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1. We are Losing the Hearts and Minds in Southern Afghanistan
The International Community has no Hearts and Minds strategy for counter insurgency. Elements of counter insurgency, development and propaganda have traditionally been used in Hearts and Minds campaigns. Looking at the history of Hearts and Minds can we learn from past examples?
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2. The Politics of Fear: Bombings in Southern Afghanistan
Aerial bombings are being used by NATO-ISAF troops in Afghanistan to compensate for the fundamental failures of the international community’s political and development strategies. This has raised the level of insecurity in Southern Afghanistan, validating suicide bombing tactics used by the Taliban. Consequently, a chain of reactions occurs…
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3. The Starvation Crisis in Southern Afghanistan Reveals Failing, Dysfunctional International Aid.
Starvation in Southern Afghanistan is occurring because of a failing food aid system, with inadequate funding and inefficient delivery services. The only functional food distributors in Afghanistan, the ICRC and ARCS are undermined by lack of assistance by the International Community…
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4. Internal Refugee Camps in Southern Afghanistan are Fuelling the Insurgency
The internal refugee camps have increased in size as a result of air bombings, forced poppy eradication and drought. The camps highlight and represent the international community’s policy errors in Afghanistan and have become a major recruiting ground for the Taliban.
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5. Opium Poppy Eradication in Afghanistan: Ill Conceived Policy Undermines Support for Karzai and Exacerbates Poverty
The international community is finalising plans to chemically eradicate the poppy crop in Afghanistan. However, forced eradication runs directly counter to the principles of an effective “Hearts and Minds” strategy, driving farmers into the hands of the Taliban….
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6. The Taliban’s Successful Hearts and Minds Propaganda Damming the West
The Taliban have implemented their own “Hearts and Minds” strategy by capitalising on the international community’s inability to generate successful reconstruction and development projects. This has exploited the frustration felt by Afghans….
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List of Appendices
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