PEACEBUILDING IN AFGHANISTAN: SHIFTING US STRATEGIES SINCE 2001

Abstract

Foreign policy tends to undergo review with the changes in foreign policy objectives. Terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001 not only altered the course of history for America but also impacted dynamics of world politics in general and South Asian politics in particular. During the last seventeen years, despite having different strategies by the three US administrations, the United States’ main foreign policy goals in Afghanistan—to eliminate terrorists, bring peace in the country and transform Afghan state and society into a modern state have not been accomplished. Instability and bloodshed continue, making the country the center of attention for the international community. It is important to evaluate strategies of different US administrations toward Afghanistan since 2001. This paper, written from a Neorealist perspective, attempts to explore different dimensions of the US strategies, i.e., their strengths and shortcomings, achievements and the role of regional stakeholders. The paper argues that US policies have not worked mainly because of complexities of the internal dynamics of Afghanistan. These complexities are caused by the conflicting goals of neighboring and regional states that the US policies need to take into account.