Afghanistan's arrested development : combating Taliban resurgence with an eye for lasting peace

Abstract

Nearly eight years have passed since the Taliban were decisively removed from power, yet so far the international community together with the Afghan government lack a common and successful strategy necessary for the stabilization of the country. In this time, the Taliban have taken advantage of an environment of confusion and disjointed efforts to regroup and are currently making significant ground towards regaining control of Afghanistan. Success was never guaranteed in Afghanistan, nor was failure inevitable; but it is not the time to scale back efforts aimed at attaining durable peace, security and good governance for the Afghan people. It is imperative that coalition partners rethink their approach to Afghanistan and adopt a new, comprehensive strategy to avert disaster. Key to such a strategy must be the eradication of the root causes that led to the Taliban’s first rise to power.