RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Alex Mundt and Susanne Schmeidl, June 22, 2009, The Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
Civilians have long borne the brunt of the conflict in Afghanistan. According to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, civilian casualties in 2008 were 40% higher than the previous year. However, although civilian casualties are widely covered and are being addressed, Alex Mundt and Susanne Schmeidl point out that the broader protection concerns, particularly the plight of battle-affected IDPs, remain invisible and largely unacknowledged. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Alex Mundt, Susanne Schmeidl, The Liaison Office & Australian National University and Shafiqullah Ziai, The Liaison Office, June 01, 2009, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
At first glance, the return of hundreds of displaced Pashtun families from war-torn Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan to their villages of origin in the comparatively peaceful north would seem an obvious and attractive option. It is a solution welcomed by a beleagured Afghan government and supported by the United Nations agencies. But, as with many things in Afghanistan, as Mundt, Schmeidl, and Ziai argue, apperances often deceive. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Khalid Koser, May 04, 2009, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
Migration and displacement in and from Afghanistan are bewilderingly complex. One of the world's largest protracted refugee situations coincides with the largest repatriation in recent history. Returnees to Afghanistan cross paths with increasing numbers of cross-border migrants, traders, and new refugees moving in the opposite direction. Other returnees have become IDPs. Khalid Koser argues that as a result, Afghanistan's border regions illustrate a "migration-displacement nexus." Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Bruce Riedel, April 30, 2009, Middle East Bulletin
Twice in the last 25 years the United States has squandered great victories achieved in Afghanistan by failing to follow up battlefield success with a commitment to helping build a stable government. Bruce Riedel analyzes these past victories and explains how the new administration can avoid replicating past mistakes that would have greater consequence today. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Michael E. O'Hanlon, March 27, 2009, Politico's "The Arena"
While Michael O'Hanlon generally supports the new Afghanistan strategy set forth by the Obama administration, he feels it can still be improved and offers suggestions to do so. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Michael E. O'Hanlon, March 20, 2009, Politico
By 2010, the Afghanistan conflict will have become the longest war in American history. Michael O'Hanlon defends President Obama's proposed plan for roughly doubling U.S. combat forces in Afghanistan and argues that the strategic stakes in Afghanistan are high, given Al Qaeda's presence in the country. But, says O'Hanlon, the prospects for stability are reasonably good. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Khalid Koser and Susanne Schmeidl, February 16, 2009, U.S.-Islamic World Forum
Nearly five million refugees have returned to Afghanistan since 2002 and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) often cites Afghanistan as a positive example of refugee repatriation. In reality, however, the return of Afghan refugees may prove to be one of the most ill-conceived policies in the Islamic world in recent times. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Hady Amr and Elizabeth Ferris, February 16, 2009, Human Development Task Force, U.S.-Islamic World Forum
Throughout the Muslim world, millions of people have been forced to flee their homes and communities for many reasons, including both conflicts and natural disasters. This massive displacement of people affects both national development plans and individual human development, affecting relationships between countries, UN Security Council discussions, and peace processes. In short, as Hady Amr and Elizabeth Ferris argue, understanding—and resolving—displacement is central to development, peace, and security. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Johannes F. Linn, February 02, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Johannes Linn examines the impact of the global economic crisis on Central Asia—a transit and natural resource hub in the Eurasian super-continent. He assesses the region’s needs for economic integration and cooperation with the rest of the world. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Johannes F. Linn, December 10, 2008, The Brookings Institution
Johannes Linn outlines the 7th Ministerial Conference of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program (CAREC), which approved strategies for greater technical, operational, and financial solutions to the region. Operating since 2002, CAREC now needs to focus on these solutions to bring about sustainable development, improved infrastructure and institutional capacity of Central Asian countries, which is home to 120 million inhabitants. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Johannes F. Linn and Oksana Pidufala, October 2008, The Brookings Institution
Central Asia has attempted to strengthen its regional integration and cooperation since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Johannes Linn and Oksana Pidufala globally examine regional cooperation initiatives and organizations, and analyze functions and performance to draw lessons for the future success of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Johannes F. Linn, August 12, 2008, The Brookings Institution
In June 2008, Johannes Linn warned of a water and energy crisis facing Central Asia and advised governments and international agencies to take urgent action. The following month, at the invitation of the United Nations Development Program, 15 international and bilateral agencies met in Kazakhstan to review the impending crisis in the region. Linn highlights the agencies’ findings and provides an update on the regions and international community’s next steps. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Martha Brill Olcott and Johannes F. Linn, August 12, 2008, Wall Street Journal
North of Afghanistan, Central Asia faces great instability with the impending threat of political unrest, economic downturn, and water shortages. Martha Brill Olcott from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Johannes Linn examine the instability of the region and its implications for Afghanistan, and urge the international community to pay greater attention to the region’s needs. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Johannes F. Linn, August 11, 2008, The Brookings Institution
Johannes Linn examines the challenges of managing the abundance of natural resources in Central Asia. Macroeconomic management difficulties, volatility of earnings, and negative impacts of high natural resource revenues on national institutions and governance are common consequences of the “natural resource curse.” Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Johannes F. Linn, July 09, 2008, The Brookings Institution
Tajikistan, a former Soviet Republic, occupies a geopolitically sensitive location at the core of Greater Central Asia. Johannes Linn reflects on the country’s ten years of transition from civil war to peace, from deep economic recession to sustained growth, and most recently from facing good prospects to confronting serious risks. Read More