The search for common ground Civil–military relations in Afghanistan, 2002–13: HPG Policy Brief 51

While the belied that development and reconstruction activies are central to security is by no means, novel, 'stabilisation' has assumed significantly greater prominence in the post 9/11 period, and is often a central component of Western involvement in conflict-affected or fragile states. The approach has however been highly contentious among aid agencies, perhaps nowhere more so than in Afghanistan. It aims to contribute to understanding of the challenges of civil-military dialogue in the context of combined international and national military forced pursuing development and reconstruction actives - traditionally the domain of aid agencies - as a central component of a military strategy.