As drone technology advances and proliferates ever further, national and international security interests will increasingly come to be seen being served better by drones than by expeditionary campaigns. That said, the temptation for more state (and non-state) actors to use drones and to do so more often, will not necessarily make the world a safer or less violent place.
Afghanistan
Taliban talks are the centrepiece for a joined-up peace deal in Afghanistan
The announcement by the United States that it intends to enter into direct negotiations with the Afghan Taliban represents a significant opportunity to manage the Western ‘exit’ from the country by the end of 2014.
Afghanistan between the Bonn Conference and fears of sectarian warfare
The recent attacks in Afghanistan underscore that the situation in the country continues to represent a major challenge for internationalised peacebuilding and state building efforts and that the fundamental problem remains wide-spread insecurity.
Afghanistan’s Mineral Wealth: A Blessing in Disguise?
What Afghanistan needs in light of its newly found mineral wealth is a revenue-sharing framework that is fair and sustainable and a regulatory framework that gives foreign investors a sense of security so that Afghanistan’s people have a chance of reaping real benefits from their country’s mineral wealth.