Much international effort and funding have focused on building and bureaucratizing the means of violence in Afghanistan. At the same time, parallel government and NATO experiments have armed local defense forces, including local militias, under the Afghan Local Police (ALP) program to fight the insurgency and provide security at the local level.

What is the role and impact of the ALP on security and political dynamics in the context of ongoing counterinsurgency, stabilization operations and the projected drawdown of international troops in 2014?

This seminar is based on Jonathan Goodhand and Aziz Hakimi's recent research in Kabul and the provinces of Wardak, Baghlan, and Kunduz. The project is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will be published as a USIP "Peaceworks" report entitled "Counterinsurgency, Local Militias and State Building in Afghanistan".

A light breakfast will be served.

About the presenters

Jonathan Goodhand is a professor of conflict and development studies in the Development Studies Department at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London. His research interests include the political economy of aid, conflict, and postwar reconstruction, with a particular focus on Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

Aziz Hakimi is a PhD candidate at SOAS, University of London. His PhD dissertation focuses on ALP and statebuilding in Afghanistan.

PRIO Director Kristian Berg Harpviken will act as chair.