This month the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) released its latest semi-annual report to Congress on the progress toward security and stability in Afghanistan. This report provides a detailed snapshot of indictors on the overall security, governance, reconstruction, and Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) development efforts by NATO-ISAF and the international community to date. The 
SSR Blog
Yearly Archive
Year | 2012
A Day Late and Many Advisors Short: The Uncertain Future for Afghan Ministerial Development
By: Nick Armstrong | Monday, December 17th, 2012Switching Gears from Concepts to Implementation: Defence Transformation in South Sudan
By: Stephanie Blair | Friday, December 14th, 2012The South Sudan is a creation of decades of violent conflict spearheaded by the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). This new country is defined by this struggle for liberation. In the last three years, the world’s newest country has managed an election, a referendum and celebrated its independence. As a result, it is a highly
Situation Report: SSR and DDR in the Sudans
By: Jonathan_Blackham | Tuesday, December 11th, 2012On September 27, 2012, in the latest effort to quell tensions in the disputed border region separating the two states, Sudan and South Sudan signed a Cooperation Agreement. Included in the agreement is a plan to create a demilitarized zone in the five most disputed areas, extending 10 kilometres on each side of a temporary
Combatting Police Corruption: Opportunities for Security Governance through Civil Society
By: Isaac Caverhill-Godkewitsch | Monday, December 10th, 2012In November 2012, Transparency International’s International Defence and Security Programme published a report on the state of police corruption around the world titled Arresting Corruption in the Police. The report presents important insights into police corruption for domestic policy, illustrated though several case studies. Although the report is focused on domestic efforts, it also offers
Côte d’Ivoire: Entrenching a Culture of Impunity in the Absence of SSR
By: Asif Farooq | Tuesday, November 27th, 2012The security situation in Côte d’Ivoire is a unique case that demonstrates the consequences of unsuccessful disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) and security sector reform (SSR) processes. Following election violence in 2010, Côte d’Ivoire has missed its latest opportunity to initiate a comprehensive reform program for its security forces. By the time the issue was
Primacy of Puntland
By: Jay Bahadur | Monday, November 19th, 2012About a week ago, the Reuters news agency reported on the movement of al-Shabaab militants from the south of the country to the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in the north. Embattled Shabaab fighters fleeing the onslaught of Kenyan, Ethiopian, and Ugandan troops in the south is certainly nothing new, and the timing of the article probably had
Situation Report: Liberia and the AFL
By: Jonathan_Blackham | Thursday, November 15th, 2012Background Following years of human rights violations and large scale losses of life, when the second Liberian civil-war ended in 2003 under the Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement, Liberia began an extensive security sector reform process. This internationally-driven process has since seen dramatic changes to the Liberian security apparatus. Following the end of the civil war,
The danger of “Winner-takes-all” politics
By: Isaac Caverhill-Godkewitsch | Monday, November 12th, 2012While Republicans may lament Mitt Romney’s loss in the recent American presidential elections, they will not take to the streets and begin shooting at Democrats – or at least not anytime soon. Elsewhere in the world, however, political groups respond with violence to losses at the polls. These “Winner-takes-all” situations are a serious concern for
Vertically Integrated Peacebuilding and Urban Violence in Haiti
By: Geoff Burt | Monday, October 29th, 2012The problems of donor coordination and horizontal integration in Haiti are well documented. It probably goes without saying that ensuring coherence in a UN system which in Haiti is made up of nine UN agencies — FAO, OCHA, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, WFP, WHO/PAHO — as well as the UN Stabilisation Mission (MINUSTAH) is
Fragile Progress Towards Reform in Guinea-Bissau
By: Jonathan_Blackham | Sunday, October 28th, 2012Since the death of the incumbent President Malam Bacai Sanhá on January 9 2012, the small African nation of Guinea-Bissau has been in turmoil. In accordance with the constitution, elections began following the president’s death, with Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior winning the first round. However, on April 12 ahead of the second round, elements
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