From the era of Daoud Khan to the rise of the Taliban, Pashtun-centric ideology has consistently influenced Afghan political discourse. This thesis investigates the impact of colonial legacies,...Show moreFrom the era of Daoud Khan to the rise of the Taliban, Pashtun-centric ideology has consistently influenced Afghan political discourse. This thesis investigates the impact of colonial legacies, Orientalist paradigms, and power dynamics on the shaping of Afghanistan's socio-political landscape. By analyzing the connections between national identity formation and ethnicization, the study aims to deepen the understanding of Afghanistan's complex political dynamics. Ultimately, it seeks to promote a more inclusive and diverse dialogue on Afghan politics and identity.Show less
This paper has researched the extent of impartiality of the ICC in determining their investigations. The justifications behind the cases of Iraq/UK and Afghanistan/US were explored, to find out how...Show moreThis paper has researched the extent of impartiality of the ICC in determining their investigations. The justifications behind the cases of Iraq/UK and Afghanistan/US were explored, to find out how the ICC reached the decision to stop investigating the UK and to leave out the US in their examination. This has been done with a discourse analysis, based on the theoretical distinction of an ethics of conviction and an ethics of responsibility. This analysis has shown that in the case of Iraq, the ICC referred more to the rule of law and legal criteria, where in the case of Afghanistan the discourse included both signs of impartiality, but also signs that practical and political considerations played a role. This thesis thus concludes that the extent of impartiality in the case of Iraq was higher than that in Afghanistan.Show less
Last year, in August 2021, the US Troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan after 20 years of combatting the Taliban; since this was a deal made in 2020, the Taliban lay in waiting for the moment to...Show moreLast year, in August 2021, the US Troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan after 20 years of combatting the Taliban; since this was a deal made in 2020, the Taliban lay in waiting for the moment to come out of hiding. This paper focuses on finding out the impact of the sanctions placed on the Afghan country and society because of the Taliban’s re-entry into power. The method used for this research was a qualitative case study. This was done based on secondary sources concerning Afghanistan's history and contemporary events. Analysis of these sources showed the changing heart of America’s way of tackling these crises with a positive future perspective on handling these humanitarian crises. This research showed changing attitudes concerning the trade and official business with organisations deemed as terrorists; adversely, these changes will be seen in the future as current events are still largely influenced by the past notion of handling these humanitarian issues.Show less
This research paper will focus on the research question: What role does the Afghan Diaspora play in humanitarian assistance within Afghanistan? Afghanistan humanitarian crisis in one of the worst...Show moreThis research paper will focus on the research question: What role does the Afghan Diaspora play in humanitarian assistance within Afghanistan? Afghanistan humanitarian crisis in one of the worst worldwide, with over 90% of the population living on the poverty line. Due to the country's political shift, this research is relevant to understand the current dynamics of Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis. This paper uses a qualitative approach to researching the humanitarian assistance of the Afghan Diaspora due to a lack of funding, time, and the inability to collect primary data. This paper highlights that the Afghan Diaspora has a strong connection to their home country, which is displayed in their actions to fight of the humanitarian crisis. This paper highlights three main ways in which the Diaspora is able to assist, which are remittances, online activism and Afghan led NGOs. The Afghan Diaspora has a significant role in the humanitarian crisis, as remittances made up to 4.1% of the countries GDP. NGOs provided crucial safe places and distributed humanitarian aid, and the Afghan Diaspora forms in the online space a Digital Diaspora which organizes themselves, collect funds and spreads awareness about the humanitarian crisis. However, the Diasporas influence is limited, as the current political leaders in Afghanistan are the Taliban. The Taliban worsen the humanitarian crisis for the whole population to their own benefit, and are unaffected by the Diasporas opinions, or efforts, as they govern the country with their own ideology Thus, the current role of the Afghan Diaspora is mainly to inform and spread awareness, provide humanitarian aid, and organize themselves in NGOs to support their people.Show less
