Journal of International Studies

Fundamental to the ideal and effective governance of any entity is the system, the administrators of the system and the belief of the governed in the system and its administrators. The three must be in concert for good governance to be a reality. It is a dynamic equilibrium that will cease to exist if one element in this balance is pulling in the opposite direction.  Disastrously for Afghans and Afghanistan, all are incompatible at the moment. The system and the administrators have failed the Afghan nation primarily because both are seen as illegitimate by a majority of its people. There was a window of opportunity in the beginning but thanks to colossal corruption and Machiavellian leaders, the battle to win the hearts and minds of the people was lost.  What Afghans themselves want and expect from their political system and leader is in conflict with the imposed democracy and its leaders of the past 95 years. This has become more evident in the past 35 years...

Birth of the War on Terror Following the Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (‘9/11’), the US engaged in a protracted international strategy in what became known as the  War on Terror : ‘an expensive military campaign around the world’ (Katulis & Juul, 2011) ostensibly to find and prosecute those responsible. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s death in May 2011 was thus hailed as a milestone in this struggle, and by 2014 NATO forces are expected to withdraw from former Al-Qaeda stronghold Afghanistan. However, bin Laden was quickly replaced, aggressive counterterror policies have escalated, and the Al-Qaeda  Geist  persists in areas from West Africa to the Middle East (see Jenkins, 2012; Whitehead, 2012; Joscelyn, 2012). While there is no strict consensus on the definition or components of terrorism (Evans & Newnham, 1998:530; Singh & Singh, 2012), a useful description of international terrorism is ‘premeditated, politically motivated violence...

Birth of the War on Terror Following the Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (‘9/11’), the US engaged in a protracted international strategy in what became known as the  War on Terror : ‘an expensive military campaign around the world’ (Katulis & Juul, 2011) ostensibly to find and prosecute those responsible. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s death in May 2011 was thus hailed as a milestone in this struggle, and by 2014 NATO forces are expected to withdraw from former Al-Qaeda stronghold Afghanistan. However, bin Laden was quickly replaced, aggressive counterterror policies have escalated, and the Al-Qaeda  Geist  persists in areas from West Africa to the Middle East (see Jenkins, 2012; Whitehead, 2012; Joscelyn, 2012). While there is no strict consensus on the definition or components of terrorism (Evans & Newnham, 1998:530; Singh & Singh, 2012), a useful description of international terrorism is ‘premeditated, politically motivated violence...