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Afghanistan after the End of the Cold War: A Fragile State and the Rise of Taliban
Svobodová, Adéla ; Makariusová, Radana (advisor) ; Parízek, Michal (referee)
Afghanistan has long been a hotbed of instability and insecurity, as evidenced by its history of tension and the continued presence of insurgent radical movements. In recent years, the country has experienced a series of upheavals, culminating in the Taliban's return to power in 2021. Its return has significant implications for the local population, regional dynamics and global security. The study first examines what qualifies Afghanistan as a weak state. Ineffective governance, limited access to basic services and an adverse security environment categorizes Afghanistan as a weak state. Factors contributing to this vulnerability include protracted conflict, corruption, problems with government capacity, social fragmentation, external intervention and the presence of extremist groups. The work deals with foreign intervention, including the invasion of the United States and the international coalition, and within regional countries, especially interventions from neighbouring Pakistan, given the role of the rise of the Taliban movement. The study also sheds light on the causes of extremism in Afghanistan, particularly the absence of a stable government and external influences. The consequences of the revival of the Taliban in Afghanistan have an impact on regional and global security, this fact is...
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2021 Taliban Takeover: Defeat of the Afghan National Security Forces through the lens of proxy warfare theory
Bělohlávek, Dalibor ; Michálek, Luděk (advisor) ; Aslan, Emil (referee)
The war in Afghanistan conflict represents the longest engagement the United States has ever been involved in, and despite significant resource allocation and loss of life, the nation-building effort eventually failed. The most salient representation of the entire Afghan experience was the rapid collapse of the Afghan National Army. Despite the years of training by the Western forces and the resources poured into it, after the United States withdrew it rapidly collapsed and was defeated by Taliban forces. This thesis aims to examine the relationship between the United States and the Afghan National Army within the context of proxy warfare theory, drawing lessons that can be applied to future conflicts of a similar nature. Firstly, this study delineates the evolving nature of 21st-century warfare and underlines why it is essential for the U.S. to acknowledge these changes, acquiring valuable insights to better navigate future challenges. To this end, the research scrutinizes the Afghan conflict, which is not typically perceived as a classic case of proxy warfare. Using the perspectives of four different proxy warfare theorists, each with distinctive approaches, common characteristics of proxy warfare are distilled and applied to analyze the case of the Afghan National Army and its relationship with...
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The Impact of September 11 on US Foreign Policy
Kurash, Roman ; Raška, Francis (advisor) ; Hornát, Jan (referee)
The September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States of America had a significant impact on US foreign policy and security standards worldwide. Before the attacks, President Bush paid little attention to foreign policy, even in his election campaign and public speeches. After the attacks, foreign policy, and the war on terror as part of it, became a major concern of the Bush administration. The production of weapons of mass destruction by non-democratic regimes in the Middle East and their links to terrorist activities were identified as a major threat to the security of the United States. The democratisation of the Middle East and the peace in the region became the priorities of the US global policy. This paper is qualitative historical research and it examines the changes in US foreign policy after the attacks. It describes the differences and similarities in US foreign policy in periods before and after the attacks, the use of force against Afghanistan and Iraq, and cooperation between the USA and international organizations, such as NATO and the United Nations, on countering the terrorist threat. The subject of the study is the transformation of foreign policy of the USA in the period from 2001 to 2003, which was crucial for framing the relations between the USA and the rest of the world for...
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An Endless War: A Comparison of Three American Presidential Administrations during the Afghan War
Seemann, Šimon ; Raška, Francis (advisor) ; Sehnálková, Jana (referee)
The bachelor's thesis "Infinity War: A Comparison of Three US Presidents' Administrations on the War in Afghanistan" analyses and then compares the policies of the administrations of George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump towards the war in Afghanistan, between 2001 and 2021. The focus is on the aspects that have made it difficult, even impossible, for the United States to try to build a strong state capable of functioning independently. The aim of the thesis is to create a comprehensive picture of how each administration approached the conflict in Afghanistan, how they acted, and what stood in the way of a successful ccompletion of the mission. Through a detailed look at all three policies, the thesis attempts to answer the stated research questions, to find out what are the main aspects of each administration's failure in the war in Afghanistan and define some similarities. The first three chapters of the thesis describe the visions, strategies and their subsequent implementation in the conflict. Each administration approached the conflict in a different way, which often shifted and changed during its tenure as the conflict evolved. The final, fourth chapter reveals the realities of the conflict in a different light, thanks to published government documents, and looks at the reasons that...
