In his recent Newyorker article Barnett Rubin
discusses Why Afghanistan still unstable? and
argues that stabilising it was not the goal of U.S. policy: http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/what-have-we-been-doing-in-afghanistan?intcid=mod-latest
I have thought of a good
method of approaching this, imagine a couple of scenarios:
Scenario A.
1. create professional
army, starting off with the remnants of DPA armed forces.
2. Economic development
2. Economic development
3. Integrate Afghanistan into
international political and economic system.
4. Foster national
leadership.
5. collect weapons.
Scenario B
1. Arm and fund militia with
history of human rights abuse and atrocities to fight dissent by labelling it
the Taliban. it was only this year that the US recognised Taliban as a
political group and conceded to a political instead of military solution.
2. AID, AID and AID which only
delivers assistance to very few and leaves out the majority to fend for
themselves. Treating the symptom of poverty while ignoring the fragile state
which is the real cause.
3. No significant trade treaty
and no long term strategic partnership; relationship at its low of all time
with neighbours.
4. Warlords, drug lords and
criminals were promoted by giving them a share in ruling the country.
you guessed it right, it was
the second that unfolded.
sure the lack of Afghan
leadership had its devastating impact and of course the dysfunctions of Afghan
culture rendered it unable to take advantage of international presence and
certainly the lack of Afghan human capital and skills was not conducive to the
occasional efforts of US at state building. but if you are studying the
role of the US as the most significant player in Afghanistan then you need to
look at its policies, conduct and practices. This is escaping people today and
it is significant because we need to recognise the responsibility of the US in
what is happening in Afghanistan today. we also need to understand the
underpinning reasons for the choices organisations and politicians make and the
assumptions they had made.
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