In Afghanistan, villagers even in pacified areas have sometimes expressed a
preference for the crude certainties of Taliban justice rather than a corrupt, official law
enforcement system. (Wither and Schroeter, p. 4.)
Note: The discussion above should not be taken in any way as advocacy of the Taliban
(and their often brutal and inhumane activities). Without, however, some sort of “nominal”
inclusion, the end-result was incessant violence – the same outcome as happened in Iraq
with de-Baathification.
Bottom Line:
Peace agreement: Must gain a peace agreement from / among the conflict
parties
Neighboring country sanctuaries: Must neutralize spoilers’ safe havens and
support systems
Engagement: Must understand the cultural fabric and social systems of the
local communities
Civil security and public order: Work by, with, and through the local power-
holders
Justice: Work by, with, and through the local/traditional systems of justice
Recommendations:
1. Must gain a peace agreement from the parties in conflict. Only then can the U.S.
(and its Allies) deliver security forces that are recognized as “legitimate” by the people of the
host nation. …If there’s no such agreement, don’t even bother with a long-term deployment/
commitment of security forces. (See this reference: “Stage-setting and Right-sizing for
Stability – Learn the Right Lessons”.)
2. Work by, with, and through the local power-holders for restoring/maintaining civil
security and public order.
3. Work by, with, and through the local/traditional systems of justice.
4. Law enforcement represents a particular challenge during stability operations. Post-
conflict situations are often chaotic; the presence of insurgents and armed criminals gangs,
as well as the ready availability of small arms, can cause both foreign and indigenous police
forces to be diverted to deal with these high-end threats, thereby limiting their effectiveness
in dealing with basic crime prevention and law enforcement at a local level. Population
control and protection are likely to be important police functions during all stability opera-
tions. These tasks require a high level of skill and robustness as they include public order
management tasks such as riot control, the enforcement of curfews and checkpoints, and
the general protection of the population against armed gangs. Formed units of para-
military police, such as the French Gendarmerie or Italian Carabinieri, are normally
better suited for this role than conventional military forces because the former are
trained to deal with public order issues and the application of force. (Wither and
Schroeter, p. 3.)
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