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The Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination (LISD) at the Woodrow Wilson School has released a new policy brief based on the findings from the inaugural meeting of the LISD project "Creating Stability and Prosperity in Afghanistan and the Region" (PDF format) held 26-29 October 2006 in Vienna, Austria. Participants outlined critical issues currently facing Afghanistan in terms of the state's security, rule of law, mobilization of the economy, and border issues.

Consensus emerged among the experts gathered at the conference that the government of Afghanistan, the Afghan people, and the international community are at a critical threshold. The security situation in the country deteriorated sharply during the summer of 2006, marked by increased fighting in Afghanistan between the Taliban and NATO, suicide bombings, and the use of improvised explosive devices. Afghanistan has become the world's largest poppy producer with current levels of poppy production at the highest rate in the country's history. A culture of impunity in Afghanistan remains the norm, with Afghans widely perceiving the police as corrupt and judicial systems as unresponsive. Within this context, the Taliban increasingly utilizes local perceptions of state failure and proffers their own swift remedies for local populations based on harsh forms of "social justice." Moves by the Afghan government and the international community to implement meaningful assistance and reforms have been insufficient and uncoordinated. Local frustration and despair has combined with nascent international donor fatigue to create a sense of looming crisis. International media coverage has fed negative perceptions abroad.

Approximately 50 leading experts participated from the U.S., E.U., and the region representing academia, the diplomatic community, governments, and the private sector active in the region, including Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, Commander, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan; Daan Everts, NATO Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan; Robert Finn, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and LISD senior research associate; Joschka Fischer, former Foreign Minister of Germany and LISD senior fellow; Thomas Koenigs, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Afghanistan; Francesc Vendrell, E.U. Special Representative to Afghanistan; and Hans Winkler, Austrian State Secretary. The colloquium was funded in part by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the government of Liechtenstein. Wolfgang Danspeckgruber, LISD director and the conference chair, and H.S.H. Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein, opened the conference.

Experts identified four critical dimensions of a broad, unified strategy that can lead to Afghanistan's stable and secure development, and further identified recommendations to be adopted by international donors: namely, addressing security issues and the resurgence of the Taliban; strengthening the rule of law and governance; bolstering the economy and infrastructure of Afghanistan; and developing a new regional compact to encourage key state actors in Central and South Asia to work toward minimizing regional tensions while enhancing economic interaction.

The overarching project, "State, Security, and Prosperity: Afghanistan, Its Neighbors, and the Region," is focused on the future of Afghanistan and the region as the country moves out of immediate post-conflict transition and attempts to move toward a more politically and economically secure and viable state among its neighbors. The project examines and evaluates the impacts and consequences that a successful, democratic, internationally-supported Afghan state would have for its neighbors in the region, as well as factors contributing to and detracting from the process of creating and securing such an Afghan state. For more information about the project, please visit the LISD web site.