Date: January 25, 2013

In the aftermath of the summit meeting between presidents Obama and Karzai on January 11th, many questions still remain regarding the upcoming security, political and economic transitions in Afghanistan, and the impact these various transitions will have on future peace and stability in Afghanistan. On January 25th, USIP hosted a two-panel event with leading experts on Afghanistan and Pakistan to discuss some of the major challenges and opportunities for peace and political stability in Afghanistan.

Panel Two: The Money Angle: The Political Economy of Transition

The security, political and economic transitions in Afghanistan will have a major impact on the political economy of Afghanistan, yet to date there has been little analysis focusing on understanding what precisely this impact will be. This panel will apply a political economy approach to assessing the impact of the transitions in Afghanistan, including how changing money and resource flows could incentivize certain behaviors and dis-incentivize others, what the future bases for wealth and power will be, what role the illicit economy will play in politics, and how perceptions of the economic effects of transition will influence political and economic decision-making during the next two years.

Panelists:

Matthieu Aikins, magazine writer based in Kabul

Borany Penh, Senior Economic Advisor, USAID Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs

Anand Gopal, Bernard L. Schwartz Fellow, New America Foundation

Moderated by: Bill Byrd, Senior Afghanistan Expert, United States Institute of Peace

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