Transition in Afghanistan 2012
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TRANSITION IN AFGHANISTAN 2011-2014 Five Parliamentary Studies NATO Parliamentary Assembly Founded in 1955, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) serves as the consultative inter-parliamentary organisation for the North Atlantic Alliance. Bringing together members of parliaments throughout the Atlantic Alliance, the NATO PA provides an essential link between NATO and the parliaments of its member nations, helping to build parliamentary and public consensus in support of Alliance policies. At the same time, it facilitates parliamentary awareness and understanding of key security issues and contributes to a greater transparency of NATO policies. Crucially, it helps maintain and strengthen the transatlantic relationship, which underpins the Atlantic Alliance. Since the end of the Cold War the Assembly has assumed a new role by integrating into its work parliamentarians from those countries in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond who seek a closer association with NATO. This integration has provided both political and practical assistance and has contributed to the strengthening of parliamentary democracy throughout the Euro-Atlantic region, thereby complementing and reinforcing NATO’s own programme of partnership and co-operation. The headquarters of the Assembly’s 30-strong International Secretariat staff members is located in central Brussels. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration 392 on Supporting Transition in Afghanistan presented by Hugh Bayley 7 Governance Challenges in Afghanistan: An Update by Vitalino Canas 13 Transition in Afghanistan: Assessing the Security Effort by Sven Mikser Finding Workable Solutions in Afghanistan: the Work of the International Community in Building a Functioning Economy and Society by Jeppe Kofod 95 Afghanistan – The Regional Context by John Dyrby Paulsen 139 Countering the Afghan Insurgency: Low-Tech Threats, High-Tech Solutions by Sen. Pierre Claude Nolin 171 3 4 Foreword by Dr Karl A. LAMERS President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly For the past 56 years, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) has provided a unique forum for members of parliament from across the Alliance to exchange views on key transatlantic security issues, and discuss the priorities and challenges of our collective defence. While institutionally separate from NATO, the NATO PA has come to be recognised as a respected voice in debates over transatlantic defence and security. Parliamentarians, as elected representatives of the people, have the important task of explaining to their citizens the requirements of collective security. Today, this role is more important and more challenging than ever. As the Alliance is engaged in several challenging operations, our citizens need to understand why we send our soldiers to fight in foreign lands. And we need to explain why we should continue to invest in security and defence – particularly in a context of strained resources. I hope this book will contribute to this necessary effort. It focuses on Afghanistan, NATO’s top operational priority, and compiles all the policy documents dealing with Afghanistan adopted by the NATO PA in 2011. 5 This has been a crucial year for Afghanistan. It marked the beginning of transition, a process through which Afghan authorities will progressively take lead responsibility for security across the entire country. Conditions permitting, this process should be completed by the end of 2014. The decision to move towards transition is a decisive step for Afghanistan as well as for the UN- mandated NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). After ten years of international presence in Afghanistan – eight of these as a NATO-led effort – transition sets a clear perspective for us and for our Afghan friends. We now need to take this path resolutely, side by side. Acknowledging the importance of these developments, the Assembly’s five Committees decided to prepare reports examining different aspects of transition in Afghanistan: The Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security explores questions of governance, the Defence and Security Committee focuses on security. Reconstruction and development are at the centre of the Economics and Security Committee’s interest, while the Political Committee deals with the regional dimension. Finally, the Science and Technology Committee looks at technological aspects of military operations in Afghanistan. These reports were discussed and adopted at the NATO PA’s Annual Session in Bucharest on 7-10 October 2011. Also at the Bucharest Session, the Assembly adopted a declaration on “Supporting Transition in Afghanistan”, which contains the members’ recommendations on the measures needed to achieve a successful and irreversible transition in Afghanistan. It is these six texts which are reproduced in this book, and I would like to express my gratitude to the Rapporteurs for their important work. The NATO PA will continue to monitor developments in Afghanistan in the coming year, and play its part in informing public discussions and national parliamentary debates on this crucial mission. It will also continue to engage parliamentarians from Afghanistan – as well as from Pakistan – in its discussions, and support them in their efforts to build a stable, prosperous and democratic Afghanistan. As national parliamentarians, members of the NATO PA have a clear responsibility to explain to their citizens the reasons for the ongoing NATO presence in Afghanistan. They also share with their governments the duty to ensure that transition is implemented in a coordinated manner, and that decisions taken in one country do not jeopardize our collective effort. Every day, our servicemen and women in Afghanistan continue to risk their lives to protect those of others and to defend our security, our Alliance and the values it represents. I want to pay tribute to their courage, professionalism, and sense of duty. We owe it to them to ensure that their sacrifice is not in vain. Dr Karl A. Lamers 6 DECLARATION 392 on SUPPORTING TRANSITION IN AFGHANISTAN adopted by the Plenary Assembly on Monday 10 October 2011, Bucharest, Romania presented by Hugh BAYLEY (United Kingdom) (2010 - ) Vice-President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (2008 - 2011) Chairman of the Economics and Security Committee 7 8 The Assembly, 1. Reaffirming that 10 years after the tragic terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 in the United States, which were planned by al-Qaeda from Afghanistan, the security of Afghanistan remains directly linked to our own security; 2. Stressing that the UN-mandated NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF) plays a critical role in combating terrorism and in preventing Afghanistan from being used as a safe haven for international terrorists; 3. Commending the performance and dedication of ISAF and Afghan military and civilian personnel and honouring those who have lost their lives or have been injured; 4. Welcoming progress in improving counter-improvised explosive device (IED) technology and capabilities, but noting that IEDs remain the greatest single cause of casualties in Afghanistan; 5. Recalling that ISAF nations have agreed to seek an end to their combat operations by the end of 2014 and have already started the process of transition through which Afghan authorities will take the lead for security throughout Afghanistan; 6. Convinced that strong military pressure on insurgents remains essential in order to consolidate security gains but also underlining that Afghanistan's long-term stability can only be achieved through an Afghan-led political solution; and therefore, 7. Supporting Afghan authorities' efforts to seek reconciliation with those insurgent groups which vow to respect the Afghan Constitution, including the rights of women, lay down their arms and renounce all links to terrorist organisations; and, 8. Stressing that a sustainable and irreversible transition will require the continued development of effective and accountable Afghan national security institutions, as well as further demonstrable progress in the fields of governance and economic development; 9. Underlining that transition plans need to take into account the fact that the planned end of the transition process will coincide with an important presidential election; 10. Emphasising that international assistance will remain necessary beyond 2014 to guarantee the viability and sustainability of Afghan institutions; 9 11. Recognising in particular the need to mitigate the negative impact on the economy of the progressive reduction in the international presence; 12. Convinced that a stable, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan is in the interest of all of its neighbours; and, 13. Recalling that, in the 2002 Kabul Declaration and other subsequent documents, Afghanistan's neighbours committed themselves to constructive and supportive bilateral relations based on the principles of territorial integrity, mutual respect, friendly relations, co-operation and non-interference in each other's internal affairs; 14. Affirming its support for the ongoing trilateral and multilateral initiatives aimed at contributing to develop co-operation between Afghanistan and its regional partners and in this vein welcoming the Istanbul Statement on Friendship and Co-operation in the Heart of Asia, adopted at the Istanbul Summit on 26 January 2010; 15. Recognising and appreciating the contribution and sacrifice of the Pakistani authorities and the Pakistani people in combating extremism and seeking to enhance security particularly in the regions