CAPS Hosts Lt. General James L. Terry 

The Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies (CAPS) was honored to host Lieutenant General James L. Terry to a luncheon on 8 October 2012. Two other ISAF colleagues, Brigadier General Nakasome and Colonel Spiszer, accompanied Lt. General Terry. Lt. General Terry currently serves as the Deputy to ISAF Commander General Allen and as Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan. CAPS Director, Mr. Hekmat Khalil Karzai, extended a warm welcome on behalf of the entire CAPS team.

The guests praised the initiatives taken by CAPS for conducting unique research, providing pro bono legal aid to security detainees, and working to enhance the capacity of Afghan youth.

The discussion mostly focused on how to best promote youth participation in Afghan politics. CAPS, Lt. Gen. Terry and his colleagues agree that education and web-based technology will prove a key cornerstone in this goal. Accordingly, Lt. Gen. Terry was optimistic the younger generation will usher in an era of peace and respectful civic engagement. Lt. Gen. Terry also highlighted the rapid expansion of 3G networks as a key driver of expanded knowledge and political discourse, something he believes will positively impact Afghan lives in the near future.

The CAPS research team raised a few questions to Lt. Gen. Terry and his team. When asked about his experience in Operation Iraqi Freedom and lessons learned in that conflict, Lt. Gn. Terry offered a candid reflection and reported having learned “Not to pull out [of a country] too fast.”