After systematically detailing the current security situation in the various regions of Afghanistan, with analyses of particularly ominous security breakdowns, this report will examine factors that have emerged in the context of the reconstruction process that have exacerbated insecurity. The report will proceed to explain how security sector reform can ameliorate these conditions. It will assess the progress of planning and implementation of reform initiatives up until September 2002 and identify obstacles that have obstructed the process. The report will conclude by offering concrete recommendations about how to make the security sector reform process more effective and productive.