The Need for a 'Surge'
of Attention to Afghanistan
by Sharif Ghalib
Toronto, April 25, 2007
A thorough overview of the precarious situation in Afghanistan, today, more
than five years after the ouster of the Taliban, points to the greater need for
a resurrection by the international community of due focus and sincere attention
to Afghanistan.
Since 1992, following years of persistently neglectful approach by the West
toward the conspicuous exacerbation of the situation, which at last led to the
fall of the country to the lethal grip of extremism and terrorism, the
international community anxiously woke up to the chilling aftermaths of the
far-reaching perils and real threats that emerged from Afghanistan -- ruled at
gunpoint by alien forces -- only when the 9/11 appalling events started to
unfold, whereupon the quasi coercive campaign to liberate Afghanistan and its
people began.
Demonstrating tremendous resilience and optimism, the Afghan nation
enthusiastically embraced world's collective efforts for bringing democracy to a
country, which had suffered protracted diabolical treatment under the
universally-perceived reign of terror.
Over the past five years, Afghanistan has made great strides and remarkable
progress on varying scales and in different fronts. Backed by the willful
generous solidarity from the international community, among others, Canada, the
country has been able to triumphantly follow through an ambitious peace process
signed in Bonn-Germany, amongst the country's politico-military forces
concerned, under the aegis of the United Nations.
The implementation of all major components of the peace deal, cohesively
intertwined to put Afghanistan on the path toward democracy, prosperity, and the
rule of law, including presidential elections, in which over ten million
eligible voters, men and women alike, from across the nation turned out to cast
their ballots, adoption of a new constitution the most enlightened in its kind
recognizing gender equality and stipulating women's right to elect and get
elected, convocation of parliamentary elections and creation of a legislature
conceding a paradoxical 25 per cent female block within a wide cross-section
representation of the Afghan society, formation of a national army encompassing
Afghanistan’s heterogeneous demographic character, re-institution of an
indigenous police force literally non-existent or largely in disarray back then,
and greater freedoms for the women and their broad participation in the shaping
social and political life of the country plus a historic educational campaign,
at national level, allowing some 6 million boys and girls back to school and a
booming free press, by far, has ushered Afghanistan into a new era,
inconceivable to many and unheard of in the history of the nation.
Dismayingly, however, now the irony appears to prevail, as looming challenges
hunt Afghan’s nostalgic feelings and recollections of the once vibrant and
promising past, wear down their expectations for a better life and erode their
confidence in a secure future.
To name a few, Security, the underlying benchmark for the rule of law and yet
a prerequisite for reconstruction has been on a steady decline as a result of
sharp increase in insurgency in parts of the country, particularly in the
restive southern and eastern regions along the Afghanistan – Pakistan border.
Poppy cultivation by cash-strapped farmers in vast parts of the country,
primarily due to a lack of alternative livelihood, continues at a soaring
proportion.
Lagging reconstruction efforts have left a few convinced of tangible benefits
to their daily lives especially in rural areas of the country.
Rampant corruption in the government coupled with lack of requisite capacity
and know how in managing, in earnest, and confronting the mounting challenges of
diverse facet and prong, some identified above, has caused many across
Afghanistan to be filled with despair and lose faith in the process all
together.
Thus stated, the over all situation, not yet characterized by many experts
and observers as a strategic threat to the government in Kabul, does bear the
potential to serve as a building block for further deterioration in the future,
if not addressed sooner rather than later.
To confront and eventually overcome the problems, the international community
must first and far most reinvigorate its common sense of purpose vis-à-vis
Afghanistan, and proceed from the unequivocal and profound conviction that there
is no second option within sight and that it cannot afford failing the mission.
This demands the world family to set aside the quick-fix fiction and get
genuinely and robustly engaged in Afghanistan by considering long-term military
and financial commitments inspired by an outright express well to stay course in
the wake of the challenges lying ahead. In doing so, we must be cognizant, that
after all and apart from the predominantly non-Afghan insurgency, the ultimate
success of this crucial stabilization campaign, in its entirety, continues to
enjoy the substantial popular support at grass root level within the country. In
fact it is imperative to realize that despite all the inadequacies and
shortcomings the people of Afghanistan in partnership with the international
community have already achieved their principle objective of laying the
foundation of a modern democratic system of governance per se, that by and
large, constitutes the nucleus of the milestones made to-date, and that is
precisely what will have to remain the focal point, hence further improved,
strengthened and safeguarded against any existential threats. Let’s bear in mind
that, Afghans, as a nation, had long held the widespread grievance that much of
the historical turmoil and upheavals befallen their country that have given way
to their continuous sufferings, borne over generations, derived from and was
narrowly tied to lack of a credible political framework to embody national
political and social harmony and equilibrium, freedom and modernity.
Against this backdrop, albeit, today the overwhelming majority of Afghans
truly appreciate the palpable reality, that with the magnanimous financial and
material resources, technical expertise and military support from the
international community, their generations-old desire for a modern democratic
institution to govern, regulate and put in order their national social and
political life has finally materialized. By the same token they remain
profoundly indebted to all those, whose invaluable sacrifices continue to ensure
that Afghanistan will be making progress on the path toward a secure future.
Therefore, the national aspirations and sentiments in Afghanistan provide
enough legitimate reason for the international community to demonstrate resolve
and perseverance by devoting fresh momentum to its joint efforts aimed at
helping this young democracy stand on its own feet. Furthermore, the trajectory
of events on 9/11 has taught ample lesson to all the nations that peace and
stability in that part of the world bear an unswerving international nexus and
is directly linked to their own collective safety and security at home. And
understandably that is why the world must prioritize establishing peace in
Afghanistan.
