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Afghan children, Source: Senlis Counci |
Afghanistan has long suffered from great power rivalry and foreign military intervention, including the bitter Anglo-Afghan wars of the nineteenth century. Beginning in 1979, the country again descended into a prolonged period of devastating conflict. A Soviet military intervention (1979-1988) took a heavy toll, as US-backed Islamic militants fought a bitter conflict against the Soviet occupiers. There followed a period of civil war and warlordism 1988-mid1990s, then rule by a government organized by the Islamic Taliban, and finally in 2001 a military intervention by the United States followed by further violence, instability and civil war.
In late 2001, the Security Council authorized the United States to overthrow the Taliban government, as an offensive against the terrorist al-Qaeda organization, said to be based in the country. The Council also authorized the US and its NATO allies to set up the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to provide military support for a newly-established pro-Western government (the United States also continued to run a separate anti-terrorist military operation). In March 2002 the Council established the United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) to manage all UN humanitarian, relief, recovery and reconstruction activities. Despite (or perhaps because of) these military-centered initiatives, Afghanistan has remained a "failed state." The authority of President Hamid Karzai, victor in the presidential election of October 2004, barely extends beyond Kabul's suburbs, warlords have gained back control of most of the country, and opium is now the principal agricultural crop.
The Taliban has enjoyed an upsurge of military success in 2007-2008 and several NATO countries have expressed concern about the political viability of the operation. Public support for deployments to Afghanistan in countries such as Germany and Canada has evaporated. The media have reported on US-UK air bombardment of innocent civilians as well as bold Taliban attacks against US and NATO forces, suggesting that the intervention is failing to produce the promised security, democracy and prosperity
The UN's role in the country includes an election operation that is working with Afghan authorities to register voters and organize elections for 2009 and 2010. Other efforts include promoting of good governance and the rule of law, training of police, and the like. But in a land torn by violence, warlordism, drug production and intense suspicion of foreigners, these programs seem unreal and very unlikely to succeed. Until Afghanistan achieves a lasting and stable peace designed and supported by Afghanis, there can be no prospect of progress, electoral or otherwise.
Letter from NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer to the Security Council on Afghanistan (February 4, 2008)
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer paints a depressing picture of the security situation in Afghanistan in this report to the Security Council. Some six years after the UN mandated a NATO force (ISAF), the report notes that the Afghan Army and Police forces are inadequately trained and that there exists a vacuum in the rule of law in the country. Scheffer also states that much of Afghanistan remains in the hands of opposition forces, and that attacks against civilians and military personnel in the country have increased.
Procedures for Afghanistan's Emergency Loya Jirga (April 1, 2002)
UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan provides two documents on the Loya Jirga procedure. The first document lays out the procedures for the elections of the members of the emergency Loya Jirga. The second is a follow up document, listing the observations of the election and the audition of complaints arising from it.
Immediate and Transitional Assistance Program for the Afghan People (January 2002)
The UN Country Team for Afghanistan and UN partner agencies outline a program for urgent post-war reconstruction and development.
Security Council Resolution 1386 (December 20, 2001)
The Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing a peacekeeping force in Afghanistan under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter.
Report of the Secretary General on the situation in Afghanistan (September 23, 2008)
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon states that military operations by international forces in Afghanistan have increased the number of civilian victims. The report also states that the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has worsened, including food insecurity.
Security Council Resolution 1833 (September 22, 2008)
Resolution 1833 extends the NATO force ISAF mandate until October 13, 2009. The resolution condemned the targeting of Afghan civilians by armed groups and stressed that an increase in violence has a deleterious effect on the stabilization and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. The resolution does not, however, mention NATO's air strike last month, which reportedly killed 90 people, including 60 children.
Report of the Secretary General on the Situation in Afghanistan (July 23, 2003)
This report highlights the tenuous security environment in Afghanistan, and warns that continuing instability threatens the provision for national elections reached in the Afghan peace accords of 2001.
 Picture Credit: Christian Science Monitor (2002)
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The Situation in Afghanistan and its Implications for International Peace and Security (March 10,2009)
This report by the Secretary General on the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) shows that security in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate. The General Assembly has agreed to increase UNAMA's 2009 budget by 91 percent, which includes an additional 115 international staff and 3 provincial offices.
2008
UN Mission Chief Warns Afghanistan's Allies (December 8, 2008)
Kai Eide, the UN special representative for Afghanistan, stated that Afghanistan's international ‘partners', including the UN and NATO, must increase their efforts to minimize civilian casualties and improve their reconstruction programs. US military actions in Afghanistan make it difficult for the UN and NATO to protect the Afghan population and to rebuild the infrastructure. (International Herald Tribune)
Truth as Collateral Damage (October 22, 2008)
Civilian deaths in Afghanistan caused by US and NATO attacks are quite predictable. NATO uses close air support attacks instead of ground troops in Afghanistan to save money and to spare personnel, but this results in three times more victims than US military actions in Vietnam, Yugoslavia and Iraq. To cover up these civilian deaths, NATO reports them as eliminated rebel militants. (Guardian)
Afghan Civilian Casualties Mount: UN (August 6, 2008)
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reports that in the first five months of 2008, civilian deaths in Afghanistan have increased by 62 percent when compared to the same period in 2007. These numbers differ greatly from those presented by NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which claims that UN figures are "exaggerated." This article warns that civilian deaths by ISAF and the lack of compensation for victims continue to lower the Afghani people's support for the NATO forces, thus fueling the resistance. (Embassy)
Special Report of the Secretary General to the Security Council on the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (July 3, 2008)
In this report to the Security Council, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon states that the security situation in Afghanistan has drastically deteriorated in 2008. Ban urges UNAMA to assist the Afghan Independent Electoral Commission in preparing the upcoming local elections and to help the Afghani government to strengthen local law enforcement. To this end, Ban proposes new training programs for police to improve the immediate security situation in the country.
