Afghanistan: Moving Beyond Warlordism
Abstract
For nearly the past three decades, Afghanistan has been in a state of perpetual conflict. One constant throughout this period has been the presence of hundreds of nonstate actors with militias of varying sizes and abilities. These so-called "warlords" have been in the midst of this conflict and today possess significant influence across the country. Following the defeat of the Taliban in 2002, these armed militias constituted a significant force, and Japan was designated the lead for the process designed to deal with the warlords: disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR). Under this program, warlords were required to report to any one of a variety of collection stations to turn-in their weapons and demobilize their forces. Despite the completion of DDR over two years ago, many armed militias still remain in Afghanistan and, under the leadership of various warlords, wield significant influence in a variety of ways, usually outside the sphere of influence of the Afghan government or its security forces. This paper addresses the role that coalition forces play with regard to warlordism and tests the thesis that coalition forces should develop and implement a new approach toward warlordism. Specifically, it examines the failure of DDR to achieve its stated objectives and proposes three possible approaches that might be applied in an effort to resolve the challenge of warlordism. Finally, the paper draws conclusions based on this analysis and offers recommendations for how operational-level leaders in Afghanistan might deal with this problem.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 31, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA494369
Entities
People
- Wilson A. Shoffner
Organizations
- Naval War College