Peacebuilding and conflict resolution in Afghanistan (2001-2021)

The Long decades of war in Afghanistan destroyed most of the infrastructures in the country. It became more fragile and depended on foreign aid. The history of insurgency and the use of violence for holding power in Afghanistan goes back to decades. Due to its strategic location and diverse demographics, Afghanistan has been the center of conflict and competition between the world‟s great powers, regional players, and neighboring countries. The study overviewed the roots of conflicts, the rise of insurgency, domestic causes of instability, and religious extremism in Afghanistan, as well as evaluated external influence over the country both from the east and west and regional powers. The research also discussed steps and initiatives authorities took to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan. These initiatives included the Bonn Agreement, which was the basis of the Afghanistan Interim Government, the establishment of the High Peace Council, and The High Council for National Reconciliation. The research concentrated on the previous two decades (2001-2021). This study faced some limitations, including the unavailability of sources on the issue of peacebuilding and conflict resolution and a lack of publications from domestic resources. To achieve the objectives of this study by using secondary data, a descriptive and qualitative method is used to conduct this research. According to the findings of this study, the peacebuilding process and conflict resolution in Afghanistan had resulted negatively. Foreign-oriented initiatives, the intervention of neighboring countries, and domestic socio-economic obstacles were regarded as the main elements of the failure of the peacebuilding process in Afghanistan. Key Words: Peacebuilding, Conflict resolution, Afghanistan, Peace, War.