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NATO and post-conflict reconstruction: the case of Afghanistan
Žilka, Jakub ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Ditrych, Ondřej (referee)
This paper deals with the post-conflict reconstruction in Afghanistan after the NATO-invasion at the end of 2001 and its success. To ensure the stability of the country, the NATO-led coalition had not only to overthrow the Taliban regime, but also to create basic government structures and help them perform. Reconstruction is of course very common and necessary after conflict, it is however usually operated by strictly civilian measures, e. g. government institutions and humanitarian organisations. In this case, however, such approach was not possible due to volatile security situation, which in some areas grew to such intensity, it essentially became a war-conflict again. This paper focuses on the Herat province and NATO units, especially under ISAF command. It seeks to define the process of post-conflict reconstruction and using the process-tracing method, it then ascertains the extent to which ISAF units dedicated themselves to post-conflict reconstruction and made a positive progress in this area. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
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Pakistan: Key Factor for American Involvement in Afghanistan (during presidency of George W. Bush)
Snášel, Filip ; Sehnálková, Jana (advisor) ; Anděl, Petr (referee)
American relations with Pakistan went through various ups and downs from being allied during the Cold war to imposing sanctions in last decade of the twentieth century. After 9/11 attack on World Trade Center and Pentagon Pakistan quickly joined the United States in the War on Terror. In my thesis I analyze positions and influence of Pakistan during invasion to Afghanistan. and seven next years of the Operation Enduging Freedom during George W. Bush administration. At first I concentrate on historical experience of Pakistan and development in the area before american invasion to Afghanistan. I also surveying terrorist movements on Pakistani soil, which are important for later development and are connected to Pakistani secret service ISI. ISI tried some years after 2001 to maintain friendly relations with Taliban and other terrorist groups along Afghan - Pakistan border, but terrorists, basically anti-system movements, wanted to establish in Pakistan and Afghanistan states constituted as Islamic emirates. President Musharraf under pressure of forthcoming events and the United States understood that supporting Taliban is no longer sustainable policy and decided to act against terrorist groups home in Pakistan. This move however triggered suicide bombings and massive uprising which hit in 2006/2007...
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Security sector reform and post conflict peacebuilding in Afghanistan
Daim, Makam khan ; Visoka, Gëzim (advisor) ; Aslan, Emil (referee)
Security Sector Reform (SSR) is considered a significant feature in post-conflict peacebuilding efforts typically employed by states and international partners. Recently, the concept of SSR has played a significant role in the statebuilding process in Afghanistan after the Taliban regime; however, a disorganised and unplanned withdrawal poses severe threats to the security sector. This thesis explores the SSR efforts made by the western states after the end of the Taliban regime. The holistic approaches present in policy and strategy documents are quite challenging when it comes to SSR implementation in a post-conflict country ruled by an insurgent group for years. This thesis illustrates two competing approaches that show how SSR played a role in the post-conflict peacebuilding within Afghanistan and how peace spoilers and US/NATO withdrawal will impact the gains of twenty years in SSR. In order to better analyse the SSR process, a case study of the Afghan National Police is used. Moreover, this thesis offers some practical policy recommendations that can be useful for the concept of SSR in Afghanistan. This thesis does not offer a solution to the challenges of SSR in post-conflict countries like Afghanistan. Yet, it suggests that an uncoordinated withdrawal of external powers can negatively...
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The war in Afghanistan: spatiotemporal analysis of the Taliban combat activities
Kalibová, Lenka ; Jelen, Libor (advisor) ; Horák, Slavomír (referee)
This diploma thesis deals with the temporal and spatial distribution of Taliban terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. It covers the period since the start of the Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001, when the troops of the United States and their allies invaded the country, until the end of 2018. This thesis aims to find out what targets Taliban attacked during the reported period, and whether there is a link between the frequency of terrorist attacks and the real events that took place at the time of the attacks. The secondary aim of this work is to place the results obtained by the analysis into a broader geographical context. Using geographic information system, this thesis evaluates spatial differences in the localization of Taliban terrorist attacks. Data of the Taliban attacks were obtained from the Global Terrorism Database, and the maps were created in ArcGIS software. Within the temporal analysis window, the frequency of attacks is related to the timeline of predetermined important events, such as elections, religious and national holidays and decisions of foreign parties about their activities in the region. It was found that the increased frequency of Taliban attacks was related to the Afghan elections or the decisions of foreign parties about their operations in the region. The...
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