This can only be fulfilled when we all admit that fighting terrorism in
Afghanistan is by no means a war of choice and that attempts to outsource the
campaign, precipitous troops redeployment or resorting to a pre-mature
disengagement from Afghanistan will inevitably lead to the relapse of the
country into a pariah and failed state, detrimental to peace and security the
world over. Such attempts would further cause running the risk of the nightmare
scenario of losing the country to terrorism in the long run. Moreover, NATO
member-nations must not overlook the fact that Afghanistan, by definition, is
the genesis of the war on terror, and that their performance in this important
theatre will not only determine the future credibility of the alliance, but
would also profile the overall concept of collective security in today’s
globalized world.
In the meantime, the donor capitals need to provide sustainable humanitarian
and development assistance to Afghanistan with vision and in the spirit of
bipartisanship, thus enabling the government of President Karzai to live up to
the expectations of its people, and help give hope and meaning to the lives of
the populations and especially disillusioned young boys without job, who
otherwise would easily fall pray to the enemy’s indoctrination, and to the poor
farmers arguably pushed to grow poppy by virtue of a lack of access to
alternative livelihood.
In this context, the recent $10 billion in aid earmarked by the US
Administration, the EC pledging of 600 million (EUR), and the increased aid
package from Canada topped by the latest announcement of up to $200 million in
additional funding for reconstruction and development activities in Afghanistan,
are all important steps in the right direction. These funds will give necessary
boost to Afghanistan’s government to meet some of the benchmarks set out in the
Afghanistan Compact, signed in London, UK between Afghanistan and the
international community in January last year. Although not a panacea, these
pledges that are supposed to be disbursed within the course of the specified
timelines will duly complement the concurrent campaign against insurgency, and
will do the wining of hearts and minds part of the job.
In the end, owing to the high stakes involved in the fate of the current
mandate in Afghanistan, and in keeping with the moral obligation toward the
people of Afghanistan, the international community seems to have little choice
but to listen to the dictate of the conventional wisdom, let go of feet-dragging
and half-hearted approach, fulfill its promises made to Afghans and move to
devise a clear long-term strategy for staying on the task of making Afghanistan
a secure, self-sustaining and democratic country for its people, and an element
of peace and stability for the region and the world at large. On the other hand,
this is the sole manner in which nations leading the reconstruction and
stabilization efforts in Afghanistan all along, would make sure that their money
and resources have not been wasted, and their sacrifices for the noble cause of
peace and freedom do not end up in vein.
The following elements are deemed of great importance to the international
community and the government of Afghanistan in their broader conduct of relevant
policies and strategies:
1/ Comprehension of the strategic imperatives of a sustained partnership
with Afghanistan, and understanding the foreseeable prognosis of the
catastrophic regional and international implications of any backtracking
and/or failure in the common quest for a comprehensive stabilization of
Afghanistan,
2/ Promotion of national unity amongst all Afghans, avoiding ethnic
tilting, and refraining from espousal of obsolete political paradigm of
mono-ethnic elitism, in line with the new geo-political and socio-strategic
realities of the present-day Afghanistan bound to becoming a modern,
pluralistic and democratic state, and of the region,
3/ Prioritization of the conduct of a credible national population census,
essential for the implementation of reconstruction projects across the nation,
distribution of social services by the government, and for ensuring
socio-political justice and harmony in the country,
4/ Initiation of an earnest meaningful national debate about the chronic
border dispute between Afghanistan and Pakistan over the Durand Line, putting
the issue to a final vote before the country’s elected parliament or by
holding plebiscite, with the clear intention of removal of this perceived
reprehensible stumbling block in bilateral relations, and in a bid to bring
about an end to the cross-border insurgency,
5/ Recognition of the crucial need for a hand in hand reconstruction and
combat against the insurgency,
6/ Continuation of support for a balanced and inclusive national army and
police force, and prevention of re-arming the tribal militias,
7/ Pursuit of an even-handed nation-wide reconstruction,
8/ Ratcheting up funding for development activities, security, and law
enforcement,
9/ Ensuring added focus on targeted infrastructural rebuilding and major
developmental projects across the nation,
10/ Encouragement of private and business sector contributions,
11/ Acceleration of institutional and national capacity building,
12/ Pushing for effective counter-narcotics measures to curb the rampant
drugs cultivation, and strictly refraining from the legalization of the
notorious drugs production,
13/ Promotion of the concepts of transparency and accountability and
redressing of corruption within the government,
14/ Strengthening the legislature as a nationally representative body
courting legitimacy for the process, and reforming the judiciary,
15/ Improvement of military operational coordination between NATO and the
Afghan army aimed at minimizing civilian fatalities and collateral material
damage,
16/ Acknowledgment of the need for re-integration of the religiously and
politically motivated moderate and anti-extremist indigenous forces into the
security institutions,
17/ Consideration for the bona fide local traditions and customs while
bewaring the enemy’s perverted stereotyping and exploitation of the local
cultural barriers in southern and eastern regions of Afghanistan,
18/ Exertion of adequate and serious political pressure on Pakistan to halt
cross-border militant incursions.
End.
Sharif Ghalib was the first Afghan diplomat to negotiate the establishment
of full bilateral diplomatic and consular relations between Afghanistan and
Canada at resident-embassy level. He opened the Embassy of Afghanistan in Ottawa
in late 2002 and served as the country’s Charge d’Affaires, a.i., and Minister
Counselor until 2005.
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