International Relations Commons^™

Comparing The Us Response To The Soviet Invasion Of Afghanistan And The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine: Learning From The Past And Planning For The Future, Zachary Hogan

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

As the Russo-Ukrainian war continues to rage, the decisions of the present are of paramount importance. In order to make the most positive and well-supported decisions in this ongoing conflict, it would be wise to look to past instances of similar situations. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan is such an instance. The parallels between the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the past Soviet invasion of Afghanistan are extensive and, more importantly, informative for U.S. foreign policy. It is with this lens that this paper will pursue a historical foreign policy analysis of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, its circumstances and …

Book Review: The Good Captain: A Personal Memoir Of America At War, Joseph J. Collins

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: R. D. Hooker Jr.

Reviewed by Joseph J. Collins, PhD, retired US Army colonel

Retired Army colonel Rich Hooker’s The Good Captain is a memoir spanning the Cold War through the Global War on Terror. Hooker’s deployments take up the bulk of the book and include Grenada with the 82nd Airborne Division, Somalia to work with legendary Ambassador Bob Oakley, Zaire to coordinate humanitarian operations in Rwanda, Bosnia, and Kosovo as a parachute infantry battalion commander, the Sinai Peninsula for peacekeeping operations, command of the Dragon Brigade in Iraq and, in his last year of service, Afghanistan with the …

Unscr 1325 Did Not Help Women, Peace, Or Security In Afghanistan: The Role Of Militarism And Hegemonic Masculinity In International Security, Sawyer Bannister

CMC Senior Theses

This paper argues that UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security exemplifies how the international security system is constructed in a way that not only preserves militarism and hegemonic masculinity, but further perpetuates gendered power disparities and exacerbates human insecurity. In this pursuit, this paper develops a theoretical framework of radical feminism to illustrate how the international arena embodies militarized hegemonic masculinity and how this power paradigm fundamentally inhibits international security organizations from successfully addressing gender issues. Additionally, this paper utilizes a case study of UNSCR 1325 and WPS implementation in Afghanistan to reveal how when international security organizations attempt …

Allow Them To Take The Reins: Why Central Asian States Need To Lead In Afghanistan, Brandon Angel

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

No abstract provided.

Vietnam And Afghanistan: Intelligence And Ethical Failures That Doomed Two Wars, Jamison Finnamore

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

A comparison of America's two longest wars and the similarities of the poor policy and leadership that ultimately led to failure and defeat.

Abandoned Allies: A Case Study Analysis Of The Special Immigrant Visa Program, Sarah Pedigo Kulzer

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Employing a qualitative case study approach, the current study aims to critically analyze the U.S.’s use of the Special Immigrant Visa program in Iraq and Afghanistan by examining the individuals it serves, the agencies through which services are rendered, and the state’s vested geopolitical interests in the program. Engaging in active participation, I observed and interacted with those who work within, assist, or utilize the services of Commonwealth Catholic Charities’ refugee resettlement program, including case workers, service providers, and resettlement clients themselves. Examined through the lens of neoliberal harm, the theoretical frameworks of realpolitik and Simmel’s (1950) concept of the …

Limits And Possibilities Of The United States Military In Post-Conflict Reconstruction And Stabilization, Alcir Florentino Dos Santos Neto

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

This study probes the limits and possibilities of U.S. military efforts to facilitate the transition from warfighting to nation-building. Most comparative studies conceive the complexity of this transition along a spectrum from conflict to humanitarian assistance to post-conflict stabilization. While the last two stages have often been interpreted as a coordinated act of civil-military ‘nation-building’, the spectrum, in fact, represents an ideal type simplification. At one level, outcomes depend on the players involved, including sovereign nations, national militaries, international and regional institutions, U.N. peacekeepers, private security contractors, and non-governmental humanitarian providers, among others. On the other hand, because …

Competition, Compromises, And Complicity: An Analysis Of The Humanitarian Aid Sector, Fiona Bare

CMC Senior Theses

This paper analyzes humanitarian assistance to complex humanitarian emergencies to understand why suboptimal outcomes result even when humanitarians have ethical principles and good intentions. It focuses on the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations, and Médecins Sans Frontières to understand their core principles before looking at how these principles operationalize during emergencies. Challenges arise due to complex relationships with donors, local actors, and recipients, along with issues of marketization and competition. This paper’s case studies of the post-genocide Rwandan refugee crisis and post-9/11 Afghanistan explore how humanitarian principles clash with such dilemmas. In the end, humanitarian organizations …

