This thesis examines whether traditional air power theory complements counterinsurgency air power theory in kinetic counterinsurgency operations. The reason being that there is some discrepancy in the theories of how air power can be used in counterinsurgency. Winning a revolutionary war requires a graduated spectrum of violence; whereas, traditionally air power is characterized as only using the kinetic, hard power, end of that spectrum. The purpose is to test Robert Pape’s air power theory of military coercion by denial, motivated by the theory’s agreement with current research of air power in counterinsurgency. This thesis is a comparative case study examining two, similar and successful counterinsurgency operations, Operation Anaconda and Operation Medusa. Findings show that denial is quite prominent when direct support of ground forces occurs; whereas operational and strategic interdiction indicate low or no occurrence. This study strengthens the theory’s applicatory power in a counterinsurgency context, and suggests it can complement current research on counterinsurgency air power in kinetic usage. / <p><strong>Uppsatsen skriven VT 2017 under Termin 4 Officersprogrammet 15-18 med inriktning</strong><strong>mot flyg. Examen genomförs VT 2018.</strong></p>

Após os atentados terroristas de Onze de setembro de 2001 os Estados Falidos passaram a ser considerados uma das principais ameaças à paz e segurança internacional. A maior parte dos estudos sobre o tema argumenta que a melhor maneira para se lidar com esta ameaça são as chamadas operações de Nation-Building, lideradas por agentes externos e cujos objetivos principais são reconstruir as instituições políticas, promover eleições democráticas e consolidar uma economia de mercado no país alvo. Assim sendo, na primeira parte do trabalho, intitulada O Colapso, esta dissertação almeja analisar as características do conceito de Estado Falido à luz do caso do Afeganistão. Na segunda parte, intitulada A Reconstrução, ambicionamos entender o que são e como são levadas a cabo as operações de Nation- Building, analisando as missões lideradas pela ONU e pelos EUA e realizando um estudo da atual operação no Afeganistão. / After the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, Failed States have been considered one of the greatest threats to peace and international security. The great majority of the studies about this theme argue that one of the best ways to cope with this threat are the so-called Nation-Building operations, leaded by external agents and whose main objectives are the reconstruction of political institutions, the promotion of elections and the consolidation of a marketoriented economy in the target country. Therefore, in the first part of this work, called The Collapse, this dissertation aims to analyze the characteristics of the Failed State concept through the Afghan case. In the second part, called The Reconstruction, we intend to understand what Nation-Building operations are and how they have been carried out, analyzing the missions leaded both by the UN and the United States and doing a case study over the current operation in Afghanistan.

This thesis examines the depiction of warfare in post-9/11 ancient world epics and assesses the extent to which these films engage with contemporary events by means of allegory and analogy. Inspired by scholarship on allegorical and analogous interpretations of 1950s-60s ancient world epics, I explore how the current cycle engages with the American socio-political landscape in the wake of 9/11, with particular emphasis on the War on Terror and ensuing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. I chart the genre’s evolution in relation to the combat film, and examine how the current cycle of ancient world epics integrates the tropes of other genres into its portrayal of warfare, invasion, occupation and imperialism. Within this context, I explore the recurrent motif of the father-son dynamic, and assess how its use in combat films corresponds to that in ancient world epics. I also discuss how this motif was employed in 1980s Vietnam War films, and what its use in these modern epics suggests about the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Furthermore, I discuss the use of the unreliable narrator to engage with wider debates on the value of historical films compared to written history. The aim of this study is to demonstrate that the ancient world epic is a malleable construct with which filmmakers can engage with the present while depicting the past. I build on existing studies of the ancient world in cinema, contributing new understanding of the current cycle’s relationship to its predecessors, to other genres, and to post-9/11 American society. In so doing this thesis contributes to notions of film as art, as industry, and as history, and how they intersect in cinematic depictions of the ancient world.

Föreliggande uppsats undersöker manliga afghanska ensamkommande ungdomars erfarenheter av fenomenet papperslöshet i Sverige inom årsspannet 2013–2017. Transkriptioner av nio semistrukturerade intervjuer med fem ungdomar utgör studiens empiri och har tolkats enligt den kvalitativa metodansatsen IPA. I övergången från asylprocess till att leva i papperslöshet upplever ungdomarna att de utestängs från såväl trygghet och gemenskap som rättigheter. Övergången innefattar upplevelser av total hopplöshet och självskadebeteende. Ungdomarna erfar en mängd destruktiva känslor och utvecklar strategier för att bemöta dessa. Såväl deras självbild, identitet, utvecklingsmöjligheter som framtidsvisioner påverkas negativt i och med att leva i papperslöshet. Ungdomarnas fokus på överlevnad genomsyrar studiens resultat, återvändande till Afghanistan är inte en möjlighet. Att leva i papperslöshet påverkar och definierar deras livsvärld. Ungdomarna tar stort ansvar och fattar ödesdigra beslut för att överleva. De drömmer om uppehållstillstånd och därmed om möjligheter till liv.

