• Report from International Alert's forum on military drawdown & instability

Report from International Alert's forum on military drawdown & instability

17 September 2013

BAAG Director Jawed Nader participated in the fourth International Alert Conflict Ideas Forum in June 2013.  The diverse and well-informed group, including academics, analysts, civil servants and NGO Directors, discussed the possible outcomes of the military drawdown in 2014 in terms of instability in the region.

International Alert have produced a summary of the discussions which can be read in full on the Transition page of our Resources section.

The discussions raised many interesting points – with a general consensus that recent collaborative efforts by the international community and Government of Afghanistan, to strengthen institutions and processes to maintain stability, put the country in a relatively strong position (compared, for example, to the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1989). 

However, both the Afghan government and  the international community must approach these security concerns in the broader context of social development for the Afghan population.  The root causes of conflict cannot be blamed squarely on extremism and the Taliban.  The socio-economic and political needs of the people – a young people at that – must be met to avoid an escalation of local, national and potentially regional disruption.  Employment, resource management, economic opportunities should all be a primary focus – with an underlying commitment to the female population and their equal role in the development of a secure and flourishing Afghanistan.