U.S. Lethal Drone Policy In The Execution Of The Global War On Terrorism: The Case For Reforming The Tactics, Techniques, And Procedures For The Tactical Application Of Lethal Drone Strikes, Gordon E. Adams

School of Public Policy Capstones

Over the past decade-and-a-half of continuous warfare by the United States in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, and Africa, lethal drone strikes have assumed a critical role in the expeditious, time-sensitive environments which U.S. military personnel and private security contactors find themselves operating in. Contentious since their inception, lethal drone strikes, as a tool of war and as a center-piece of U.S. counterinsurgency tactics, require significant policy changes in the form of increasing transparency for legislatures. Equally important, lethal drone strikes also require tactical revision in their application in order to effectively apply the methods of counter insurgency, nation-building, and relationship-development …

Roundtable Discussion Transcript: The Legal And Ethical Limits Of Technological Warfare Symposium, February 1, 2013, University Of Utah, S.J. Quinney College Of Law, Amos N. Guiora, Harry Soyster, David R. Irvine, Geoffrey S. Corn, James Jay Carafano, Claire O. Finkelstein, Laurie R. Blank, Monica Hakimi, George R. Lucas, Trevor W. Morrison, Frederic Megret

All Faculty Scholarship

The Utah Law Review brought in a panel of experts for a symposium on the legal and ethical limits of technological warfare. This roundtable discussion crystalized the issues discussed throughout the symposium. The collective experience and diversity of viewpoints of the panelists produced an unparalleled discussion of the complex and poignant issues involved in drone warfare. The open dialogue in the roundtable discussion created moments of tension where the panelists openly challenged each other’s viewpoints on the ethics and legality of drone warfare. The discussion captured in this transcript uniquely conveys the diversity of perspectives and inherently challenging legal and …

Winning The Story War: Strategic Communication And The Conflict In Afghanistan, George Dimitriu

George Dimitriu

In conflicts of the information age success in the application of force depends less on the outcome of tactical operations on the battlefields but more on how the war's purpose, course and conduct is viewed by public opinion at home as well as within the theatre of operations. Therefore western allies in Iraq and Afghanistan are not only involved in a physical struggle but also in a struggle over perceptions, for no long-term engagement of troops is possible without support from home, nor can a counterinsurgency succeed without the support of the local population. While the ability to exert influence …

Operationele Ontwikkeling Van De Nederlandse Special Operations Forces, 2005-2010, George Dimitriu, Gijs Tuinman, Martijn Van Der Vorm

George Dimitriu

Between 2005 and 2010 Dutch Special Operations Forces (SOF) carried out three mission in Afghanistan. The authors describe these missions in which both Army SOF and Marine SOF took part. They describe SOF and analyze the planning and execution of SOF missions. Further, they discuss the insights and developments that resulted from these experiences. By doing this, they not only clarify but also explain recent developments in the Dutch SOF realm. The lessons learned and best practices identified are a sound foundation for the future of Dutch SOF. (article in Dutch).

Ondervraging Van Irakese En Afghaanse Insurgents: De Nederlandse Ervaringen, George Dimitriu

George Dimitriu

Gedurende de afgelopen jaren is de Nederlandse Krijgsmacht een aantal jaren actief geweest in Irak en Afghanistan waarbij honderden mensen gevangen zijn genomen en zijn ondervraagd. In tegenstelling tot veel andere landen die ook in Irak en Afghanistan actief zijn of waren, zoals de Verenigde Staten, Groot-Brittannië, Spanje en Canada, is Nederland tot op heden gevrijwaard gebleven van een groot martelschandaal of een binnenlandse discussie. Afgezien van een incident in 2006 toen krantenkoppen Nederlanders betichtten van marteling tijdens de missie in Irak, is er maar weinig voorgevallen. Bovendien luwde de ophef over het vermeende martelincident in Irak al snel. Hoe …

Strategische Communicatie In Afghanistan: Alles Draait Om Perceptie, George Dimitriu

