Cops in the Corps

I'll admit, this idea (just the idea) seemed a bit unappealing at first, but, after reading the article and some of Alex Olesker's comments here, I'm more receptive to the proposition. I look forward to more writing from you on this subject in the future.

ADTS-

Don't get me wrong, I agree fully, and in the post go a little more deeply into what rule of law requires, which is sort of a retread of some commentary regarding the role of competent policing in state stability going around at the height of the "Arab Spring." Here's my summary: http://insurgentconsciousness.typepad.com/insurgent_consciousness/2011/…

While competent law enforcement does not equal rule of law, it is an integral component. This doesn't just mean catching criminals, though letting criminals know that the laws will be enforced adds weight to the legislature and government. Competency means cops that aren't just adding to the problem as they do in many countries due to corruption, and further, it means a law enforcement system that can actually reinforce the rule of law on all levels. Think internal affairs. I've met some internal affairs detectives whose services I believe would go a long way towards straightening out the Afghan government. These men and women don't just run through checklists of regulations, they go undercover, perform stings, and treat corruption like it's homicide or drug smuggling, because in Afghanistan, it's just as destructive.

Regardless of what you thought of the Soviets and their puppet states (I am not a fan), Communist Afghanistan outlasted the withdrawal of Soviet Troops, the end of Soviet financial and administrative support, and even the fall of the Soviet Union. What finally did it in? According to Russian archives, it was a government founded on corruption, where the rule of law never reigned.

Now, better policing alone cannot accomplish this. As an officer who had just returned from Afghanistan once told me, describing a competent, centralized Afghan government to a Pashtun is like describing the dark side of the moon to your cat: you don't know what it looks like and he doesn't care. But some real policing is a huge step forward and it's lack is a major stumbling block.

As you mentioned, investment and growth don't hurt either.

Thanks for your insight,
Alex

I like the concept but I agree with david, if it is possible can we get more details?

Alex:

You had me at "investigative skills" - and lost me at "rule of law." As I conceive of the two concepts, they are distinct and different, if possible related. At most, in my view, "investigative skill" and by extension law enforcement is on one end of a spectrum entitled "rule of law." Rule of law, though, entails far more than competent and honest law enforcement, however. It comprises, at the other end of the spectrum from law enforcement, courts, adjudicative processes, contract enforcement, dispute resolution mechanisms, and so forth - far greater and more expansive functions than "merely" criminal law and procedure, but rather, the ordered functioning of a society according to a set of principles (e.g., a judicative body that itself operates fairly and without undue outside influence, according to transparent and evenly applied processes and principles). One can also argue that said rule of law brings benefits above and beyond assisting in the suppression or eradication of criminal or insurgent activity - some (many?) have argued that a system of property rights has been (and presumably still is, although cross-cultural contexts and differences may render this assumption or statement perhaps more problematic) a cause of economic growth. In sum, what I'm trying to say is, I suppose, two-fold: first, rule of law is more expansive than the mere application of criminal justice, even broadly construed, and second, one can desire the rule of law for benefits beyond that of asserting the judicial process "at" given problems, said benefits including economic growth.

Regards
ADTS

I understood the announcement just as Peter did. While Gen. Amos focused on the reservists assisting with intelligence, I think there can be some added carry-over from their police and investigative skills, which is why I mentioned the FBI's Major Crimes Task Force in Afghanistan.

To go further, it's easy to forget about crime and corruption in Afghanistan when there are still IEDs in the streets, but rule of law is critical to a stable Afghanistan. The Corps and the military in general is already working towards that goal, and I hope that these specialized reservists can help not as gendarmes and not only as intelligence, but as expeditionary law enforcement specialists.