http://www.universitycollege.du.edu/learning/viva/index.cfm
University College, University of Denver
Osher Lifetime Learning Institute
COURSE TITLE: AFGHANISTAN: At The Crossroads of History
Spring, 2011
Thursday, 1:00 to 3:00
Course description:
From the time of the “Silk Road”, Afghanistan has been at the crossroads of commerce and power between Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and India. In the late 19th century the geopolitics of the British and Russian Empires crossed paths in Afghanistan. During the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, Afghanistan once again was at the crossroads. And now at the beginning of the 21st Century Afghanistan is again in the cross hairs of geopolitics, further demonstrating the importance of the “prime real estate” it occupies.
Course Objective:
To learn about Afghanistan’s history and its importance in today’s world of geopolitics and ideology.
Guest presenters:
I have invited guest experts to participate in some of the sessions. They include Afghan and American experts on political geography; religion and culture; drugs, international criminal gangs and security; and international economic aid and development.
Suggested Class Reading Materials:
Everyone will get the most from each class if they stay abreast of current events in Afghanistan:
Afghanistan News Service:www.afgghanistannewscenter.com
Prof. Barnet Rubin’s blog and news services at New York University: http://icga.blogspot.com/
Sessions:
Session 1: Thursday, March 31, 2011: Basic “Situation Analysis” of Afghanistan: Political, Social, Security, and Economic. Overview presentation about contemporary Afghanistan and discussion about Afghanistan’s struggle to emerge from 30 years of conflict as a responsible member of the world community of nations.
Session 1 Suggested Class Reading Material:
- “Pashtunwali, Islam, and Democracy in Afghanistan: What’s Our Commitment?”, James Frasche’, 2009:http://www.mufticforum.com/james_frasche_on_afghanistan
- “Afghanistan in 2010: A Survey of The Afghan People”, Asia Foundation, 2010:http://asiafoundation.org/country/afghanistan/2010-poll.php
Session 2: Thursday, April 7, 2011: “Location, location, location”: Overview of geography, history, and culture. Afghanistan as a geographically defined intersection of power, trade, and faith. Invited speaker: Amanda Weaver, Instructor, Geography and Environmental Science, University of Colorado (Denver).
Session 2 Suggested Class Reading Material:
- “The Geopolitics of US Interests in South Asia”, A.Z.Hilali, University of Peshawar, Ashgate, 2005.
- “The Geopolitics of Oil Pipelines in Central Asia”, SRAS, 2007:http://www.sras.org/geopolitics_of_oil_pipelines_in_central_asia
Session 3: Thursday, April 14, 2011: Afghanistan history and anthropology: tribal culture and ethnicity, and how these define the current social, political, and cultural dynamic. Regional relationships, focusing on Iran, Pakistan, and India, but also including China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the Central Asian Republics.
Session 3 Suggested Class Reading Material:
- “The Importance of Tribal Structures and Pakhtunwali In Afghanistan”, Shahmahmood Miakhel, undated:http://pashtoonkhwa.com/files/articles/Miakhel%20-%20Importance%20of%20Tribal%20Structures%20in%20Afghanistan.pdf
- Jundallah Profile, Radio Free Europe, 2010:http://www.rferl.org/content/Jundallah_Profile_Of_A_Sunni_Extremist_Group/1856699.html
- “India In Afghanistan And Beyond: Opportunities and Constraints”, C. Christine Fair, The Century Foundation, 2010:http://tcf.org/publications/2010/9/india-in-afghanistan-and-beyond-opportunities-and-constraints/pdf
- “The Emerging China- Afghanistan Relationship”, CACI, 2008: http://www.cacianalyst.org/?q=node/4858
- “Saudi Arabia And The Future of Afghanistan”, Council on Foreign Relations, 2010:http://www.cfr.org/publication/17964/saudi_arabia_and_the_future_of_afghanistan.html
- “Afghanistan- Pakistan Relations: History and Geopolitics in a Regional and International Context”, Shibil Siddiqi, Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, undated:http://www.gordonfn.org/resfiles/siddiqi_afghan-pak%20final2.pdf=
Session 4: Thursday, April 21, 2011: Islam, and Afghan Islamic groups and movements. The impact of radical Islam on traditional Afghan society and politics. Invited speaker: To be announced.
