Afghanistan

Towards an unpredictable future

15 years of unparalleled Western military and aid involvement in Afghanistan have left few able to predict what the future holds for the country.  A year after the ISAF NATO mission formally ended, Afghanistan faces a deep crisis, politically, economically and militarily. Western capitals, concerned with the twin prospects of Islamist resurgence and increasing migration flows, have backtracked somewhat on their earlier pledges to withdraw from the country. Yet to move from what is essentially a stopgap measure to a more sustainable solution seems increasingly challenging. 

CMI research aims to contribute to a better knowledge base for central policy discussions in and about Afghanistan. Most of our research is carried out together with Afghan colleagues and research institutions. Our work on gender relations focuses on how best to address violence against women, which has been a central focus for local and donor women’s rights work. We argue that while increasing the criminal accountability for acts of violence is important, such efforts must be coupled with the strengthening of women’s civil, economic and sexual rights if women’s vulnerability to violence is to be reduced. Today many women prefer to return to highly abusive situations rather than to face the impossibilities of losing their children or their ability to survive financially and socially.

Afghanistan continues to be at war, with both civilian and military casualties at record levels. Our research on military policy and the protection of civilians investigates the effect of military operations on civilians and to what extent and how military actors attempt to reduce civilian harm. CMI research has also persistently argued that more energy and political capital should be invested in finding a political solution to the conflict. The economic and security crisis has caused an exceptional number of Afghans to leave their country and apply for asylum in Europe. Our research on migration has focused particularly on how some Afghan asylum seekers come to see returning to the country as their best (or only) choice and to what extent they are able to reintegrate back into Afghan society.