William Byrd

Afghanistan Senior Expert

Contact

Please submit all media inquiries to interviews@usip.org or call 202.429.3869.

For all other inquiries, please call 202.457.1700.

William Byrd is a development economist whose academic background includes a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University and an M.A. in East Asian Regional Studies from the same institution. He joined USIP in April 2012 for a 10-month stay as senior expert in residence, working on Afghanistan.

He had long experience at the World Bank, where most of his work was country-focused, including China, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. He lived for significant lengths of time in all of these countries and speaks Dari and Chinese, with some knowledge of other languages. During 2002-2006, he was stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan, where he served as the World Bank’s country manager for Afghanistan and then as economic adviser. His publications include six books on China, other books, and numerous articles, among them several papers on Afghanistan, as well as a number of World Bank reports. Examples include reports on Afghanistan’s economic development, public finance management, economic cooperation in the wider Central Asia region, vulnerabilities to corruption assessments, Afghanistan’s drug industry, and economic incentives and development initiatives to reduce opium production, as well as papers on these topics, security sector reform from a financial and development perspective, and on responding to Afghanistan’s development challenge.

Publications & Tools

	USIP Experts Draw on Afghan History for Transition Lessons September 2012 Frances Z. Brown and William Byrd, two of USIP's Afghanistan specialists, discuss the challenges facing Afghanistan in transitioning to full national control over its security and domestic affairs as international military activity and other assistance wind down. Countries: Afghanistan \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Political Reform
	Lessons from Afghanistan’s History for the Current Transition and Beyond September 2012 \| Special Report by William Byrd Contrary to some views, Afghanistan has been and can be governed effectively and be politically stable. But history indicates that overly ambitious and rushed modernization efforts are likely to face sharp domestic reactions that can set development back, sometimes for decades. Countries: Afghanistan \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities
	Afghanistan’s Post-Tokyo Presidential Decree Both More and Less than Meets the Eye? August 2012 \| News Feature by William Byrd and Attaullah Nasib Afghanistan’s Presidential Decree of July 21 has been billed as an “anti-corruption decree,” setting forth the Afghan government’s concrete plans for fighting corruption. But even a cursory reading reveals the decree is about far more than just anti-corruption. In fact, it appears to be a detailed short-term work program for 32 government ministries and agencies, also including suggestions for actions by the National Assembly and the Supreme Court. Countries: Afghanistan \| Issue Areas: Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities, Rule of Law
	Mutual Accountability August 2012 \| Peace Brief by William Byrd This paper builds on remarks on mutual accountability at the July 18 U.S. Institute of Peace panel discussion “From Transition to the Transformation Decade: Afghanistan’s Economic and Governance Agenda after Tokyo” (second session on “Filling the trust gap—what does ‘mutual accountability’ mean, what are the first steps, what is the role of civil society?”). The views expressed in this brief do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Institute of Peace, which does not take policy positions. Countries: Afghanistan \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Mediation and Facilitation, Negotiation and Diplomacy, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities
	Avoiding Meeting Fatigue July 2012 \| Peace Brief by William Byrd This paper is based on the author's participation in and involvement with the preparations for many of the high-profile international meetings on Afghanistan over the past 10-plus years and reflects his concerns about their shortcomings and the excessive expectations typically associated with them. Countries: Afghanistan
	A Look at the NATO Summit May 2012 USIP's experts on Afghanistan provide a preview of the key issues at the NATO summit in Chicago. Countries: Afghanistan \| Issue Areas: Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities, Security Sector Reform/Governance
	Drugs in Afghanistan—A Forgotten Issue? May 2012 \| Peace Brief by William Byrd and David Mansfield This paper reflects both authors' concern that neglect of the opium economy in coming years could be perilous, exacerbate problems, possibly lead to poorly thought-out knee-jerk reactions and/or simplistic responses which would only worsen the situation, and further damage the prospects for success of what will inevitably be a difficult and challenging process of transition in Afghanistan. Countries: Afghanistan \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Rule of Law, Security Sector Reform/Governance
	Paying for Afghanistan's Security Forces During Transition: Issues for Chicago and Beyond April 2012 \| Peace Brief by William Byrd This report reflects the authors' research interests and several publications on security sector reform from a financial and development perspective. It is intended to lay out key issues and trade-offs in this area, and brings in concepts and tools of public financial management which are applicable to the security sector. Countries: Afghanistan \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities, Security Sector Reform/Governance

	USIP Experts Draw on Afghan History for Transition Lessons September 2012 Frances Z. Brown and William Byrd, two of USIP's Afghanistan specialists, discuss the challenges facing Afghanistan in transitioning to full national control over its security and domestic affairs as international military activity and other assistance wind down. Countries: Afghanistan \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Political Reform
	Lessons from Afghanistan’s History for the Current Transition and Beyond September 2012 \| Special Report by William Byrd Contrary to some views, Afghanistan has been and can be governed effectively and be politically stable. But history indicates that overly ambitious and rushed modernization efforts are likely to face sharp domestic reactions that can set development back, sometimes for decades. Countries: Afghanistan \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities
	Afghanistan’s Post-Tokyo Presidential Decree Both More and Less than Meets the Eye? August 2012 \| News Feature by William Byrd and Attaullah Nasib Afghanistan’s Presidential Decree of July 21 has been billed as an “anti-corruption decree,” setting forth the Afghan government’s concrete plans for fighting corruption. But even a cursory reading reveals the decree is about far more than just anti-corruption. In fact, it appears to be a detailed short-term work program for 32 government ministries and agencies, also including suggestions for actions by the National Assembly and the Supreme Court. Countries: Afghanistan \| Issue Areas: Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities, Rule of Law
	Mutual Accountability August 2012 \| Peace Brief by William Byrd This paper builds on remarks on mutual accountability at the July 18 U.S. Institute of Peace panel discussion “From Transition to the Transformation Decade: Afghanistan’s Economic and Governance Agenda after Tokyo” (second session on “Filling the trust gap—what does ‘mutual accountability’ mean, what are the first steps, what is the role of civil society?”). The views expressed in this brief do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Institute of Peace, which does not take policy positions. Countries: Afghanistan \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Mediation and Facilitation, Negotiation and Diplomacy, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities
	Avoiding Meeting Fatigue July 2012 \| Peace Brief by William Byrd This paper is based on the author's participation in and involvement with the preparations for many of the high-profile international meetings on Afghanistan over the past 10-plus years and reflects his concerns about their shortcomings and the excessive expectations typically associated with them. Countries: Afghanistan
	A Look at the NATO Summit May 2012 USIP's experts on Afghanistan provide a preview of the key issues at the NATO summit in Chicago. Countries: Afghanistan \| Issue Areas: Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities, Security Sector Reform/Governance
	Drugs in Afghanistan—A Forgotten Issue? May 2012 \| Peace Brief by William Byrd and David Mansfield This paper reflects both authors' concern that neglect of the opium economy in coming years could be perilous, exacerbate problems, possibly lead to poorly thought-out knee-jerk reactions and/or simplistic responses which would only worsen the situation, and further damage the prospects for success of what will inevitably be a difficult and challenging process of transition in Afghanistan. Countries: Afghanistan \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Rule of Law, Security Sector Reform/Governance
	Paying for Afghanistan's Security Forces During Transition: Issues for Chicago and Beyond April 2012 \| Peace Brief by William Byrd This report reflects the authors' research interests and several publications on security sector reform from a financial and development perspective. It is intended to lay out key issues and trade-offs in this area, and brings in concepts and tools of public financial management which are applicable to the security sector. Countries: Afghanistan \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities, Security Sector Reform/Governance