An examination of networked politics and the policy process at the High Peace Council (HPC) of Afghanistan / Reza Kateb.

Abstract

The study seeks to examine networked politics and the policy process at the High Peace Council (HPC) of Afghanistan. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain understanding of the experiences and perceptions of being in a networked politics. The aim of dissertation is to address this question: What network of contact the HPC of Afghanistan is using to strike a peace deal with the Taliban and other armed groups? Through supporting literature this study examined the networked politics and policy network relations in post conflict society. The study found that HPC publicises the government's objectives for gaining public support. Within the umbrella of HPC, the study indentified four categories of negotiation networks dealing with the armed oppositions: (i) between the Taliban and the Afghan government, (ii) between the Taliban and the U.S. government (iii) between the U.S. and the Pakistan governments and (iv) between the Afghan and Pakistani governments including the regional and neighbouring countries. The study also found that most participants are devoted to their own political networks, and ethnical interests while negotiating with the insurgents group rather having a common agenda.