Setting Out the Conditions for ‘Success’ in Afghanistan
October 28, 2009 | President Obama's "war of necessity" is rapidly turning into a quagmire. Can it be saved?
Articles by David Cole
Revisioning the International Compact for Afghanistan
November 2, 2005 | Afghanistan's trajectory after the parliamentary elections.
Afghanistan: Democracy Before Peace?
September 17, 2004 | The Taliban are acutely aware that sustained donor interest and military support will not last forever; donor fatigue, shifting budgetary priorities, and waning donor attention are inevitable.
Afghanistan’s Problematic Path to Peace: Lessons in State Building in the Post-September 11 Era
March 24, 2004 | With a constitution ratified and the country's first elections in decades scheduled for June-July 2004--although the continued deterioration of security conditions have placed this target in doubt--the Bonn political process has entered its final phase.
Afghanistan: In Search of Security
October 3, 2003 | A number of factors and conditions have led to Afghanistan's security dilemma.
The Forgotten War Shows No Sign of Abating
April 1, 2003 | Though force may be the only language that Afghanistan's spoiler groups understand, they can only survive as long as they have a fountain of discontent to draw support from. Remove this support base, and these groups will succumb to pressure and fade away
Who Will Govern Iraq?
April 1, 2003 | With Baghdad having fallen and the territorial consolidation of Iraq near at hand, discussion of the postwar period has intensified dramatically.
The Cost of Complacency: Afghanistan’s Faltering Peace-building Process
March 17, 2003 | The success of peace-building activities in Afghanistan is dependent on the existence of a robust and durable commitment by the international community.
Afghanistan: Between War and Reconstruction: Where Do We Go From Here?
March 1, 2003 | The internationally supported reconstruction and nation-building effort in Afghanistan can boast many successes in the period since the Taliban's collapse in November 2001.
The “Day After” in Iraq: Lessons from Afghanistan
March 1, 2003 | Afghanistan and Iraq, wracked by decades of conflict and deprivation, require intensive, long-term, and durable commitments of international support.