On 1 November, 1954 an armed insurgency against French rule commenced with a large scale terrorist attack throughout various parts of Algeria. France responded by sending troops from the continent to Algeria and was soon involved in a full out counterinsurgency against the Front Liberé National (FLN), a revolutionary movement organised in a classical communist insurgent pattern. Many of the experiences the French gained conducting counterinsurgency in Algeria have been examined by writers of COIN literature. The conclusions have been incorporated into counterinsurgency doctrines of many countries, and the works of Galula, who experienced the war, is considered basic literature for many counterinsurgency courses. This has been inherited by modern COIN literature. The US FM 3.24 draws from the French experiences and theorists in its main body. This essay examines whether modern counterinsurgency literature derived from French experiences and theories gained, fighting FLN fails to address the question on how the insurgent organisation is structured. It provides a few arguments why we should know this, such as knowing your enemy’s structure will help you understand his vulnerabilities. To archive this and lay a foundation for the argumentation it first compares the Algerian FLN to modern day Taliban to establish if their organisational structures are different or similar.

The thesis is dedicated to the ISAF's Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan. The research focus of this study is the analysis of specific geographic factors related to location of selected reconstruction teams in Afghan provinces. Geographic factors affecting security consist of armed groups, warlords, ethno-cultural structure of population and terrain type of the areas examined. Structure, investments, prevailing priorities and effect of local area characteristics are analysed in connection with selected provincial reconstruction teams. The study aims to determine whether teams managed to stabilize the situation in their provinces and which geographic factors affected the safety of their activities.

In recent years, experience from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq has led to considerable debate regarding counterinsurgency theories and their application in reality. Therefore, it could appear strange that both International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and American forces applied strategies in Afghanistan that contradict fundamental knowledge of counterinsurgency theory. One example is the use of indiscriminate force when combating insurgents, resulting in the loss of civilian lives, even though civilian casualties risk alienating the local population from the counterinsurgent. This thesis aims to examine if the three objectives of force protection, destruction of the insurgent, and protection of civilians can be achieved at the same time in counterinsurgency (COIN) warfare, or if a trilemma-like relationship exists between the three, whereby only two of the three objectives can be achieved simultaneously. By examining statistics such as death tolls within the categories of civilians, insurgents and own forces – and comparing the results over two time periods – some conclusions can be drawn with regard to what happens when the strategic focus changes. This thesis focuses on two time periods, 2006-2009 and 2009-2012, and investigates the strategic focus in COIN operations in each period, and whether or not the outcome in terms of death toll can be explained accordingly. The result of the thesis reveals that the statistics point toward the fact that a trilemma like relationship indeed does occur between the three objectives of counterinsurgency. From these results the thesis suggests that this theoretical framework could prove useful in future conflicts by helping to foresee what will happen when working towards the three different objectives.

Master of Science / Department of Journalism and Mass Communications / Robert W. Meeds / This report is based on an exhibition of 37 photographs at the Kemper Gallery in the Student Union of Kansas State University. All photographs presented here and in the exhibit were created during the past 28 years of my career. Hence the exhibit is a mid-career retrospective. My photojournalism experience is very unique in that I am the only photojournalist in the world who has worked as a presidential photographer, published photo essays in National Geographic Magazine as a freelancer, and been on the staff of a large metro newspaper. The photographs chosen for the exhibit were highlighted by, but not limited to, assignments from those three experiences. This report mirrors the exhibit except for a few additional photographs that, because of space limitations, didn’t make it into the final edit for the exhibit. There are three sections: Moments from Kansas to Papua New Guinea, The Presidency, and After 9/11. The “moments” section presents a wide variety of photographs from a wide variety of assignments. The “presidency” section focuses on my tenure as Official White House Photographer for President Reagan, and also includes photographs of the Reagan funeral, other presidents, and a possible future president. “After 9/11” begins at the Pentagon on 9/12, and then follows the course of events in Afghanistan during the following weeks. Extensive captions accompany most of the photographs. The captions are written in the third person which is customary for gallery exhibitions. More than the who, what, where and when, they provide some additional context and are intended to inform both the journalism student and the layperson.

Den svenska migrationen karakteriseras av en stor invandring, vilken nådde en rekordhög nivå under år 2015. Det är framförallt Afghanistan, Irak och Syrien som står för majoriteten av invandringen till Sverige från år 2010 och framåt. Syftet med denna studie är att analysera skillnader i sysselsättningsgraden hos utrikesfödda i Sverige, där framförallt flyktinginvandringen från Afghanistan, Irak och Syrien är av intresse. Genom jämförelser av data från SCB gällande utbildningsnivå och sysselsättning bland män och kvinnor i olika åldrar finner studien att utrikesfödda från dessa tre länder har en lägre sysselsättning än den totala gruppen av utrikesfödda personer. Sysselsättningsgraden och utbildningsnivån är högst i åldern 35–44 år. Den yngre generationen och framförallt kvinnor tenderar att vara väl utbildade men också ha en lägre sysselsättningsgrad än män. Flyktingar från dessa tre länder har sämre förutsättningar på arbetsmarknaden än utrikesfödda totalt sett och därför bör etableringspolitiken rikta särskilda åtgärder till flyktinginvandrande kvinnor som invandrar i unga år.

This thesis deals with the problems of logistics and its application in the military and it focuses on problems in Afghanistan. There are mentioned various areas of using logistics in the military. The following part describes the possibilities of a strategic tranfer in Afghanistan with their analysis.