Pubdate: Mon, 16 Oct 2006
Source: Bangkok Post (Thailand)
Copyright: The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 2006
Contact:  http://www.bangkokpost.co.th/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/39

RIGHTING THE AFGHAN WRONGS

Five years ago, the Taliban regime in Afghanistan fled along with its 
Arab terrorist allies in the US invasion that followed the Sept 11, 
2001 attacks on the United States. Since then, the country has failed 
to establish a decent, functioning government. Despite much aid and 
strong support from the United Nations and the world, Afghanistan is 
in desperate trouble. The viable economy consists almost entirely of 
opium production and drug trafficking. Terrorism, particularly 
suicide bombers, threatens life everywhere. The Taliban army, routed 
but not disintegrated in 2001, has regrouped and remains a deadly 
military threat. There are open fears in Afghanistan that the Taliban 
rebels pose an actual threat to central power. The commander of Nato 
forces, British Gen David Richards, believes the Kabul government and 
international supporters have as little as six months before the 
Taliban begin to make major gains. The extremists have survived by 
mounting tough military resistance in the Afghan mountains. But, says 
Gen Richards and his Nato staff, the Afghan people are beginning to 
miss the social order and security of the Taliban days more than they 
appreciate their current freedom. The Afghanistan government, the 
United Nations and Nato must solve three major problems if they are 
to prevent failure.

The first is that President Hamid Karzai and his government in Kabul 
have failed to lead. Mr Karzai, ministers and civil servants all have 
become bogged down in bureaucracy and indecision. There is little 
obvious governance, massive corruption, and the drug trade has grown 
out of control. Instead of dealing forthrightly with regional 
warlords - making deals where possible, dealing decisively where 
necessary - Mr Karzai has created an administration that is neither 
willing nor able to confront the serious problems of the country. The 
president has a point when he blames niggardly resources and aid, but 
not much of one. Example: On numerous occasions, Thailand offered to 
help with anti-opium crop-replacement expertise, while Kabul dithered 
and wavered.

That brings up the second point. Afghanistan produces almost all the 
world's supply of opium meant for the traffickers of heroin. Use of 
this dangerous, killer drug is growing again, exactly because of the 
increased availability. Afghans are opposed to using herbicide to 
kill the opium crops, mainly for the irrational, wartime fear of 
chemicals dropped from airplanes. The government has vacillated on 
crop substitution as heavily armed, influential gangs and warlords 
have taken over the drug trade. Even farmers who curse drugs and want 
clean options are enslaved by the drug gangs, forced by poverty and 
lack of opportunity to grow opium. The Taliban, as they have been 
since their inception, are the chief drug traffickers.

Finally, there is the role of Pakistan in Afghanistan's troubles. 
Islamabad and President Pervez Musharraf long ago began harsh 
crackdowns and arrests of al-Qaeda, both the Arab invaders and their 
home-grown supporters. But they have benignly accepted the Taliban - 
originally created and fed by the Pakistan army's Directorate for 
Inter-Services Intelligence. This has created the huge and ultimately 
unfriendly problem for Afghanistan of providing safe haven and a 
supply route for the Taliban. Pakistan also should consider the part 
its policy plays in worsening the narcotics problem which threatens, 
literally, to overwhelm Afghanistan.

There remains an immense amount of world goodwill for Afghanistan. 
The nation has been torn by wars and civil wars without cease since 
1979. Western forces will not remain forever, nor will Afghans allow 
them. But neither the United Nations nor the Afghanistan government 
has marshalled or exploited the available aid. A chaotic, undeveloped 
Afghanistan is unacceptable in today's world. A return to the abusive 
Taliban regime is unthinkable, even if that group were not directly 
tied to international terrorism. The international community needs to 
step up the efforts to move Afghanistan forward, mount a serious 
effort against the drug traffickers at all levels, and help the Kabul 
regime become an effective government.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman