Through Afghan Eyes

What success should mean for Afghans and not only Americans

The future of Afghanistan and what the United States can do to help that nation are in jeopardy right now. I’m sure this statement is of no surprise to anyone, which is unfortunate. We have been in Afghanistan for over 7 years now and at the end of those 7 years, the country is in the worst shape it has been in since the Taliban fell from power in 2001. Afghans are angry at America; the most recent example of why they are so upset is the recent aerial strikes by US warplanes that, according to some reports, killed well over 100 people.

If this report is confirmed and is revealed to be the deadliest incident involving civilians since 2001, then it might make Americans and Afghans alike wonder what reason the US and NATO have to even be in Afghanistan. A friend of mine on another blog recently expressed his anger over this, asking “What’s the point of being in Afghanistan to fight terrorists who mass murder civilians if we are just going to mass murder the civilians for them?”

I found this to be a very good insight into what is happening in Afghanistan. I cannot imagine the anger and despair the Afghan villagers in Farah Province are feeling right now. Who is on their side? Who’s going to help them rebuild their country, their lives, and their communities?

This is why we need to modify our strategy in Afghanistan. Two presidents in a row now have failed to address the key issues…sending more troops to battle the Taliban is only a small part of the solution to rebuild Afghanistan. I highly doubt we would be seeing this resurgence of violence if coalition forces had put more effort into necessities like women’s empowerment, education for girls, the eradication of poverty, the removal of land mines (there are millions in Afghanistan) and the modernization of an infrastructure intentionally run-down by millenarians bent on bringing their society back to the dark days of the 7^th Century.

There is an excellent web source I have been reading from, called “The Afghan Women’s Mission”…I have added it to my sidebar and borrowed an image from the site at the top of this post. Afghanistan’s answer to future success is not simply more soldiers and more fighting…yes, the Taliban needs to be defeated and yes, air power has proven to be essential in backing up Afghan and coalition forces who encounter swarms of Taliban fighters in the vast mountainous expanses throughout the country. But we need more civilian aid. Afghans who are satisfied with their lives will prove to be far more valuable in defeating the Taliban and stabilizing the country than even the most sophisticated bomb.

 There is an old proverb I’ve heard many times, and I’m sure you have too: “catch a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you fee him for a lifetime”. I think this can be applied to the great nation of Afghanistan. The country needs a police force and a modern army that can fight for the people and stand against threat regardless of who is in the White House or what the political situation is like in the US. I hope that President Obamahas some ideas on how to do this. The surge in Iraq saw great success because the strategy was to work directly with the Iraqi people. The same needs to be done in Afghanistan if we want to see more results.

After 7 long years that have grown in ferocity as they pass, Afghans lack basic services. Afghanistan needs to be fixed, or else the US and our NATO allies will simply be remembered as another set of “invaders” who failed to bring anything but violence to Afghanistan, and Afghans will slide back into a hell that will make the current spate of roadside bombings and suicide attacks seem serene. Regional neighbors, like Russia, Iran, and India, have an even bigger stake in all off this. Surely, Indian and Russian intelligence are going to be very afraid if Taliban leader Mullah Omar succeeds in coming to power…India will be especially concerned if the Taliban gains power in Pakistan. That, I must add, would be a recipe for a humanitarian disaster.

I remember in the weeks after September 11th, President Bush asked children all across America to donate $1 to the children of Afghanistan. What ever happened to those days? I thought we were all united, standing together and ready to confront the challenges we faced. Its time we live up to what we started and help fix Afghanistan.

Echoes of political strife

I found this story story about Nepal to be particularly concerning. In case you did not know, Nepal was locked in a bitter civil war between government forces and Maoist rebels throughout the 1990′s and 2000′s. Thousands of people were killed and the country’s tourism, unfortunately, took a hit. Peace has taken a hold with democratic elections held in 2008, along with the abolishment of monarch. However, the new government, which is dominated by Maoists, including former rebels, has fired the Chief of the Army over policy differences. As a soon-to-be visitor, I am very aware that this could have an impact on my trip. Hopefully, this isn’t going to amount to anything serious but it is worth posting. I feel confident I will be able to lend my hand to the people of Nepal, regardless of politics and government bureaucracy. Honestly, I think this current situation in Nepal seems a lot less tense than the political atmosphere here in the United States. The link to the story is just below.

From BBC News:

Nepal’s army chief has been fired by the ruling Maoists in a row over integrating their former fighters into the armed forces.

General Rookmangud Katawal was forced out during a special Cabinet meeting, the information minister said.

He was accused of defying government orders to stop hiring new recruits and to get rid of eight generals.

The government wants to integrate former Maoist rebel fighters into the army – a move opposed by generals.

Correspondents say the row could undermine the peace process which ended the civil war in 2006.

The Maoists fought the army for more than a decade before giving up their armed revolt in 2006 and joining a peace process.