George Dimitriu

Tijdens conflicten is beïnvloeding van de verschillende relevante doelgroepen – tegenstanders, de lokale bevolking en het eigen thuisfront – altijd al van doorslaggevend belang geweest. Maar door de geglobaliseerde nieuwe vormen van media dat heeft geleid tot ongekende beïnvloedings-mogelijkheden, de verwevenheid van target audiences en de communicatiesuccessen van terroristen is het belang van de ideologische strijd vandaag de dag enorm toegenomen. De westerse bondgenoten zijn in Afghanistan niet alleen in een fysieke strijd verwikkeld maar ook in een strijd om percepties. Zonder draagvlak van het thuisfront is langdurige inzet van troepen immers niet mogelijk en zonder steun van de lokale …

‘Holding’ For Companies And Platoons In Counterinsurgency, George Dimitriu

George Dimitriu

In August 2010, the Dutch redeployed their forces after being active in Afghanistan for four years, aiding and abetting ISAF with around 2000 troops each rotation. Initially, the contribution after August had been discussed fiercely, but the collapse of the Netherlands’ coalition government in February 2010 meant also the end of the discussion about prolongation of the mission of Task Force Uruzgan; the withdrawal of troops is definite and more or less completed by the time of writing. In a recently published article about the performance of the Dutch forces in Uruzgan, which I wrote together with Dr. B.A. de …

Women In Afghanistan: A Human Rights Tragedy Ten Years After 9/11, Hayat Alvi

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Ten years after the September 11th attacks in the United States and the military campaign in Afghanistan, there is some good news, but unfortunately still much bad news pertaining to women in Afghanistan. The patterns of politics, security/military operations, religious fanaticism, heavily patriarchal structures and practices, and ongoing insurgent violence continue to threaten girls and women in the most insidious ways. Although women’s rights and freedoms in Afghanistan have finally entered the radar screen of the international community’s consciousness, they still linger in the margins in many respects.

Socio-cultural and extremist religious elements continue to pose serious obstacles to reconstruction …

Inlichtingenondersteuning In Het Kader Van Bevordering En Handhaving Van De Internationale Rechtsorde, George Dimitriu

George Dimitriu

De auteurs beschrijven de ontwikkeling van de rol van inlichtingen bij militaire operaties in de periode 1992 - 2010.

The Dutch Coin Approach: Three Years In Uruzgan, 2006-2009, George Dimitriu, Beatrice De Graaf

George Dimitriu

Rarely has a military commitment led to such intense discussion in the Netherlands as the Task Force Uruzgan (TFU) mission in Afghanistan. In February 2010, the Netherlands' coalition government even collapsed after the two largest parties failed to agree on the withdrawal of Dutch troops from Afghanistan later this year. This article deals first of all with the difficult discussion over the Afghanistan mission of the TFU. The authors then subject three ISAF operations to close scrutiny. The authors provide some suggestions to help understand better this pivotal point in the execution of the whole operation and thus give a …

Against The State Governance, Governance From Below & Governing Through Terrorism: Analytically Investigating The Technologies Of Power Within The Terrorist Arsenal., Allen Gnanam

Allen Gnanam

Terrorism as a violent and destabilizing act performed by terrorists, meaning loyal followers of political or religious agendas who hold resent and animosity toward a certain authority/ government (Lin, Liou, & Wu, 2007, pg. 149), will be explored and analyzed through the utilization of the governmentality perspective. For the purposes of this paper terrorism governance will refer to the governance/ control/ influence exerted by terrorists and terrorism. The focus of this explorative and analysis paper will be to identify diverse terrorism oriented technologies of governance, and analyze the ways in which these technologies enable terrorist to exert governance both indirectly …

De Nederlandse Coin Aanpak: Drie Jaar Uruzgan 2006-2009, George Dimitriu, Beatrice De Graaf

George Dimitriu

Zelden leidde militaire inzet tot zo veel discussie als de missie Task Force Uruzgan (TFU) in Afghanistan. Wat doen de Nederlandse troepen precies in Uruzgan? En hoe hebben ze de strategie de afgelopen twee jaar op het tactische en operationele niveau uitgewerkt en toegepast? Dit artikel behandelt de moeizame discussie over de missie van TFU. Vervolgens nemen de auteurs drie ISAF-operaties onder de loep. De meest complexe en cruciale fase van dergelijke operaties “de fase van consolidatie (hold)“ komt uitvoerig aan de orde. De auteurs bieden een kader om deze schakel in de uitvoering beter te begrijpen. Ze geven zo …

A Human Rights-Oriented Approach To Military Operations, Federico Sperotto

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Counterinsurgency is the dominant aspect of US operations in Afghanistan, and since ISAF—the NATO-led security and assistance force—has assumed growing security responsibility throughout the country, it is also a mission for the Europeans.1 The frame in which military operations are conducted is irregular warfare, a form of conflict which differs from conventional operations in two main aspects. First, it is warfare among and within the people. Second, it is warfare in which insurgents avoid a direct military confrontation, using instead unconventional methods and terrorist tactics.

