Archive for the ‘Afghanistan’ Category
President Obama’s Af-Pak Surge
President Obama has revealed his much awaited renewed Af-Pak strategy; which can now be called the Af-Pak surge. The challenges confronting President Obama were formidable. He was expected to come up a plan that would please all stakeholders nurturing opposing and conflicting demands. While the U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan were expecting the President to send reinforcements, the American people were not favorably inclined to put more soldiers in harms way. Moreover, the expectations of many stakeholders are difficult to discern. For example, there is still confusion about what Afghans wants: a troop surge or withdrawal of foreign forces. Given the challenges it was obvious that President Obama’s plan would not satisfy everyone in full measure.
Nevertheless, the criticality of the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan warranted that the plan be premised on non-normative considerations. Simply stated, the plan should have been based on factual and objective determination rather than evaluative prescriptions. Though the troop surge is based on General McChrystal’s report, the ensuing plan appears to have ignored some vital considerations and reflects some contradictions.
Afghanistan Election Runoff - For Whom?
The runoff vote for Afghan Presidential elections has been scheduled for November 7. What is expected to emerge out of this internationally sponsored democratic exercise? Is the runoff an attempt to provide the Afghan people with a truly representative government or does the international community merely want to assert its partnership with the de jure and de facto Government of Afghanistan?
Reality Check on Bruce Riedel’s Afghanistan Approach
Micheal O’Hanlon and Bruce Riedel’s defense of the Afghan situation in the September 1, 2009 edition of the Wall Street Journal is humorously surprising. It goes to show how detached are some of President’s advisers from the reality. Bruce Riedel has been instrumental in giving shape to the Af-Pak strategy of the Obama Administration. The WSJ Article establishes the fact that armchair experts on Afghanistan over-look the obvious reality for the sake of supporting a policy. The article is an attempt to focus on the rays of lights in the overcast Afghan skies; an attempt which does not stand the test of reality. Click to continue…
Is Flawed Democracy Better than Any Form of Authoritarianism?
The drama of the Afghanistan Presidential elections is not over yet. The results are expected to create unrest among the supporters of defeated candidates. It remains to be seen how the international community will react to outcome of the elections allegedly marred by reports of fraud and rigging. The political process may be referred to as ‘democratic’ but the quality of democracy and freedom remain doubtful for many.
Hundreds of people could not cast their votes in Zazi Maidan district of southeastern Khost province as the polling stations ran out of ballots papers, voters complained.
The polling station at Lashkar Gah in the Helmand Province was hit by rockets barely five minutes after opening.
In the traditional Afghan society the lack of female officers at the polling stations made it difficult for scores of Afghan women to venture out for voting.
What was surprising to me was the swiftness with which the two candidates- Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah- claimed victory in the elections. Their assertion of victory is an explicit approval of the election process. The post-result disagreement will not be a disapproval of the democratic process but merely an expression of dislike for the opponent.
There are two faces of the elections in Afghanistan: one that holds that a flawed democracy is better than any form of authoritarianism and the other which emphasize on socio-economic pre-requisites of democracy more than the formal process of voting.
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Afghan Community of the Bay Area on Presidential Elections in Afghanistan.
Pictures of burqa clad women casting their votes and long queues outside polling stations dominated the news headlines on August 20. Presidential elections in Afghanistan had become a global event. Scores of journalists were in Afghanistan to cover the elections and scholars in the U.S. provided expert views on the election process and its wider fall-out. While journalists travelled half way across the world to highlight the Afghan opinion, the huge Afghan population in the U.S. went about their business as usual. I ventured into an Afghan community of the Bay Area in California to see how these Afghans felt about the elections. My encounter exposed me to some most frank and some highly thought-proving responses. These people were keen to talk to me but not on camera; though vocal the Afghans are very private people. My interactions gave me a picture very different from the one portrayed in the mainstream media. Click to continue…
From Democracy to Campaign Managers: Afghanistan imports everything American
The upcoming Presidential elections in Afghanistan are being closely watched across the globe. From defeating the Taliban in 2001 to cobbling together a “democratic” government for Afghanistan under President Hamid Karzai, the U.S. influence in Afghanistan has been immense. From Greg Morstenson to Richard Holbrooke, Afghanistan has experienced a variety of contributions from the U.S. Now the Presidential elections have another typical American experience to offer: campaign managers. It is not only surprising that Afghanistan, where national election commission will conduct elections for the first time, has so promptly borrowed the Western trend of appointing campaign managers but one such campaign manager is from the U.S. Any guesses?
Presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani has appointed James Carville as his campaign manager; a man who has been to Afghanistan only once!
Here is what James Carveille had to say to Colbert about his new mission.
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Yes We Afghan - James Carville | ||||
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The ‘Democracy of Warlords’ in Afghanistan
As Afghanistan Presidential elections approach the promise of change, stability and inclusive democracy have gained momentum across the country. There is little doubt that the polls, scheduled for August 20, will be hailed as a victory for the Afghan people in the Western media. Before explaining how things might change after the elections it is important to assess the current state of governance in the country. The U.S. has been blaming President Hamid Karzai for rampant corruption while President Karzai has expressed concern with regard to the role (and to some degree interference) of the NATO forces in the country. In the midst of these allegations and counter allegations there is one aspect of Afghanistan’s emerging political structure which has been overlooked: the role of warlords in Afghanistan’s emerging democracy.
{Picture Courtesy: Press for Conversion!}
Explosive Remnants of War provide Employment Opportunities for Afghans
Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. Mines were first used in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation (1979-1989) and have led to the death of over 70,000 Afghans in the past two decades. 90% of these mines are spread across arable land, grazing grounds and irrigation systems. The existence of these mines, a large part of which are unexploded devices, are a threat to the IDPs who are returning home and also negatively impact the agricultural output of Afghanistan. Since October 2001, American warplanes have dropped thousands of bombs on Taliban front lines, including “cluster bombs,” in which nearly 10 percent of the scattered bomblets have not exploded. The unexploded bomblets are an additional risk to the lives of the common people. In 2008 landmines and other Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) killed or injured over 445 Afghans, an average of 37 per month. Thanks to NGO efforts the ERWs have now turned into a means of livelihood for many Afghan men. OMAR (Organization for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation) has initiated a community based demining program in the Kunar district of Afghanistan. Click to continue…
International Forces in Afghanistan: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Want to know what’s really happening in Afghanistan? Try visiting two websites: Rethink Afghanistan and ISAF. The information on both sites will leave you confused.
Rethink Afghanistan was launched as a ground-breaking online video series for opposing military escalation in Afghanistan. From testimonials of veterans of the Afghanistan Operation to commentaries of experts, the site uses all possible means to dissuade the U.S. Congress from continuing military operations in Afghanistan.
The ISFA site is the official site of Coalition Forces operating in Afghanistan. From proving flood relief to people of the Faryab province to assisting in the installation of WiMax, the international forces are involved in a vast array of humanitarian and social development efforts.
Neither can be fully discredited nor completely accepted. So where lies the truth? Perhaps this is what is called the relativity of truth!
After reviewing the two sites and these videos I let go of the political compulsion to either support or criticize the stationing and operations of international forces in Afghanistan. I guess proximity breeds bias and an accurate perspective will evolve only with time.
Beyond the Media Limelight an Afghan Woman Fights for Justice
At a time when international media attention was focused on the incident of a young girl being flogged by the extremists in Pakistan and protests were underway against a law regulating rights of Afghan Shiite Women, a young Afghan girl was battling for justice. Her battle is not yet over and surprisingly she is pleading her case in South Asia’s most vibrant democracy – India. Will Sabra Ahmadzai get justice?