This report describes the efforts of the NATO-led coalition forces in Afghanistan to create an Afghan constabulary force to control urban violence and serve as a counterinsurgency force. Summary In 2006, a day of deadly riots in Kabul dramatized the need… Read more
This report reflects the authors' research interests and several publications on security sector reform from a financial and development perspective. It is intended to lay out key issues and trade-offs in this area, and brings in concepts and tools of… Read more
The authors have worked for many years in the Kabul office of the United States Institute of Peace in Afghanistan on local governance and rule of law projects. Shahmahmood Miakhel is USIP's Country Director in Afghanistan. From 2003-2005 he was deputy… Read more
Qamar-ul Huda captures the key perspectives of a roundtable convened by the United States Institute of Peace which drew on the expertise of scholars, practitioners, U.S. government officials, and the policy community to discuss the implications of the… Read more
Despite years of efforts aimed at expanding women’s rights and opportunities in Iraq and Afghanistan, women in those countries face major obstacles in consolidating these gains. Recognizing that women’s empowerment contributes significantly to stability,… Read more
Providing guidance on the mediation and negotiation aspects of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) programs, this toolkit lays out eight detailed steps that mediators can take to establish appropriate linkages between DDR and other… Read more
Over the past several decades, dozens of countries have established truth commissions and other bodies to investigate mass atrocities or systematic human rights abuse. Lessons learned from past truth-finding processes are invaluable to help address the… Read more
This brief is based on recent discussions USIP held in Kabul on traditional dispute resolution (TDR) and women’s rights. Based on these discussions and USIP’s research, it outlines recommendations on how to increase access to justice for women. Sylvana Q… Read more
Consolidating the legitimate use of force in the hands of the state is a vital first step in post-conflict peacebuilding. This USIP Peace Brief analyzes two processes that are vital to securing a monopoly of force: disarmament, demobilization, and… Read more
This Peace Brief reports on controversies surrounding interpretation of the 2004 Afghanistan Constitution, which have created a crisis of confidence in the rule of law that the authors argue must be resolved for national reconciliation to occur… Read more
Police corruption is a universal problem, but it is a particular challenge in countries in crisis and emerging from conflict. This report is based on the lessons gleaned from a review of public commissions of inquiry into police misconduct worldwide and… Read more
Summary The longest war and one of the largest relief efforts in U.S. history—in Afghanistan and Haiti, respectively—are testing the cost-effectiveness of U.S. foreign assistance in conflict-ravaged or disaster-torn countries. U.S.-led economic… Read more