© Federico Sperotto. All rights reserved.

This paper may be freely circulated in electronic or …

Ongeoorloofde Pressiemiddelen Tijdens Ondervraging In Extreme Situaties: Moraliteit, Effectiviteit En Efficiëntie, George Dimitriu

George Dimitriu

The paper is about the question whether alleged terrorists or insurgents in certain circumstances should be tortured. Does it yield any results? Is it effective? Paper in Dutch.

In veel landen, waaronder ook westerse, worden pressiemiddelen gebruikt bij ondervragingen vangevangenen. Sinds de aanslagen op 11 september 2001 in de Verenigde Staten en de ‘War on Terror’is de discussie over het toepassen van pressiemiddelen weer actueel. Ernstige schendingen van mensen-rechten door Amerikaanse militairen op Guantanamo Bay kwamen aan het licht. Wat zijn de morele argumenten om ongeoorloofde pressiemiddelen toe te staan dan wel te verbieden? Welke juridische kaders zijn er? En …

Global Health And Global Hegemony, Randall Kuhn

Human Rights & Human Welfare

As the new director of a unique graduate program in Global Health Affairs, coming from the world of basic research, I have been faced with the need to reconcile a central paradox of American power and hegemony: I conduct my work as an American citizen and often with U.S. government funding in the hope that it will make a positive or at least neutral impact on my world. Yet my government (not only under the present administration) initiates imperial adventures that cause untold damage to the health, welfare, and survival of individuals throughout the world.

Neotrusteeship In Afghanistan, Melanie Kawano

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Afghanistan is currently under the tentative rule of an international administration, or neotrusteeship, thereby restricting its national sovereignty. However, self-determination and nonintervention have never been persistent features of Afghanistan. Foreign interventions, invasions and great power showdowns on its territory have made a truly autonomous Afghan state a shortlived phenomenon. The outcome at each stage of Afghan history has been an unstable state that seems to invite even more external involvement.

Democratization In Afghanistan, Chris Rowe

Human Rights & Human Welfare

What determines whether a specific country embarks on the road to democracy, if it completes that voyage successfully, and finally consolidates democratic values, practices, and institutions? Analysts have debated these issues for decades and have identified a number of historical, structural, and cultural variables that help account for the establishment of successful democracies in some countries and its absence in others. Frequently cited prerequisites for democracy include social and economic modernization; a large and vibrant middle class; and cultural norms and values relating to politics.

Human Rights And Post-War Reconstruction: Introduction, Roberto Belloni

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The expression “post-war reconstruction,” commonly adopted by both practitioners and academics, is somewhat misleading. Reconstruction does not entail rebuilding or return to the pre– war state of affairs as the expression seems to suggest. Rather, reconstruction involves difficult multiple transitions: from war to peace, from a state to a market economy, and from authoritarianism to democracy. Each transition taken by itself would be daunting. Taken together, they can be almost overwhelming.

Afghanistan, Greg Sanders

Human Rights & Human Welfare

After September 11, Afghanistan became the first battleground of the War on Terror when the Taliban government refused to turn over Osama Bin Laden and other Al Qaeda members. Human rights concerns about these events fall in two areas. First, did the United States violate human rights when it launched Operation Enduring Freedom to overthrow the Taliban and during the subsequent occupation? Second, have the occupation forces and new regime of under the leadership of Hamid Karzai done enough to improve the previously miserable human rights situation in Afghanistan?

State-Building In Afghanistan, Melanie Kawano, Amy Mcguire

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Since the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan in late 2001, Afghan citizens and members of the global community have been grappling with the question of how to build a state that can fill the void created by decades of conflict and violence. However, the concept of “state-building” is complex. The term describes both an internal process and international assistance; it requires short-term action as well as a long-term vision. While no precise formula for state-building exists, there are historical precedents and “models” of state-building expressed by great powers and multilaterals. In reality, however, these are based on best guesses that fail …

Trends. The United States, Israel, And Parallelism In Counterterrorist Response, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses and evaluates United States reactions to terrorist attacks, and US support for Israel in a political psychological context.