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Afghanistan, Arms and Conflict

Armed Groups, Disarmament and Security in a Post-War Society

By Michael Vinay Bhatia, Mark Sedra

Published May 10th 2008 by Routledge – 352 pages

Series: Contemporary Security Studies

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Description

This is the first book to provide a comprehensive assessment of small arms and security-related issues in post-9/11 Afghanistan. It includes case studies which reveal the findings of in-depth field research on hitherto neglected regions of the country, and provides a distinctive balance of thematic analysis, conceptual models and empirical research.

Exploring various facets of armed violence and measures to tackle it, the volume provides significant insight into broader issues such as the efficacy of international assistance, the ‘shadow’ economy, warlordism, and the Taliban-led insurgency. In an effort to deconstruct and demystify Afghanistan’s alleged ‘gun culture’, it also explores some of the prevailing obstacles and opportunities facing the country in its transition period. In so doing, the book offers valuable lessons to the state-builders of Afghanistan as well as those of other countries and regions struggling to emerge from periods of transition.

This book will be of much interest to all students of Afghanistan, small arms, insurgency, Asian Studies, and conflict studies in general.

Contents

Introduction Part 1: Mapping Insecurity: Weapons Flows and Armed Groups in Afghanistan 1. Violence in Afghanistan: An Overview Michael Bhatia 2. Small Arms Flows into and within Afghanistan Michael Bhatia 3. Armed Groups in Afghanistan Michael Bhatia 4. The Four Pillars of Demilitarization in Afghanistan Mark Sedra 5. Small Arms and Security Sector Reform Mark Sedra Part 2: Case Studies 6. Ghor Province: All against all? Michael Bhatia 7. Paktya Province: Sources of Order and Disorder Michael Bhatia 8. Kandahar City: The Political Economy of Coalition Deployment Michael Bhatia 9. Kunduz, Takhar and Baghlan: Parties, Strongmen and Shifting Alliances Michael Bhatia 10. Jalalabad: The Consequences of Coalition Support Michael Bhatia 11. Hazarajat: Daykundi, Shahristan, Panjab, and Syahkhak Michael Bhatia

Author Bio

Michael Bhatia was previously a visiting fellow at the Thomas J. Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University, and is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford.

Mark Sedra is a Research Associate with the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC). In 2008 he will begin a dual appointment as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science of the University of Waterloo and as a Research Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Waterloo, Canada.

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Name: Afghanistan, Arms and Conflict: Armed Groups, Disarmament and Security in a Post-War Society (Paperback) – Routledge 
Description: By Michael Vinay Bhatia, Mark Sedra. This is the first book to provide a comprehensive assessment of small arms and security-related issues in post-9/11 Afghanistan. It includes case studies which reveal the findings of in-depth field research on hitherto neglected regions of the country,...
Categories: Middle East Politics, Security Studies - Pol & Intl Relns, War & Conflict Studies, Civil Wars & Ethnic Conflict, International Security, Middle East Studies, Middle East Politics