Challenges to Building Local Ownership

After the cold war international actors introduced the reform and democratization of the security sector in conflict-affected societies as a central component of peacekeeping strategy. Without democratic control of the security forces, the supposed guarantors of a people’s security will continue to be viewed as their greatest threat. When the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was established in Afghanistan, on 20 December 2001, following the intervention by a UN-backed coalition, the international community recognized that the country’s reconstruction efforts were contingent on it staying peaceful. The ISAF, however, was designed as only a temporary measure to provide the confidence and time required for the creation of an indigenous security sector. The Agreement on Provisional Arrangements in Afghanistan Pending the Re-establishment of Permanent Government Institutions, of 5 December 2001, states that the responsibility for ensuring security throughout Afghanistan ultimately rests with the Afghans themselves. Following a critical examination of the conditions facing international actors determined to facilitate local public security management in Afghanistan following more than two decades of protracted conflict, the paper proposes practical recommendations applicable to governments and organizations committed to improving security sector governance after war. Although progress has been achieved in an inhospitable environment- particularly during the past six to twelve months, a