Monday, September 07, 2009

On the need to internationalise Afghanistan

7 September 09


From JP Diplomatic Consultancy, France, dipconsult@hotmail.com, www.dipconsult.eu


On the need to internationalise Afghanistan 


Re Ahmed Rashid's piece on Afghanistan in the Washington Post.


This is an excellent article on this desperately urgent and challenging subject.


Most importantly it stresses the disaster we at this consultancy and so many others predicted back in 2002 - going into Iraq would risk wrecking the occupation of Afghanistan.


No country for long accepts occupation and the occupation of Afghanistan had to show real results in rebuilding the country and restoring stability within about 3 years. 


But Bush all but destroyed his own success and was abetted in this by a great majority of politicians of left and right in both the US and UK


Because politicians - like many others - find it extremely hard to admit mistakes (especially capital errors like voting for the Iraq war without any serious discussion or research) it is all the more difficult for the political class in the US and UK to see Afghanistan clearly, They should all read this splendid piece which coincides exactly with our own research partly based on information from a well-placed source in Afghanistan. But of course they won't - they will be fed more comfortable assessments. 


One vital point Ahmed Rashid only touches on - it is vital that the situation in Afghanistan be internationalised. Merkel and Sakozy are making moves in that direction but they do not go far enough. Virtually every responsible government has a major interest in the stabilisation of Afghanistan. This of course includes Russia and China - and Iran and India.. 


None of these countries will put up troops and all of them believe that Bush went a long way to losing his Afghan "war". But none want the Taliban and Al Qaeda back. This means it IS possible for Obama and the Nato allies to rebuild the astonishing worldwide support Bush had after 9/11 for the invasion of Afghanistan. But that means eating humble pie.  And above all recognising that America's bid for a uni-polar world is over. Nothing destroyed the Bush years more than the policy of confrontation to try to realise the Project for A New American Century of the neo-conservatives. 


What is needed is a major conference meticulously prepared to focus world interest on the problem of stabilising Afghanistan.

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