‘Unity of Effort’: The Missing Link in the Afghan Counter-insurgency Campaign

Shanthie Mariet D’Souza
Archive data: Person was Associate Fellow at IDSA Joined IDSA March 2006 Expertise United States Counter Terrorism policy towards Afghanistan, Pakistan, India; Terrorism; Non State Armed Groups; Conflict Management; International… Continue reading ‘Unity of Effort’: The Missing Link in the Afghan Counter-insurgency Campaign read more
Volume:32
Issue:5
Articles

More than six years after the initiation of Operation Enduring Freedom the Taliban and its affiliates are back, wreaking havoc on the fragile security situation and impeding development activity in Afghanistan. The Taliban-led insurgency is spreading its tentacles to new areas, with the relatively stable north swinging towards instability. This paper takes stock of the deteriorating security situation and singles out the lack of ‘unity of effort’ as a missing link in the international community’s counter-insurgency campaign, contributing to its ineffectiveness in establishing security. There is an urgent need to first establish security, only after which can long-term sustainable progress in the political and economic spheres be achieved.