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| Semester | spring semester 2023 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Farooq Yousaf (farooq.yousaf@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | In recent history, wars guided by external policies and interests, both regional and global, have been fought in Afghanistan and sustainable (positive) peace remains an elusive dream for the country. Most recently, the US-led coalition’s presence in Afghanistan (2001-2021) failed in establishing peace, starting with the hasty post-9/11 military invasion of the country, the non-inclusive Bonn ‘peace’ agreement of 2001, the Doha ‘peace’ process (2018-2021), and the hasty withdrawal in 2021. The Afghan Taliban, however, consolidated their position in many rural parts of the country over the years by exploiting political problems to their advantage while propagating extreme and rigid religious narratives to gain wider public support. With Afghanistan, we now have a “liberal peacebuilding project” that has not only failed, but after two decades of efforts, the country has in some ways reverted to the pre-2001 status-quo The Afghanistan case study thus presents ample lessons for peace practitioners in “how not to approach peacebuilding”. Observers, both within and outside the country, are wondering what the future holds for a Taliban-led Afghanistan. With the Taliban back in power, policy makers and humanitarian agencies are concerned about the socioeconomic gains—especially education and gender rights—made during the last two decades.. The failure of the peacebuilding project has also led to peace practitioners and policy makers several questions: • How and why did a major western coalition fail in achieving its desired objectives for Afghanistan? • What internal factors contributed to the failure of the liberal peacebuilding project in Afghanistan? • What were positive (if any) and negative outcomes of the liberal peacebuilding project in Afghanistan? • What lessons can policy maker and peace practitioners learn from the coalition’s failure in Afghanistan? • How can the international community contribute to sustainable peace in Afghanistan under a totalitarian Taliban regime? During the course of this seminar, we will discuss and dissect the aforementioned questions. |
| Learning objectives | The block seminar aims to: - Briefly discuss Afghanistan’s history and the ongoing conflict since the 1970s - Identify the various stakeholders and actors (both state and non-state) involved in the Afghan conflict - Unpack internal and external, state and non-state, peacebuilding efforts to resolve the Afghan conflict - Analyse factors contributing to the US-led coalition’s failure in establishing positive peace in Afghanistan - Discuss the return of the Taliban and what it means for the country’s future - Discuss strategies, through discussions and student presentations on policy options for sustainable peacebuilding in Afghanistan |
| Bibliography | • Suhrke, Astri. 2007. “Reconstruction as Modernisation: The ‘Post-Conflict’ Project in Afghanistan.” Third World Quarterly 28(7): 1291–1308. • Sakhi, N. (2022). The Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan and Security Paradox. Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs, 9(3), 383-401. • Abawe, Z., Daud, B., Daudzai, H., Jabarkhail, M., & Yousaf, F. (2022). Afghanistan and the way forward: Incorporating indigenous knowledge into policymaking. Global Policy. • Yousaf, F., & Jabarkhail, M. (2022). Afghanistan’s future under the Taliban regime: engagement or isolation?. Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, 17(1), 117-134. • Dodge, T. (2021). Afghanistan and the Failure of Liberal Peacebuilding. Survival, 63(5), 47-58 |
| Comments | Course dates 24.02.23 Fr 14:15 17:45 Bernoullistrasse 14/16 Seminarraum 02.004 10.03.23 Fr 14:15 17:45 Bernoullistrasse 14/16 Seminarraum 02.004 17.03.23 Fr 14:15 17:45 Bernoullistrasse 14/16 Seminarraum 02.004 24.03.23 Fr 14:15 17:45 Bernoullistrasse 14/16 Seminarraum 02.004 31.03.23 Fr 14:15 17:45 Bernoullistrasse 14/16 Seminarraum 02.004 21.04.23 Fr 14:15 17:45 Bernoullistrasse 14/16 Seminarraum 02.004 28.04.23 Fr 14:15 17:45 Bernoullistrasse 14/16 Seminarraum 02.004 Attention: All Seminars will be graded in the Department of Political Science. Grading scale 6.0 to 1.0, whereupon 4.0 is a pass. The number of participants is limited. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to students of Political Science. |
| Admission requirements | Course dates 24.02.23 Fr 14:15 17:45 Bernoullistrasse 14/16 Seminarraum 02.004 10.03.23 Fr 14:15 17:45 Bernoullistrasse 14/16 Seminarraum 02.004 17.03.23 Fr 14:15 17:45 Bernoullistrasse 14/16 Seminarraum 02.004 24.03.23 Fr 14:15 17:45 Bernoullistrasse 14/16 Seminarraum 02.004 31.03.23 Fr 14:15 17:45 Bernoullistrasse 14/16 Seminarraum 02.004 21.04.23 Fr 14:15 17:45 Bernoullistrasse 14/16 Seminarraum 02.004 28.04.23 Fr 14:15 17:45 Bernoullistrasse 14/16 Seminarraum 02.004 Attention: All Seminars will be graded in the Department of Political Science. Grading scale 6.0 to 1.0, whereupon 4.0 is a pass. The number of participants is limited. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to students of Political Science. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| unregelmässig | See individual dates | ||
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 24.02.2023 | 14.15-17.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Friday 10.03.2023 | 14.15-17.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Friday 17.03.2023 | 14.15-17.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Friday 24.03.2023 | 14.15-17.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Friday 31.03.2023 | 14.15-17.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Friday 21.04.2023 | 14.15-17.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Friday 28.04.2023 | 14.15-17.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Seminarraum 02.004 |
| Modules |
Modul: Regionaler Fokus M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Themen der Near & Middle Eastern Studies (Master's degree subject: Near & Middle Eastern Studies) Modul: Vertiefung Politikwissenschaft M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Module: Conflicts and Peacebuilding (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) Vertiefungsmodul Global Europe: Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | The course will consist of a variety of lectures and participatory exercises. Students will be expected to read the mandatory readings before the beginning of the course and then participate in class discussions. In terms of concrete assessment criteria, the students will be required to: • Prepare a solo or a group presentation in the class on a selection of topics (40%) • Answer questions, if any, resulting from the presentations (10%) • Participate in a written (2 hour) examination based on the contents of the seminar. The examination will be hand-written and will consist of one question aimed at assessing the quality of writing and arguments of the students (50%). |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,5 |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Politikwissenschaft |