The Solution Accelerator in Afghanistan: Lessons From the Field

Abstract

A century after independence, Afghanistan’s dream of sustainable peace remains an illusion. No invasion, occupation, or negotiation has brought peace, development, or prosperity to this country with such a rich cultural history and fierce sense of independence from outside control. Decades of international peacebuilding have failed to account for—let alone address— the persistence of deep-rooted sources of internal conflict. Planned efforts to install a liberal peace through institutions and regulations often fail to recognize persistent conflicts at the local level that should be the primary focus (Franke et al., 2021).