The 2001 war in the Islamic State of Afghanistan has devastated the lives and livelihoods of millions of Afghans, and drew in the international community in the pursuit of establishing a peaceful...Show moreThe 2001 war in the Islamic State of Afghanistan has devastated the lives and livelihoods of millions of Afghans, and drew in the international community in the pursuit of establishing a peaceful Afghanistan. On the 29th of February 2020, the US and the Taliban signed an agreement to bring peace to Afghanistan, the Doha Agreement. While the peace developments remain in uncharted territory, China has been taken on a more prominent role in supporting the peace processes in Afghanistan by facilitating peace talks, fostering regional cooperation through the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA). Then, how is China’s broader engagement in Afghanistan contributing to the peacebuilding processes in Afghanistan? By using a combined approach to peacebuilding, this research reviews China's contribution in the dimensions of jump-starting the national economy, re-establishing the framework of governance, repairing key transportation, communication and utility networks, rebuilding key social infrastructure, assisting local population, demine where applicable and normalise financial borrowing and the Chinese behaviour toward the non-state armed actor, the Taliban. This research concludes that China's involvement does not conclusively contribute to, nor hinder, the peacebuilding efforts. Rather, China’s contributions to the Afghan peace occur largely in the economic sphere, through investment in Afghan infrastructure and the normalisation of financial borrowing, and by posing as a mediator between parties involved in the Afghan conflict, notably the Taliban.Show less
Thesis on diplomats’ experiences on interdepartmental, international, and local cooperation during their deployment in a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan by analysing autobiographies...Show moreThesis on diplomats’ experiences on interdepartmental, international, and local cooperation during their deployment in a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan by analysing autobiographies written by diplomats on their experiences. From the analysis of the autobiographies, lessons learned regarding the three different types of cooperation are drawn.Show less
Een onderzoek naar de relatie tussen de Afghaanse Taliban en al Qaeda. Hierbij wordt, aan de hand van memo's en memoires, onderzocht hoe de Amerikaanse ministers van Defensie Donald Rumsfeld (2001...Show moreEen onderzoek naar de relatie tussen de Afghaanse Taliban en al Qaeda. Hierbij wordt, aan de hand van memo's en memoires, onderzocht hoe de Amerikaanse ministers van Defensie Donald Rumsfeld (2001-2006) en Robert Gates (2006-2011) de relatie zagen.Show less
This paper aims to explore how the Sino-Afghan relationship can be defined in terms of benevolence versus exploitation, and how the non-interference policy plays a role in this relationship. The...Show moreThis paper aims to explore how the Sino-Afghan relationship can be defined in terms of benevolence versus exploitation, and how the non-interference policy plays a role in this relationship. The paper does this through a positivist analysis of three dimensions of the Sino-Afghan relationship: security, economic, and political relations. The concluding paragraph of the thesis states that the findings are in line with the idea of developmentalism.Show less
This thesis examines the influence of conflict in Afghanistan on Russia’s security hegemony in Central Asia. By considering Central Asia a Regional Security Complex, and by viewing Russia’s role...Show moreThis thesis examines the influence of conflict in Afghanistan on Russia’s security hegemony in Central Asia. By considering Central Asia a Regional Security Complex, and by viewing Russia’s role within it through the theoretical framework of negotiated hegemony, this thesis compares the role Russia played in the region in the timeframe from the fall of the Soviet Union to 2001 with the role it played following the US invasion of Afghanistan. It is argued that Central Asia started a successful process of reducing Russia’s influence by transforming its RSC from a unipolar one dominated by Russia, to a centered one where the Central Asian Republics (CARs) themselves defined the security sphere. This long-term process was temporarily abandoned by jumping on the short-term opportunity of counterbalancing Russia’s security hegemony with that of the US from 2001 onward. Disappointed by both Russia’s inability to deal with the Afghan conflict, and the US’ disinterest in pursuing a more active role in the particularities of the Central Asian RSC, the CARs re-entered negotiations with Russia over its security hegemony; strengthened this time, however, by their own proven capabilities and sovereignty.Show less
The poetry of the Afghan Taliban offers an interesting angle to look at the organization. It shows that aesthetics are a relevant way to observe political organizations in order to discover things...Show moreThe poetry of the Afghan Taliban offers an interesting angle to look at the organization. It shows that aesthetics are a relevant way to observe political organizations in order to discover things that would have remained undiscovered by other research.Show less
Mahmud Tarzi was the first Afghan modernizer that helped to formulate the basic tenets of Afghan modernism and nationalism, through his successful news medium Seraj al-Akhbar (The torch of news)....Show moreMahmud Tarzi was the first Afghan modernizer that helped to formulate the basic tenets of Afghan modernism and nationalism, through his successful news medium Seraj al-Akhbar (The torch of news). In this thesis, I will focus on Mahmud Tarzi, as a writer and journalist and how he has sought to influence the social and political modernization of Afghanistan through his literature.Show less
