Reform of the national police force remains a central element of the effort to rebuild Afghanistan's justice system and establish the rule of law. Creating an effective and trusted police presence throughout the country is also critical to developing popular support during a time of continued instability and insurgency. However, corruption, incompetence, factional politics, and initial limited investment by the international community have meant slow progress in developing this historically weak institution.

USIP's Afghanistan Working Group invites you to a discussion of these critical issues on the occasion of the recent publication of two reports on the topic: "Cops or Robbers? The Struggle to Reform the Afghan National Police (PDF)," by Andrew Wilder for the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) and International Crisis Group's "Reforming Afghanistan's Police." These reports explore the status and failures of law enforcement reform in Afghanistan, reflecting on the role of the Afghan government and the international community in the reform process. Both reports conclude by laying out a number of recommendations and a new framework for the future.

Speakers

• Andrew Wilder
  Research Director for Politics and Policy at Feinstein International Center at Tufts University in Boston and former Director of the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU)
• Mark Schneider
  Senior Vice President, International Crisis Group (ICG)
• J Alexander Thier, Moderator
  U.S. Institute of Peace