Security, Conflict, and Peace Processes
What to know
Conflict dynamics run from the anti-Soviet jihad through civil war, Taliban rule, the 2001 intervention, and the insurgency to the 2021 takeover. Concepts include insurgency versus counterinsurgency, sanctuary across borders, the role of local militias, and the fragmentation of armed groups (including the Islamic State-Khorasan). Peace processes include the 2001 Bonn Conference, the 2010 Kabul Conference and peace jirga, the High Peace Council, and the 2018-2020 Doha talks. The 2020 Doha Agreement set a US withdrawal timeline and Taliban commitments on terrorism, but the intra-Afghan negotiation stalled. Post-2021 security issues include attacks by IS-K, border clashes with Pakistan and Iran, and internal Taliban cohesion.
Concepts to master
Distinguish insurgency, terrorism, and civil war; the sanctuary concept; spoiler theory in peace processes; sequencing of withdrawal and settlement; the difference between a ceasefire and a political settlement.
Traps
Questions often treat the Doha Agreement as a comprehensive peace treaty-it was not. Another trap: equating the Taliban with IS-K, which are distinct and hostile. Examiners also test whether you conflate the 2001 Bonn Conference with a ceasefire.
Rule of thumb
For any peace process, ask: who signed, what was obligated, and what was left unresolved.