I met with Afghan ambassador to the United States Said Tayeb Jawad a few weeks back to talk about international reconstruction efforts in his country and Afghanistan’s tense relationship with its neighbor Pakistan. As an introduction to my coming blog series from Afghanistan, I am reposting my summary of the conversation. Here are some excerpts on …
Reconstruction:
To fight terrorism is not just a military matter. You have to show the perception of security, [which] for everyday Afghans means a better life, [and this is] related to physical reconstruction and the ability of the Afghan government to deliver services. The role of [U.S. and NATO] Provincial Reconstruction Teams is crucial. They’re the link between coalition forces and the everyday people. Now, I personally believe the PRTs should be involved more in capacity building with Afghan forces, the police and government. There has been a lot of focus on physical projects … but by digging a well you’re not going to change the economic conditions in a village. What Afghanistan is lacking is human capital. Building human capital will have a bigger effect than digging a well or building a soccer field.
Roads and power are our two biggest [physical reconstruction] priorities. Roads: there has been some progress. Power: not so much progress. Electricity is such a tangible thing.
Afghans’ attitude towards foreign forces and aid workers:
People are concerned that you may leave, actually. People want the international community to be there and to deliver capacity. The challenge for aid [workers] is that as the fight gets more intense, reconstruction will not continue and the Taliban will say to the people, “Look, they’re not here to rebuild.”
Efforts to eradicate Afghanistan’s opium industry (see photo):
Poppy areas are also where most of the insurgency is. Eradication of poppies is not the best solution to the narcotics problem. When people are poor, eradication has a huge political cost. The best way is to prevent cultivation. Alternative crops require infrastructure. They grow grapes in Kandahar, but these must be transported fast to market in India. Opium is easy to transport. People know there is an alternative [to opium cultivation] but you have to show them. If you give them two options — one legal and one illegal — you’ve got to be crazy to go with the illegal. We need better education. The best way to do that is to help the famers who aren’t doing it [growing poppies]. We must reward the good farmers. We also can pay a better price for legal crops.
Afghanistan’s relationship with Pakistan:
As long as terrorists are being trained inside Pakistan in “hate factories,” border security will fail. Border infiltration [by terrorists] is a symptom, not a cause.
Afghanistan’s future:
I’m hopeful. We have the consent and support of the international community. It will be a tough fight, but we have a lot of friends.
Related posts:
- Axeghanistan ’09: Tale of Three Districts
- Axeghanistan ’09: Parachute Day-Laborers
- Axeghanistan ’09: Saving Razia
- VoA News: Training Afghan Forces Poses Challenge for U.S. Military
- Axeghanistan ’09: Afghan National Police Checkpoint Video
- World Politics Review: Afghanistan Financial War Escalates
- Axeghanistan ’09: The Baraki Barak County Fair
[...] David Axe got to sit down with Afghan Ambassador Said Jawad. The snippets are encouraging: he shares many of my frustrations with how things are proceeding, along with a guarded hope that it just might work out. In stark contrast to some other, unnamed American projects, Afghanistan still has a very real chance of success. [...]
[...] David Axe got to sit down with Afghan Ambassador Said Jawad. The snippets are encouraging: he shares many of my frustrations with how things are proceeding, along with a guarded hope that it just might work out. In stark contrast to some other, unnamed American projects, Afghanistan still has a very real chance of success. [...]
[...] You might recall that Afghanistan has something of a heroin problem, too. A Goonie Bird would work great for getting international and Afghan drug cops into remote valleys where Afghan poppies are grown. Of course, so would a Huey helicopter, but the C-47s fly farther and carry more. [...]
Good luck in Afghanistan, David, and if you see an Aussie, shake his hand for me. In fact, shake the hand of any soldier you find there for me. Look forward to your reports. Cheers!
The drugs fix lockjaw and do make morphine. However these growers use the drugs for street sales here us sateside. Daycare workers in Buffalo Ny were not watching as a kid grabbed a wrapper with a smiley face that had heroin in it. The kid gave it to other kids thinking it was candy. The parents and daycare workers are under domestic services watch for now. All kids tested positive for opiates. This is what we are trying to weed out there. Good Job David. REfuel on the napalm, and make an extra run for me. It is obvious they are using the mountains to deter aerial crafts to destry the crop and use it as camoflauge from sattelites. Have the land based troops treat it like vietnam. There are tunnels there somewhere… Op T II loooks good so far!
Keep up the good work.
[...] Sure, Barack’s statement is deliberate campaign move, but is he wrong that Pakistan is the major source of terror in the world? Not according to the Afghan ambassador to the U.S. … and the Council on Foreign Relations: Despite its government’s cooperation with the United States, Pakistan is home to many Islamist extremists, some with links to al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Militants have conducted several terrorist attacks on Americans and other Westerners in Pakistan since September 11, including the abduction and murder of Daniel Pearl and the June 2002 car bombing of the U.S. consulate in Karachi, which killed twelve Pakistanis. Thanks to shared Islamist sympathies and ethnic ties, some Pakistanis have also helped Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters fleeing from Afghanistan take refuge throughout Pakistan. No Comments so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI Leave a comment Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong> [...]
[...] In light of this threat, India is standing up eight nuclear-disaster-response battalions similar to the U.S. National Guard’s Civil Support Teams. [...]
[...] But Afghan ambassador Said Jawad told me he had hope for Afghanistan precisely because of the international intervention. Does the Third Afghan War represent a break from history? Or are we like Andreev in Kandahar in 1982: “We still had not come to the realization that he who intervenes in Afghan politics for the most part only gets his hands burnt.” 5 Comments so far Leave a comment [...]
why don`t we buy up the opium and put it to legal uses and at the same time encourage legal crops