Stabilization and Reconstruction of Nations after Military Conflict
Major Dan Fayutkin (2009): Stabilization & Reconstruction of Nations after Military Conflict: Afghanistan and Chechnya Case Studies, Comparative Strategy, 28:4, 367-372
The article focuses on an analysis of
two very different approaches for stabilization and reconstruction
(S&R) used by the United States in Afghanistan and the Russian
Federation in Chechnya. The article discusses “Stabilization and
Reconstruction” (S&R) according to military doctrines, the
possibility of the S&R of the nation, the doctrinal framework for
S&R processes. The Russian Federation focused its S&R policy
on rebuilding the security structures in Chechnya in order to
guarantee a stable security situation in the Chechen Republic. The
U.S. S&R effort revolved around the reconstruction of all the
security, social and financial structures of a society based on
democratic principles The significant lesson from the Afghanistan and
Chechnya experiences is that it is necessary to build-up the
legitimate local security and social structures, which will control
the situation.
Introduction
In today’s operational environment,
actors should unify their efforts in order to be effective. Today,
the military forces of the United States face significant military
challenges in Iraq and Afghanistan. The military experience of the
Russian Federation, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO),
and, specifically, “events in Afghanistan and Iraq, illustrate that
the stability phase of war is often more challenging than the combat
phase.”1 The military experience of both the United
States and Russia teaches that the stabilization phase is necessary
to achieve military and political objectives. According to the U.S.
Marines concept of wars with non-state enemies, “The stability
phase is, de facto, the decisive phase.”2 The
stabilization and reconstruction (S&R) phase after the military
conflict determines how the state succeeds in defeating its enemies.
According to this concept, the success of a military campaign or war
should be evaluated according to success in re-building the society
based on democratic principles. The lessons learned from military
operations involving regular military forces against totalitarian
regimes in the Middle East, Europe, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Chechnya
indicate that, in the professional worldwide military community, it
is possible to find a basic model for stabilization after the end of
military operations. This article analyzes different models for
stabilization and reconstruction and proposes an alternative model
for the S&R of nations following conflict...
1. M.J. McNeney,
“Stabilization and Reconstruction in Afghanistan: Are PRTs a Model
or a Muddle,” Parameters (Winter 2005–2006): 33.
2. US Marine Corps, Small
Wars (Washington, DC: Author, 2006), p. 4.
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The Second Lebanon War – A Two-Year Perspective
Dan Fayutkin (2009): The Second Lebanon War – A Two-Year Perspective, Defense & Security Analysis, 25:2, 201-204
Two years after the Second Lebanon war the Israeli Society and military analysts specifically posed two significant questions:
• How has Lebanese Society been influenced by the Second Lebanon war?
• How has Israeli Society has been influenced by the Second Lebanon War?
This comment will offer a critical response to these two questions in order to give a better understanding of the Second Lebanon War and its influence on both Israeli and Lebanese societies.
How has Lebanese Society been influenced by the Second Lebanon war?
When addressing the question of how Lebanese society will be influenced by the outcomes of the war, it has first to be recognised that the core problem of Lebanon society is the strategic balance between Christian and Shi’ite Muslim communities. By the end of 2007, it was almost impossible to fully understand how the balance between both communities had changed after the Second Lebanon War. With the benefit of two years hindsight, it is possible to conclude that the balance between Shi’ites and Christians had been disrupted and the Shi’ites had significantly enhanced their military capabilities and social influence throughout Lebanon.
After two years, it is also possible to argue that Israel had enhanced its military superiority over the Hezbollah. According to statistics from the Lebanese Emigration Research Centre, 62.5 percent of Lebanese people aged between 21 and 30, and 56.5 percent aged between 31 and 40, would like to leave Lebanon...
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