This thesis investigated the current human rights situation in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Despite initial promises for human rights reforms by allowing girls to go to school and a general...Show moreThis thesis investigated the current human rights situation in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Despite initial promises for human rights reforms by allowing girls to go to school and a general amnesty for those who fought against the Taliban, in reality, neither was upheld. After twenty years of external Western intervention the question then needs to be asked if human rights promotion can achieve lasting institutional change and if so, how? Using the spiral model of human rights promotion and a single-country case study of Afghanistan this thesis analyzed the situation in Afghanistan. As a result, this thesis found that human rights promotion efforts can influence state-building to be both more and less in line with human rights norms. Through the creation and strengthening of a local human rights promotion constituency in a country, it is possible to pressure a regime for change from two fronts. These being the international community and the local constituency. If however this constituency cannot be built and strengthened the international community risks a backlash effect to its promotion efforts which may result in a rally around the flag effect increasing local support for the Taliban. This thesis thus shows that human rights promotion efforts have an important future in building resilience against human rights violations through the creation and supporting of a local human rights promotion constituency.Show less
In August 2021, the Taliban took control over the Afghan government. Subsequently, the EU halted development aid to Afghanistan. This research seeks to explain what motivated this decision and how...Show moreIn August 2021, the Taliban took control over the Afghan government. Subsequently, the EU halted development aid to Afghanistan. This research seeks to explain what motivated this decision and how Afghanistan’s illegitimacy has influenced the EU’s decision. Two aid allocation models based on recipient merit and donor interests are used to explain this puzzle. Drawing on an in-depth qualitative content analysis, this research illustrates how both aid allocation models sufficiently explain the EU’s decision considering Afghanistan’s illegitimacy.Show less
Intelligence agencies have been traditionally depicted as rogue elements within the state apparatus. In this thesis, I assess the validity of this alleged independent agency during the ‘Golden Age’...Show moreIntelligence agencies have been traditionally depicted as rogue elements within the state apparatus. In this thesis, I assess the validity of this alleged independent agency during the ‘Golden Age’ of convert operations: the Cold War. Throughout the said period, more subversive and clandestine activities became the norm instead of the erstwhile use of direct military force. The two most active Intelligence Agencies of the period, the CIA and the KGB were key actors in supporting and executing government overthrows mostly throughout the Third World. The two case studies I examine are the CIA coup against the Mohammed Mossadegh government in Iran in 1953 and the KGB overthrow of Hafizullah Amin in Afghanistan in 1979. However, my concern is not only the agencies’ role in carrying out the coups d’état but how they influenced the decision-making process within their foreign policy making bodies (the US National Security Council and the Soviet Politburo) to make these coups happen in the first place. By using the Bureaucratic Politics paradigm and other theoretical tools regarding the execution of coups d’état I underline how these intelligence agencies not only carried them but also were the main agents provocateurs behind the decision to intervene.Show less
Bush's administration attempted to export democracy in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks, How did the Bush administration conceive, manage, and implement Afghanistan’s democratization?
