We have selected four essays from the SSRC collection on "Building Peace" that we believe are particularly accessible and thought-provoking for advanced high school students and undergraduates.

You may want to have the students read the text in the Introduction to Building Peace before they read the essays to provide a basic understanding of the concept.

"A Roadmap for Afghanistan"
by Radha Kumar

Synopsis: Radha Kumar discusses the steps that must be taken in Afghanistan to create conditions for political stability. The Bonn agreement is viewed as a positive proposal for establishing a political framework for the country, establishing an interim council which will attend to the immediate concerns of providing aid throughout the country, de-mining, establishing rule of law, drawing plans for reconstruction, and working with the UN to develop the civil service, judiciary and police. At the same time, cooperation among multinational troops and with Afghani security forces is central to setting Afghanistan on a path towards long-term security. Likewise, international aid should be directed at addressing the immediate emergencies posed by winter, as well as the long-term objectives of nation-building.

"Afghanistan and Threats to Human Security"
by Barnett Rubin

Synopsis: Barnett Rubin describes the fragile power relations and the lack of "human security" (i.e., union of humanitarianism and development, on one hand, and international security, on the other) in Afghanistan, and outlines some of the key institutions established by the Bonn agreement that are central for human security. He calls on the international community to abide by the guidelines and objectives laid out for nation-building in the Bonn agreement, and to refrain from unintentionally reinforcing illegitimate powers in Afghanistan de facto by losing sight of the central task of building Afghan institutions that are owned by and accountable to the people of Afghanistan.

"One Size Doesn't Fit All: Addressing Diversity in the Needs and Development Capacities of Afghan Women, Short and Long-Term"
by Margaret Mills

Synopsis: Margaret Mills argues that a long-term solution to the challenges facing Afghanistan is linked to building and rebuilding human capital, including female human capital. She discusses the uneven playing field existent in Afghanistan, where women start at a very different level than men, often lacking opportunities for education, access to information, work opportunities in secure environments, and representation in government. She discusses the need of the country to improve education for men and women. She emphasizes the various roles NGOs can play to provide women with the necessary tools to contribute to reconstruction in a way that addresses the needs of the country, while being sensitive to religious and cultural norms.

"Post Taliban Pakistan: A Tentative Recipe for Change"
by Kamran Asdar Ali

Synopsis: Kamran Asdar Ali considers Pakistan's situation in light of changes in Afghanistan over the course of the past four decades. He compares and contrasts the challenges that faced General Zia ul Haq, military leader of Pakistan in the late 1970s, with those currently facing the military leader of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, to highlight the changes that need to be made in Pakistan to address the current societal breakdown underway there. At this crossroad in Pakistan's history, Ali calls for various steps to be taken, by both the international community and internal leadership, towards democratic sovereignty -- within Pakistan, as well as in bordering areas, Kashmir and Afghanistan -- for increased stability in this important region.