether they be insurgents, criminal networks, or government officials and local strongmen). This requires reconsidering the exclusive partnerships developed with pro-government local strongmen that have deeply undermined Afghan trust in the international community.
2. Restore Trust and Legitimacy through Justice: The government of Afghanistan, with the support of the international forces, should arrest or remove the top fifty criminals within government (many of whom hold foreign citizenship) who are engaged in criminal/corrupt and predatory activities. The international community should stop using contractors with criminal or corrupt records. It and the Afghan government should act to introduce the machinery of justice at local levels.
3. Engage a Broad Range of Afghans and Recognize Local Realities: New initiatives aimed at increasing grass roots engagement, such as the Marines’ female engagement teams, are steps in the right direction. The international community needs to cultivate close engagement with multiple sectors of the population and take their advice seriously rather than embark on new institutions or more elections. Internationals in the field need to treat local Afghans respectfully, create space for discussion with them, and respond to their ideas and proposals with joint solutions. Despite thirty years of war, the Afghan people maintain a strong capacity, in partnership with an engaged international community, to resolve their conflicts and build and sustain peace.
4. Peace-building needs a regional, multilateral framework. There is a need to establish a multilateral regional framework involving governments and civil society from all the neighbouring states and beyond, involving a number of parallel but coordinated tracks.