In the post 9/11-era, the Dutch government has made extensive use of special operations forces (SOF), predominantly in Afghanistan. While the importance and role of SOF continue to expand, the use...Show moreIn the post 9/11-era, the Dutch government has made extensive use of special operations forces (SOF), predominantly in Afghanistan. While the importance and role of SOF continue to expand, the use of and discourse on the deployment of Dutch SOF has received little academic attention. This thesis provides new insight into the discourse on Dutch SOF operations in Afghanistan. A discourse analysis was conducted on government discourse vis-à-vis operational accounts. Consequently, a comparative analysis was conducted to establish if, and to what extent government discourse and operational accounts have collided. This thesis argues that during the first analysed deployment, from 2006 onwards, the mission set largely aligned with operational accounts. However, this mission set did not correspond with the expertise of a SOF unit, which led to dissatisfaction among the commandos. During the second analysed deployment, from 2018 onwards, government publications provided more clarity on the nature of the mission, although some ambiguity concerning combat aspects remained. Future research is recommended on other operational phases of Dutch SOF.Show less
The US withdrawal from Afghanistan was one that was marked by chaos and violence. There have been numerous inquisitions as to what wrong, from those within all sectors of the US government from...Show moreThe US withdrawal from Afghanistan was one that was marked by chaos and violence. There have been numerous inquisitions as to what wrong, from those within all sectors of the US government from State Department, Depart of Defense, to Congress. The findings of these organizations often result in playing the blame game, passing the fault on for the failed withdrawal onto a separate sector. This thesis examines why the withdrawal failed from a strategic standpoint rather than from an infrastructural outlook. The research highlights key aspect of the US withdrawal strategies employed in Iraq and Afghanistan to discover what factors differed between the two. This thesis recommends that the US reform it’s withdrawal strategy by finding solutions to combatting decreasing resilience of US presence caused by decreasing US capabilities during withdrawals.Show less
Sun Tzu’s Art of War, written in the 5th century BC, is widely considered one of the most important guides to warfare and military strategy ever written. In order to evaluate this book’s...Show moreSun Tzu’s Art of War, written in the 5th century BC, is widely considered one of the most important guides to warfare and military strategy ever written. In order to evaluate this book’s contemporary relevance to the field of strategic studies, this thesis sought to apply the Art of War’s teachings to the modern-day case study of the United States’ (US) war in Afghanistan. Criticisms of the US’s strategy in this conflict are widespread. By applying Sun Tzu’s knowledge to this case study, valuable insights are gained as to the exact nature of the US’s mistakes in Afghanistan. This thesis concludes that the US in Afghanistan should have been more mindful of preventing civilian casualties, that domestic US politics interfered detrimentally in military affairs, that the Taliban were severely underestimated as an enemy, and that the US should have taken measures to prevent the war from lasting as long as it did. Understanding the lessons offered by the Art of War on the Afghanistan case study can lead to more effective military strategy in future conflicts.Show less
In theories of armed conflict in international relations and security studies, human psychology, namely the concept of collective trauma, is very little taken into account. However, considering...Show moreIn theories of armed conflict in international relations and security studies, human psychology, namely the concept of collective trauma, is very little taken into account. However, considering that states and armed groups consist of individuals, their collective traumas might play a role in the outbreak of armed conflict. This paper articulates theoretical elements from IR, memory studies, and psychoanalysis allowing to better grasp how and why collective traumas generated by large-scale violent events may in turn engender armed conflict if they remain unhealed. This articulation leads to a refined theory and mechanism of ‘cycles of violence’, which is then qualitatively tested in two empirical cases: The United States, with 9/11 and the following invasion of Afghanistan; and Afghanistan, with the US intervention and the following insurgency. In both cases it is possible to establish with a high degree of certainty that the respective large-scale violent events caused a collective trauma which, for different reasons, remained unaddressed and participated in the outbreak of further violence. Each case thus represents a cycle of violence itself, and they represent a larger one together. Furthermore, the analysis highlights the power dynamics sometimes preventing proper healing, and sheds light on the case of Afghanistan, in which Western versions of events often dominate.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Liberal Arts and Sciences: Global Challenges (LUC) (BA/BSc)
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Since 2001, billions of aid money have been pumped into Afghanistan to improve the lives of civilians, especially women. The plight of Afghan women has mobilised many NGOs to come into the country,...Show moreSince 2001, billions of aid money have been pumped into Afghanistan to improve the lives of civilians, especially women. The plight of Afghan women has mobilised many NGOs to come into the country, but not much has improved. This research attempts to find the reasons as to why so few improvements have been made, by using interviews with NGO employees working in Afghanistan to supplement and update the existing literature. Afterwards, a final analysis will be presented, combining the literature and the data from the interviews into one evaluation of the obstacles to the improvement of the position of women. The research question is: What are the obstacles to the improvement of the position of women in Afghanistan? It concludes that the main obstacles are more or less similar to the ones identified in the literature, namely the ineffective government, corruption, backlash against reforms, the deteriorating security situation, low quantity and quality of education, child marriages and baad. The research also identifies two new problems not yet identified by the literature: the tribal and religious norms regarding women and “Afghanistan fatigue”.Show less
