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AFGHANISTAN AFTER ISAF WITHDRAWAL
A DECADE IN THE SHADOW OF CHANGE
Abstract
This article examines the origins, development and consequences of the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Established in 2001 under UN
Resolution 1386 with an initial mandate to protect Kabul, the ISAF mission quickly
became NATO’s largest military operation, involving more than 130,000 troops from
42 countries at its peak. Despite the end of the operation in 2014, scholarly discussion of
its effectiveness continues, pointing to both the strengthening of NATO interoperability
and the tensions between political and operational objectives. There is also criticism
of the failure to rebuild Afghan institutions and the low public assessment of the mission,
partly due to negative media coverage. The complete withdrawal of NATO troops
in 2021 led to the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan. Despite formal authority, their
regime has not gained international recognition, resulting in no access to the SWIFT
system, frozen foreign exchange reserves and sanctions. The consequence is a catastrophic
state of the economy, mass unemployment and poverty – the January 2025
report indicates that more than 90% of the population lives below the poverty line. The
author of the article concludes that the ISAF mission made sense and had a positive impact
on security and human rights, but its too short duration prevented lasting change,
suggesting the need for a long-term approach similar to the Balkan mission.
Keywords:
National security, Afghanistan, ISAF, military missions, human rightsMost read articles by the same author(s)
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