USIP's Nadia Gerspacher explains the value of programs that help build the Afghan ministries in the wake of troubling reports from Afghanistan.

Photo courtesy of NY Times

As dramatic events unfold in Kabul, especially within the Afghan ministries, I am reminded of how much of an impact good mentoring and training can have on the ability of advisers within the ministries to do their jobs, even when they confront extraordinary circumstances like they do now. Last weekend, two American officers were shot dead inside the Ministry of Interior, allegedly by another employee of the Ministry after protests began over the burning of copies of the Koran by American military personnel. Yesterday, two more Americans were shot by two Afghans, one reportedly posing as a member of the Afghan military.

No amount of advising can necessarily prevent this kind of violence. But USIP knows something about the kind of training it takes to help advisers working within a ministry to cope with such horrific incidents and how to mitigate their impact on the Afghan-U.S. relationship and strategy.

In its course for advisers and mentors, USIP teaches professionals who want to deploy as advisers how to develop a working relationship with their foreign counterpart that will withstand problems like the ones we are seeing now. One of the things USIP’s course teaches them is how important it is for advisers to develop a working relationship with their foreign counterparts that is based on mutual respect between peers. Both have contributions to make to a specific reform activity but outside advisers must learn to work in and have a positive contribution to a bureaucracy they will at least initially find works much differently than their own.

Indeed, the adviser lacks a cultural compass and needs guidance on which ideas represent viable and sustainable solutions that can be implemented and owned by the local officials and their institutions – and which ones can’t. Such solutions simply cannot be seen as being forced on them from the western world – nor should they be. But during events such as the current ones taking place in Afghanistan, the adviser may be seen as being guilty by association and the work that he or she has done with their counterparts may be wasted. Or worse, the relationship could become broken altogether and a lot of time, energy and sacrifice wasted.

USIP has taught advisers and mentors, including several that are currently serving in Afghanistan in what’s called the Ministry of Defense Advisers (MoDA) program. The Institute has conducted training and other provincial capacity building missions that highlight how to build a relationship with a counterpart that really does attempt to inculcate in the advisers the need to understand the Afghan culture and Afghans' approach to problem-solving. The Institute is currently looking at lessons learned that show how advisers who build strong, independent relationships are able to continue the work they have been doing with their foreign colleagues.

The current situation shows how a positive relationship between adviser and counterpart requires strong communication skills. That should mean that the local adviser would feel comfortable enough to talk with his or her counterpart, and see that adviser as a resource for solutions. In logistics management reform, for example, the joint development of an inventory system for Army and police equipment is based on open communication and a common identification of problems so the ministry can address the issue. The key is getting to the point where a local ministry official is willing to divulge that there are problems within his government and be willing to talk about how to fix them. It takes a secure bond between the two that arises out of sharing professional, tangible ideas and implementing them together. That’s what good adviser training is all about.


Related Publications

Where is Afghanistan Three Years into Taliban Rule?

Where is Afghanistan Three Years into Taliban Rule?

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Lacking formal recognition from all member states, the Taliban will not be present at the U.N. General Assembly next week. Their absence speaks volumes about how the international community struggles to constrain a regime that has repeatedly defied U.N. treaties, sanctions and Security Council resolutions. Three years into Taliban rule, the Afghan people are beset by a host of human rights, economic and humanitarian challenges, with women and girls particularly impacted. Meanwhile, the international community still has no clear approach to dealing with the Taliban, with the regime rejecting a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a special envoy to develop a roadmap for normalizing Afghanistan’s relations with the international community.

Type: Question and Answer

EconomicsGenderGlobal PolicyHuman Rights

What an ICC Case on Mali Means for Prosecuting Taliban Gender Crimes

What an ICC Case on Mali Means for Prosecuting Taliban Gender Crimes

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Since the Taliban took power in August 2021, the situation for Afghan women and girls has dramatically deteriorated. Yet there has been little international action, as many in the international community lament the lack of legal, and other, avenues to hold the Taliban accountable for these draconian measures. However, a recent case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) may provide a legal roadmap to prosecute the Taliban.

Type: Analysis

GenderHuman RightsJustice, Security & Rule of Law

China’s Global Security Initiative: Tilting the Balance in Central Asia

China’s Global Security Initiative: Tilting the Balance in Central Asia

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

In recent years, Beijing has been reevaluating its conceptual framework for foreign policy, with a focus on enhancing its role in global governance. With the aim of transforming China into the world's leading country, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has put forward a number of new initiatives — including the Global Security Initiative (GSI) — as a way of creating new formats of cooperation between China and the countries of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Global South.

Type: Analysis

EconomicsGlobal Policy

What’s Next for the U.N.’s Doha Process on Afghanistan?

What’s Next for the U.N.’s Doha Process on Afghanistan?

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

At the end of June, envoys and representatives from more than 25 countries and international organizations gathered in Doha, Qatar, along with representatives from the Taliban under an U.N.-facilitated framework. This meeting was the third of its kind, widely referred to as “Doha 3,” and part of a process to establish a more coordinated and coherent global approach to Afghanistan’s challenges and the Taliban’s rule.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

View All Publications