Security Council Report Update: Afghanistan (June 9, 2008)
France is pushing for a Resolution in the Security Council to ban the trafficking to Afghanistan of acetic anhydride, a key component in the production of heroin. A UN study states that Afghanistan produced over 8,200 tons of heroin in 2007, making the country almost the worlds biggest suppliers of the drug. The Resolution will call upon Afghanistan to cooperate with the International Narcotics Control Board, urges bordering counties to strengthen border controls, and asks the Secretary General to monitor the implementation of the Resolution by UN member states. (Security Council Report)
UN, US Actions Sometimes at Odds on Afghan Policy (July 5, 2007)
Before Abdul Hakim Monib deserted the Islamic movement in favor of US-backed President Hami Karzai, the US placed him on the UN's list of sanctioned al-Qaida members. Now Monib serves as governor of Afghanistan's Uruzgan province, and the US praises him for counter-terrorism cooperation. Working with Monib poses legal questions because it technically violates Security Council-imposed sanctions. But removing Monib's name from the UN's sanctions list requires approval from all fifteen Security Council members. This paradox exposes the inadequacy of the current UN system of sanctions against individuals. (Washington Post)
Afghanistan: UN-Backed Body Steps Up Efforts for Reconstruction (January 31, 2007)
The Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB) - a committee of 23 countries and international institutions to monitor implementation of a five year plan for reconstruction in Afghanistan - was set up in 2006. JCMB's first meeting sees new initiatives addressing lack of security, poverty, human rights and Afghanistan's political environment. The UN-backed body who proposed the five-year plan tells the JCMB that it is time to step up efforts to rebuild the post-war country, including improving security, easing poverty and fostering human rights. (UN News)
Violence Fuels Disillusionment and Threatens Reconstruction (December 7, 2006)
While Afghanistan faces its deadliest phase of violence since 2001, a UN Security Council mission report warns that growing insurgency, corruption, impunity, increased opium trade and weak governance cause "despondency and disillusionment" among Afghans. During its mission, the UN Security Council team heard mounting criticism from Afghani officials on the international community's lack of support to Afghan democratic institutions. Furthermore, Afghanis raised concerns about the overlap of NATO work from military to humanitarian affairs. (Integrated Regional Information Networks)
NATO Now the Primary Security Force in Afghanistan (October 9, 2006)
NATO took the lead of the international security forces present in Afghanistan in October 2006, thus seeming to reduce the US role in the country. The NATO commander has said that the security challenges Afghanistan face, with the resurgence of the Taliban and the narcotic traffic, "will not be resolved by military means." According to UN statistics, 2.9 million Afghans live from opium trade, which the Afghans warlords control. (World Politics Watch)
Afghans Fear Fallout from Iran Sanctions (September 28, 2006)
As some UN Security Council members threaten to enforce sanctions on Iran, analysts worry about the adverse political and economic effects these sanctions could have on neighboring Afghanistan. This Institute for War and Peace Reporting article warns that sanctions would have a major impact on the Afghan economy, which shares close economic ties with its western neighbor. Also, some experts fear that Iranians might support Afghan insurgent groups as a way of retaliating against the US-led call for sanctions against the Iranian regime.
UN Urges NATO to Hit at Afghan Drugs (September 12, 2006)
While the Security Council adopted a resolution extending for another year the mandate of the international security force in Afghanistan, the United Nations anti-drug chief urged NATO to take "robust military action" to destroy Afghanistan's opium industry. Opium harvest increased by 49 percent over 2005 providing the Taliban with the financial means to fund terrorism. Some observers wonder whether military action would effectively put an end to the increase of narcotic crops in the country. (International Herald Tribune)
Taliban Taking Over (September 5, 2006)
The US-led coalition in Afghanistan has implemented numerous policies which have created a humanitarian crisis in the southern part of the country, according to the Senlis Council report. By prioritizing military and counter-narcotics programs instead of those focused on development, the US has forced countless people into poverty. As a result, support for the Taliban continually grows in the south as the group steps in to help those negatively affected. (Inter Press Service)
Afghanistan's Anti-Narcotics Strategy (August 29, 2006)
According to the 2005 statistics from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the cultivation of opium in Afghanistan significantly increased, accounting for 87 percent of world production despite the Afghan government's National Drug Control Strategy. This Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies article points out that the Taliban insurgency encourages narcotic production to fund its activities. "The lucrative nature of the Afghan opium trade that links cultivators, traffickers and consumers is one of the biggest threats to effective nation-building and regional stability," the author says.
The Afghanistan Compact (January 31, 2006)
This joint report by the government of Afghanistan, the UN and more than 60 countries represents a five-year plan aimed at putting Afghanistan on a solid course towards stability. The Compact outlines benchmarks and a timeline on four critical areas of activity - reconstruction and development, governance, security, and counter-narcotics - that the Afghan government should meet. The international community, in turn, will provide resources to help the central Asian country "stand on its own feet."
Links and Resources
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) The UK Ministry of Defence's website provides a comprehensive and detailed information on the day-to-day developments of the multinational operation in Afghanistan.
