Afghanistan: Reconciliation Plans, Tribal Leaders, and Civil Society
Afghanistan: Reconciliation plans, tribal leaders and civil society
by Thomas Kirk
Download The Full Article: Afghanistan: Reconciliation plans, tribal leaders and civil society
A reading of the Afghanistan’s troubled history against recent explorations of the contemporary conflict question the wisdom and trajectory of the current peace talks for creating a lasting end to the violence. Current efforts at reconciliation should carefully pinpoint the country’s powerbrokers and uncover Afghanistan’s voiceless civil society.
In a recent article The Washington Post details the great efforts being put into secretive negotiations currently taking place with insurgent leaders in Kabul. As the Americans reportedly take pains to discern the level of power of each of the participants, optimistic analysts note that the incumbent government and its international surrogates recognise the need to involve members of Pakistan’s various shuras, the importance of regional actors’ participation and the necessity of defining boundaries between moderate and irreconcilable elements. Furthermore, drawing lessons from previous conflicts, a growing body of commentators posit the country’s tribal elders as the silver bullet with which to drive reconciliation. However, episodes from the nation’s violent cyclical history, combined with an appreciation of the nature of Afghanistan’s current conflict, suggest that if bypassed Afghanistan’s civil society will carve its own violent path towards peace.
Download The Full Article: Afghanistan: Reconciliation plans, tribal leaders and civil society
Thomas Kirk is a researcher with Global Governance and PHD candidate at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Thomas’ work investigates the role of civil society in creating the conditions for peace in contemporary conflict with particular reference to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
