Challenges of Peacebuilding in Afghanistan: Competing Interests of International and Regional Players

Abstract

Afghanistan is among the few countries that have been profoundly affected by the power politics in the world. The landlocked Afghanistan is surrounded by important regions having powerful state actors. South Asia has two nuclear powers; Iran, Central Asia and Russia are rich in natural resources of energy; while China is an emerging giant and the biggest investor in the regions. Regional and international powers are inter-playing to adjust their interests in Afghanistan. These realities have made Afghanistan’s conflict a most complex one. American led military intervention in 2001 was followed by a peacebuilding model, Liberal Peacebuilding. This research focuses on different dimensions/aspects of the liberal peacebuilding model in Afghanistan. This dissertation establishes that for the last nineteen years, liberal peace approach has not proved working in Afghanistan. Situation has rather deteriorated over the last decade. The study thus aims to underscore the main causes of the failure of the liberal peacebuilding approach in Afghanistan. It attempts to explore various challenges to peacebuilding in the country and unfolds competing interests of both internal and external stakeholders. The dissertation also proposes a viable peacebuilding model, specific to Afghanistan’s conflict. The research is qualitative and based on the existing literature supported by expert interviews and carried out through the prisms of Neorealism and Liberal Peace theories. The relationship between Neorealism and Liberal Peace has also been touched upon. Having in mind the different perspectives of the various stakeholders in Afghanistan’s politics, it argues that whether the US military intervention in Afghanistan was justified or not, however, it is certain that the applied liberal peacebuilding approach is failing. Domestic challenges and Neorealism realities are damaging peacebuilding efforts in Afghanistan. Solution of the continuing unrest in Afghanistan lies in a political process with coordinated efforts in good faith from all domestic, regional and international players. A unilateral and military approach may not bring durable peace and stability in the country. Furthermore, the study finds that peace in Afghanistan may not be realized by offering a greater role to one party while ignoring others’ concerns. There has to be a peace process with all relevant stakeholders on board to find common ground for cooperation and bring a balance in their respective interests. This demands the proposed hybrid peacebuilding approach to be applied which is more reliable and suitable in Afghanistan’s case.