Description
Events in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Balkans have proved that failed and defeated states threaten the national security interests of the United States and the stability of entire regions. But success in addressing these threats clearly depends on more than military might; the post-conflict period is equally crucial. Case studies in this book examine the U.S. approach in Kosovo, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The book offers policy guidance on how to handle current reconstruction challenges and on building capacity to do a better job when America is inevitably called on to restore failed nations in the future.
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Many commentators have traced the origins of the 9-11 attacks to the neglect shown by the United States toward Afghanistan in the aftermath of the proxy war against the Soviet Union during the 1980s. Stressing the need to avoid such "failed states" in the future, Atwood (dean, Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Policy) and Orr (director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard U.) present peer-reviewed white papers from a conference jointly organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Association of the United States Army. The 17 papers first explore different aspects of reconstruction capabilities including security operations, governance structures, providing social and economic well-being, and dealing with justice and reconciliation. They then turn to the enhancement of "capacity enablers" such as interagency planning, civilian rapid response capability, training and education for personnel, and funding. Finally five case studies, from Japan to Iraq, are presented. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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