After the end of the cold war, foreign and security policies have been subject to rapid change. This development has been further accelerated after September 11. The debates surrounding the war on Iraq have brought to the surface tensions between the USA and Europe – as well as within Europe itself. The implications of American unilateralism are still unfolding. Afghanistan, which was at the heart of assault post September 11, still faces political instability.

Nonetheless, with Afghanistan having recently joined the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), a new opportunity has arisen for regional cooperation. It is increasingly being realized that the involvement and support of neighbors is essential to ending conflict, stabilization and reconstruction in that country. However, persistent antagonism between India and Pakistan has raised Pakistani fears of strategic competition in Afghanistan. As a result, the Indo-Pakistan peace process; peacebuilding in Afghanistan; and American, European and NATO involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan have all become interlinked. Increasingly, questions of foreign, security, and developmental policy have become intertwined.

Given this background, the Foundation underscores that traditional security policies such as deterrence and containment have been replaced by risk prevention, crisis intervention, and preemptive policy measures.