Archive for the ‘Afghanistan’ Category
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?
Women’s Rights in Afghanistan and Pakistan - Genuine Concerns or Political Considerations
The international opposition to a recent law in Afghanistan undermining the women’s rights is a welcome move. The new sharia family law, signed by Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on March 31, deals with issues of marriage, divorce, inheritance and sexual relations. Most of the provisions have put women in a disadvantage position, even allowing what the Western Human Rights observes refer to as marital rape. Though President Karzai has agreed to review the law, the international community continues to target the Afghan government with reintroducing laws reminiscent of the Taliban regime. The law was also criticized by the leaders attending the NATO Summit in early April. The specifics of the law apart, criticism is being focused on the possible use of the law as a vote gathering strategy by President Karzai. Many observers view President Karzai’s move as the appeasement of the fundamentalist and Shi’ite factions ahead of the Presidential elections in August.
But before this surge of international protest against President Karzai’s government is accepted a few revelations are important. Click to continue…
It’s now called “AFPAK”
There is a recent and overwhelming influx of the term “AFPAK” in jargon of international relations. The term owes it origin to the new policy approach adopted by the Obama Administration. The intragency review of the international strategy in Afghanistan headed by Bruce Riedel concluded that the counter-terrorism efforts need to focus on the border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. So now we have the AfPak war. Though President Obama’s intentions can barely be doubted there are some serious concerns that the U.S. will have to contend with in dealing with “AFPAK”.
[Photo Courtesy: Reuters/Jason Reed] Click to continue…
Is The Afghanistan Crisis Helping Global Reconciliation?
Reformulation of the international approach to manage the Afghanistan crisis is currently dominating political dialogue in most Capitals and strategic headquarters. A host of international conferences scheduled for the next fortnight are expected to explore the best possible alternatives for dealing with the multifaceted challenges in Afghanistan. The Obama Administration has undertaken a comprehensive review of the U.S. strategy for Afghanistan. Suggestions and proposals on the issue are pouring from all quarters and it appears that Afghanistan is poised for a grand moment in history. Will the Afghanistan challenge emerge as the Noah’s Ark – a common platform for global cooperation sheltered from the vagaries of divergent ideologies, political ambitions and nationalistic aspirations? In an atmosphere where power politics of the Realist School is dominating international relations, can Afghanistan serve as a common cause for which ideological differences will be shed and new forms of global engagement will emerge? Click to continue…
Afghanistan and The Global Conference Bazaar
The situation in Afghanistan seems to have become a subject of real global concern. In a matter of less than two months, over five international conferences/summits have been devoted to discussing the Afghanistan crisis. Are such parallel and overlapping conferences justified when the scoio-economic situation in Afghanistan is going from bad to worse?
The agenda of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Summit meeting for 2009 is Afghanistan. The NATO’s Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has been invited to attend the Summit scheduled for March 27. On March 31 an International Conference on Afghanistan is scheduled to be held in Hague. Over 70 countries and nine organizations including UN and NATO have been invited for the Conference and are expected to discuss vital issues of administration, security and future development in Afghanistan. The conference has been organized at the initiative of the U.S. but would be presided over by the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Iran’s participation in the conference has already created much news and is viewed by many as an ice-breaker in U.S. –Iran relations. The NATO Summit in Germany and France during April 3-4 is expected to be dominated by discussion on Afghanistan. The NATO Defense Ministers have already met in February and deliberated on the challenges in Afghanistan. Not to forget the special segment on “The Future of Alliance and Mission in Afghanistan” at the Munich Security Conference in February.
Hopefully this marathon of conferences will provide some tangible answers to the real problems facing Afghanistan and not be confined to mere diplomatic exchanges.