This study examines United States and allied efforts to provide security and rebuild internal security institutions in post-conflict environments. Establishing order during the “golden hour”¹ should be the most immediate concern of policymakers to avert chaos and prevent criminal and insurgent groups from securing a foothold in society. In addition, a state’s long-term prospects for governance and stability depend on viable police, security forces, and justice structures to deal with the most significant internal threats from insurgent groups, criminal organizations, and local militia and warlords. Consequently, this study asks two major questions: How successful have U.S. and allied efforts been...

This chapter identifies key factors that affect success in reconstructing internal security. Success is defined as the establishment of stability and a functioning rule of law. There are three major arguments. First, establishing internal security after major combat should be the most immediate and important concern of policymakers. This objective is critical to avert chaos and prevent criminal and insurgent organizations from securing a foothold in society, as well as to facilitate reconstruction in other areas such as health, basic infrastructure, and the economy. Establishing security is also important over the long run, since a state’s prospects for stability depend...

On June 9, 1999, following 77 days of NATO air strikes, NATO and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia signed a military technical agreement that led to the immediate withdrawal of Yugoslav army and police forces from Kosovo.¹ The United Nations Security Council subsequently authorized a 50,000-strong NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) and established the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to oversee the civilian administration of the territory.²

UNMIK divided the provision of public security in Kosovo into three elements: UNMIK international civilian police (CIVPOL), an indigenous Kosovo Police Service (KPS), and KFOR.³ From the beginning, civil authority was...

In 2001, the United States orchestrated the overthrow of the Taliban regime using a combination of special operations forces, air power, and support from indigenous allies.¹ While fighting continued over the next several years, the United States, European allies, and United Nations began assisting Afghanistan with reconstruction efforts in December 2001. Afghan leaders signed the Bonn Agreement on December 5, 2001, which established a timetable for achieving peace and security, reestablishing key government institutions, and reconstructing Afghanistan. However, the Bonn Agreement was not a peace accord; significant violence continued on the part of the Taliban, al Qaeda, and many regional...

An international coalition led by the United States and the United Kingdom invaded Iraq on March 21, 2003, captured Baghdad on April 9, and declared an end to major combat operations on May 1, 2003. The declared reasons for the invasion were the failure of the Saddam Hussein regime to comply with UN Security Council Resolutions calling for Iraq to be disarmed of weapons of mass destruction. The United States and its coalition partners had concluded that only regime change would ensure this disarmament. Their expectation was that the removal of the senior layers of the Saddam regime would allow...

How successful have U.S. and allied efforts been in reconstructing internal security structures during nation-building operations? This chapter examines that question by looking at data from Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and comparing the data with other cases in which the United States has helped reconstruct security during nation-building missions. These post–Cold War cases are Panama, El Salvador, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, and East Timor.

The data and case studies in Chapters Three, Four, and Five suggest that there is a relationship between the level of inputs, outputs, and outcomes, and these relationships may be tempered by the conditions at the...

In this final chapter, we draw conclusions from the case studies and derive policy recommendations to help the United States and the international community improve their performance in the delivery of post-conflict policing. The importance of building “strong” state institutions for economic and political development is now recognized by the international community.¹ Among the most crucial of such institutions are those that fulfill the core functions of a state—namely, the maintenance of internal security. Beyond the maintenance of public order, these institutions are vital if crime is to be controlled, property rights are to be protected, and resources channeled...