Prof. Nayani Melegoda
Prof Nayani Melegoda teaches International Relations at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and is presently researching on peacebuilding options in Afghanistan as a Japan Foundation fellow affiliated to the Institute of Peace Science, Hiroshima University, Japan.
DOI: http://DOI Number
Keywords: US, coalition, Taliban, Afghanistan, Obama, South Asia, Pakistan, Osama bin Laden, ,NATO, army
Abstract
It’s been more than a decade since the United States led a coalition to overthrow the Taliban government in Kabul. Over the past few years, the United States and Afghanistan have continued a statebuilding initiative that was launched by the Afghan government. In order to restore peace, the war-torn society has had to undergo significant transformation, one that has not come easily. The United States and its western allies have spent a lot of money on an expensive campaign to bring about lasting peace in Afghanistan, which would benefit international stability. Voters who are exhausted by the war have no appreciation for the effort. It appears that neither the Afghans nor the United States’ longtime ally in the region, Pakistan, are pleased with the current state of affairs. The UN’s “low footprint” effort in peacebuilding after the fighting in the country was a dismal failure. Due to the lack of interest from NATO allies in extending their presence in Afghanistan, the already announced timetable for the drawdown may now be met with relative ease. A brighter future is owed to Afghanistan. Perhaps the western coalition countries don’t fully grasp the local problems in Afghanistan, but Afghanistan’s South Asian neighbours do.
First Published
June 25, 2012
How to Cite
Prof. Nayani Melegoda, “State-Building for Peace: Afghanistan from Bonn 2001 to Bonn 2011,” Regional Studies 30, no.3 (Summer 2012): 66-88, https://regionalstudies.com.pk/wp/article/state-building-for-peace-afghanistan-from-bonn-2001-to-bonn-2011/
Issue
Volume 30, Issue 3