Afghanistan has long been precariously positioned within the international balance of power, where it has served as both playground and graveyard of rival nation-states. This week the ISN takes a closer look at Afghanistan’s continued importance in relation to great power politics, in addition to its more closely documented localized conflicts.
This ISN Special Report contains the following content:
- An Analysis by Professor John Brobst, on the importance of Afghanistan in relation to great power politics.
- A Podcast interview with Professor Anatol Lieven of King’s College London explores the fundamental difficulties that the international community faces in trying to forge a peace or build a nation in a country with a fraught history, deep divisions and a disdain for outside interference.
- Security Watch articles about the Wikileaks and McCrystal scandals, the donor gap and much more.
- Publications housed in our Digital Library, including the Institute of South Asian Studies’ papers on President Zardari in China and the Afghan peace jirga.
- Primary Resources, like the full-text of President Obama’s June 23rd statement on the General McCrystal firing.
- Links to relevant websites, such as the ‘Afghanistan Conflict Monitor’ blog, an initiative of the Human Security Report at the School for International Studies at Simon Fraser University.
- Our IR Directory, featuring the Afghanistan Women Council, designed to assist and empower Afghan women and children.