Session 4 Suggested Class Reading Material:
- “Afghanistan’s Islamist Groups”, Haqqani, Hudson Institute:http://www.currenttrends.org/research/detail/afghanistans-islamist-groups
- “Analysis: Wahhabism”, PBS Frontline, Interview with Ali al Ahmed, undated:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saudi/interviews/ahmed.html
- Watch the movie: “Osama”, DVD available at video rental outlets with “foreign” films.
Session 5: Thursday, April 28, 2011: “Foreign Influence” as a driving force in liberation, development and modernization. The Soviet invasion, the US/ Saudi sponsored Jihad, and the rise of Afghanistan as a narco- state. Afghanistan’s role in the Cold War and the vicious ensuing cycles of chaos enveloping the country 1989- 2001.
Session 5 Suggested Class Reading Material:
- “Afghan Insurgents Show Foreign Influence”, Sean Naylor, “Marine Corps Times”, June, 2009:http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/06/marine_insurgents_062009w/
- (review readings from Sessions 3 and 4)
- Watch the movie: “Charlie Wilson’s War”, DVD available at most video rental outlets.
Session 6: Thursday, May 5, 2011: Drugs, Crime, and International Security: The role and position of Afghanistan’s narco- economy in financing the insurgency against the Afghan Government and the International Community, and what is being done to counter it. Invited Speaker: Gretchen Peters, Journalist, and PhD Candidate, University of Denver.
Session 6 Suggested Class Reading Material:
- “Crime and Insurgency In the Tribal Areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan”, Gretchen Peters, US Military Academy 2010:http://www.ctc.usma.edu/Crime%20and%20Insurgency_Final.pdf
Session 7: Thursday, May 12, 2011: International economic development, NGOs, and AID in Afghanistan. The “militarization of AID”: What works, what does not, and why. Invited speaker: Najim Dost, Director, Jobs For Afghans, and PhD Candidate, University of Denver.
Session 7 Suggested Class Reading Material:
- “The Limits of State-building: The Role of International Assistance in Afghanistan”, Astri Suhrke, CMI, 2006:http://www.cmi.no/publications/file/2135-the-limits-of-statebuilding.pdf
- Web Site for Jobs For Afghans: www.jobsforafghans.org
Session 8: Thursday, May 19, 2011: Summarization, and wrap up: Is Afghanistan so important as to justify the current level of US and other commitment and sacrifice? What are the lessons of our engagement there?
Session 8 Suggested Class Reading Material:
- “New Way Forward: Rethinking US Strategy in Afghanistan”, Afghanistan Study Group, 2010:http://www.afghanistanstudygroup.org/read-the-report/
- “Tough Love For Washington and Kabul”, James Frasche´, Denver Council on Foreign Relations, 2009:http://www.denvercfr.org/assets/documents/tough_love.pdf
Looks like an interesting course Jim. I wonder what the results of the wave of democratic protest (and regime changes) will do to the mood and politics in Afghanistan?
ReplyDeleteHi Gary- Wish you could be here to join in! I don't see the developments in North Africa having much if any impact on Afghanistan, which is probably a good thing.... Karzai may be viewed as illegitimate, but he isn't exactly a dictator. The real issue, though, would be the lack of civil society and underlying institutions such as we see in Egypt which moderates the process, minimizes the violence, and leaves people with some hope and confidence that chaos will not be the result of their protests. Even if the Egyptian army is the moderator, they are managing a much more homogenous population with an experienced officer corps and a pretty solid public administration. Afghanistan does not have anything like that to keep a lid on 34 million people with guns who have so many second agendas to everything they do that it is hard to imagine anything good coming from mass demonstrations. Also, the Afghan army is in no position to take over (it is less than 10% Pashtun in a 50% Pashtun population), and its authority would not be accepted or respected the way it is in Egypt.
ReplyDeleteDan Statlander
ReplyDeletehttp://www.statelandbrown.com
(Real estate experts in Boca Raton Florida)
Nice post.