An Enduring Lesson from the History of Peacemaking in Afghanistan
| Author | Nasir A. Andisha |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020881720965366 |
| Published date | 01 October 2020 |
| Date | 01 October 2020 |
Research Article
An Enduring Lesson
from the History
of Peacemaking in
Afghanistan
Nasir A. Andisha1
Abstract
Peace processes offer opportune moments for social and political transformation
in embattled nations. There is no perfect formula or peace recipe. As per the
existing literature, the ‘ripeness’ of circumstances and timing of a peace process
and pertinence of the ‘substance’ of settlements to the root causes of conflict
are the main components of a viable peace agreement. In the past 30 years,
Afghanistan experienced two unsuccessful peacemaking episodes: first after the
Soviet withdrawal in 1989 and the second following the removal of the Taliban
in 2001. While failure of the former is primarily attributed to the complexities
of circumstance at the time, ineptness of the latter is linked to the primacy
of imposed deadlines over inclusive consultations and inadequacy of contents
of the Bonn Agreement. By briefly examining substantive characteristics of
peacemaking processes in the context of Najibullah’s National Reconciliation
Policy and the Bonn process, this article argues that meaningful structural change
in favour of an inclusive and participatory political system and institutionalization
of a regional balance of interests in foreign relations remain central to enduring
peace in Afghanistan.
Keywords
Peace process, Afghanistan, the Bonn Process, Taliban, reconciliation, Najibullah
1 Former Deputy Foreign Minister, Kabul, Afghanistan.
Corresponding author:
Nasir A. Andisha, Former Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan and Member, Board of Advisors,
the National Centre for Dialogue and Progress (NCDP), Kabul 152123, Afghanistan.
E-mail: nasirandisha@gmail.com
International Studies
57(4) 331–343, 2020
2020 Jawaharlal Nehru University
Reprints and permissions:
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DOI: 10.1177/0020881720965366
journals.sagepub.com/home/isq
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