Three of 35 Taliban who recently turned themselves in and handed
over their weapons as part of Kabul's reconciliation and
reintegration
program, in Herat Province. Could it be that the dire predictions for
Afghanistan's future are overblown?
Unwarranted
Pessimism Over Leaving Afghanistan (Die Zeit, Germany)
"Many
Taliban have always said that they took up their arms to fight the occupiers and
drive them out of the country. It is possible that now, a good number of Taliban
will lay down their arms since they have succeeded in achieving what they set
out to do. ... The history of modern Afghanistan gives little cause for
optimism, but there is one thing we ought to remember: The greatest misfortunes
for Afghanistan have come from the outside."
In 2014, the last NATO combat troops will
have left Afghanistan. The Americans want to leave no more than 10,000 men in
the country. What will happen next? At the moment, most of the scenarios being
posed are gloomy. They range from civil war to a return of the Taliban.
There are certainly many good reasons to
doubt that Afghanistan will find peace after 2014. Still, it is amazing how
little credit we give the Afghans. After all, Afghanistan is their country. Given
that, we should assume they will know best how to move toward reconciliation.
But no! We believe that the withdrawal of
NATO troops will inevitably lead to another disaster. If the parents are out,
the children will argue. This reflects a blatantly paternalistic
attitude.
The purpose of this assertion is easy to
see through. Imagined and anticipated violence in Afghanistan serves to justify a
mission that is drawing to a close. "See what they do without us! They strike
each other dead!" By implication, this means “when we were still there, things
were better." NATO has always made itself out to be a kind of a benevolent
father who keeps the violent and unruly children under control. Nothing could
be further from the truth.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
NATO has always been a war party,
supporting one side against the other. And even when its representatives
claimed that they wanted to establish democracy, rule of law and human rights,
they were following their own strategic interests. This is legitimate, but it must
also be said. NATO has certainly not finished the war. Rather, it is the war that
has set NATO ablaze.
Could it be that after 2014, the Afghans will
find peace? It's possible, even if the going is tough. Here are a few of the reasons they might.
The Afghan Army has already taken
responsibility for security in most of the country. It is frequently involved
in firefights and more and more of its troops are being killed in them. But overall,
the number of attacks, assassinations and raids has dropped. This means that even
the Taliban have changed their strategy.
But why? Many Taliban have always said that
they took up their arms to fight the occupiers and drive them completely out of
the country. It is possible that now, a good number of Taliban will lay down
their arms - after all, they are a very diverse group - since they have succeeded
in achieving what they set out to do.
The history of modern Afghanistan gives
little cause for optimism, but there is one thing we ought to remember: The
greatest misfortunes for Afghanistan have come from the outside.
