Security Sector Reform Monitor: Afghanistan, No. 2, Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), 24 November 2009
EXCERPT: "The recently leaked assessment of the situation in Afghanistan by US General Stanley McChrystal, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, signals a clear departure from existing US strategy in Afghanistan, stressing that success 'demands a fundamentally new approach' favouring the protection of the Afghan population over the pursuit of insurgents. The report recommends dramatically increased cooperation between Coalition forces and their Afghan counterparts, a more visible presence for US and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops in local communities, an acceleration of Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) development and an increase in the eventual size of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP). This will no doubt place new emphasis on the security sector reform (SSR) process, which picked up momentum in mid-2009 but remains encumbered by coordination deficits, the growing security crisis and political inertia. Widespread fraud in the presidential election of August 2009 further complicated the political environment for SSR, as it has eroded the legitimacy and viability of the Karzai administration. These political tensions, along with a deteriorating security situation, have contributed to a growing sense of crisis in Afghanistan. This edition of the Security Sector Reform Monitor: Afghanistan examines recent developments affecting the ANSF, with a particular emphasis on policing."
Read the full report [pdf].
Related article:
The need for security sector reform in Afghanistan to curb corruption, Peace and Conflict Monitor, 4 November 2009
Related posts:
Learning from security sector reform/building in Afghanistan, 3 November 2009
Afghan police weak link in security sector reform, 14 August 2009
Security sector reform in Afghanistan: The EU's contribution, 26 May 2009
Policing in Afghanistan: Still searching for a strategy, 18 December 2008