Thirteen-thousand people died in the conflict.

It would be quite difficult to engage in community development if guns and explosions are going off. Given the humanitarian interest in Nepal from so many different agencies, the political factions in Nepal have an obligation to make sure these new tensions do not broil into anything serious so that the deep poverty the country is facing can be addressed. So far, Nepalese citizens I have talked to don’t seem to reflect the hostilities between the Army and the Government, instead they have a kind, generous nature and are looking towards a new future.

This is something to keep an eye on…but in the end peace and democracy are going to prevail in this festive, mountainous country full of culture and history.

Update: Nepal’s President is unwilling to go along with the decision made by the Prime Minister and the Maoist government…the Maoists are unhappy about this.

From The Himalayan Times:

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s ruling Maoists warned that the Himalayan nation’s peace process was “in peril” after the country’s president attempted to stop them sacking the powerful army chief.

The ultra-leftists fired General Rookmangud Katawal for refusing to integrate former Maoist rebel soldiers into the regular army, a key part of a 2006 peace deal that ended a decade of civil war.

But centrist President Ram Baran Yadav has told the army chief to stay.

Maoist spokesman and cabinet minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara told AFP that this was tantamount to a “constitutional coup” and vowed to fight back with street protests.

“The president is… violating constitutional norms. The president’s move has put the peace process in peril,” he told AFP. “Our party has taken the president’s step as a constitutional coup and we will fight against it.”

“The executive power to sack and appoint an acting army chief lies with the government and not the president. We will stick to our decision. We don’t have any plans to quit the government,” he said.

He said that the decision to sack the head of the army — traditionally a bastion of Nepal’s elite and former monarchy — was necessary to bring the army under civilian control.

 The opposition Nepali Congress party described the army chief’s sacking as “undemocratic and autocratic” and an attempt by the Maoists to “impose dictatorial rule” on Nepal.

Nepal does not need this right now. Politicians are always so focused on their own differences they easily forget about the people they are supposed to serve…this doesn’t just apply to Nepal in particular, because my own country hasn’t exactly been leading the way in a post-partisan politics, unfortunately. Anyway, there is widespread poverty all over Nepal, as I mentioned, and there are people in refugee camps throughout the country. Maybe the Maoists, the Opposition, and the Army could address that instead of argue and threaten a hard-earned peace process.

Nepal switches sides on the road!

Check this out…this is obviously going to have an effect, on my trip! A month ago the Nepalese government announced that the road regulations are going to change. The country had the traditional hallmark of a region influenced by the UK–cars driving on the left side of the road with steering wheels on the right-hand side.  But now, conversion kits are going to be offered to help drivers switch over in what is being called the “New Nepal”. Just think, I’ll be there right as this is taking place.

The Ministry of Labour and Transportation Management announced in Kathmandu today that Nepal will switch from driving on the left side of the road to driving on the right. The statement also said that the government will offer subsidized conversion kits for existing vehicles with right-side steering.

Transport Enhancement Division spokesman Latta Man Singh made the announcement in a joint news conference with police officials. He said that the proposal had been initiated by the Traffic Police after all other attempts to manage Kathmandu’s chaotic roads had failed. Singh said that his ministry had supported the idea from the beginning and saw it as a modernization step.

Pretty cool, isn’t it? I think this is going to be a very exciting event of cultural significance that I will have the chance to witness when I arrive in the country. Before I go to Nepal, I will be in India, which still maintains its left-side driving regulations, granted its history with the UK. From what I hear, traffic can be chaotic in India so maybe a which side of the road the cars are driving on won’t be my biggest worry. I’ve had the experience before anyways, a couple years ago when I was in Ireland and drove a jeep around the fields of Sligo.

Here you can see the Nepalese minister point out the British influence…

“We drive on the left only because the British forced India to do so,” he said. “People in the most developed countries drive on the right side of the road, and in the New Nepal we will too. That’s sure to encourage development in Nepal.”

The change will be phased in gradually according to Singh. Initially only government vehicles with yellow and white license plates will switch to right-side driving. After two weeks black-plate commercial vehicles will change over, and eventually private autos with red license plates will join them. The process is scheduled to be completed within 60 days.

Well, all I can say is I am very excited about seeing this “New Nepal” regardless of which side of the road its citizens will be driving on.  The rest of the story above can be viewed in the link at the top of this post.

One world, one person, trying to do so much

I decided to start this blog because I am very interested in trying to make the world a better place. I plan on posting a lot about my upcoming trip to Nepal–which I will be leaving for in August–I would like to post during my 3 and a half month stay in Kathmandu. In Nepal, I will be volunteering and working on community development…there is a lot going on in the nation of 30 million. There are many people who desire to learn English as a second language, there are villages in need of modernization, and there are children in orphanages who need friendship. I would like to do what I can as a single person to help out.

Anyway, welcome to my new site…hope you enjoy.