Conditions
of sustainable peace in Afghanistan
Paper presented at Ottawa
Conference on Reconstruction of Afghanistan
Dr. Said Abdullah Kazem
(former Dean of
economics at KU, Kabul University)
November 22, 2001
In
the Name of God, Most gracious, Most merciful
Prelude
The tragic events of September
11th in New York City and Washington DC were horrendous and evil, but
if one good has come out of this unfortunate situation it is that the struggle
for Afghanistan and the Afghan people have become a priority for the United
States and the international community. The United States and its allies were
pressured to take military action against terrorism once their soil was
threatened and affected; this action is a turning
point of vital interest in the contemporary history of Afghanistan. After
twenty-three years of war and destruction, the hope is born that in lieu of war,
there will be peace; in lieu of destruction, there will be reconstruction; in
lieu of suffering, tranquility will flourish in the country. Happily, this
conference is taking place in such a critical time that the possibility of peace
and reconstruction in Afghanistan is more imaginable now than ever before.
The issues that are being
discussed and are covered in this conference are of prime important in this
critical time. The results should be carefully studied and conveyed to Afghan
and international authorities. I personally wish to thank those who worked hard
to put together this conference, especially the foreign ministry of Canada, and
congratulate on passing the silent voice of Afghans to international bodies.
This conference should emphasize the importance of the contributions that Afghan
professionals from all over the world can offer in this great time of need. Many
of these professionals have been active in Afghan communities in the United
States, Canada and Europe and want to be given the opportunity to participate in
the decision-making process about the future of Afghanistan. Unfortunately, this
privilege has so far been given to those who have either personal or political
conflict of interest.
Establishment of peace in a
country that was involved in more than two decades of war is an enormous step.
If this step of establishing peace is successfully put into action and is
fulfilled, then the continuation of peace will follow. The destabilization of
peace in a future Afghanistan will become the greatest worry not only for the
country, but also for the region a whole. Therefore, to search for a sustainable
pragmatic peace is the prime responsibility of Afghans as well as of the
international community.
As to how we should establish
sustainable peace in Afghanistan depends upon a variety of cultural, social and
political factors based upon the socio-political structure of the country. On
the other hand, it is also important to consider the interest of other countries
in the region. In general, these factors could be categorized as external and
internal factors, but before we go further, I would like to share with you a
distinguishable characteristic of Afghan society, which during the course of
several thousand years of history has been the origin of war and conflict among
people of this nation.
To Resort To Force is a
Historical Phenomenon:
In general, to reach a goal,
Afghans resort to force rather than education and wisdom. From the gathering of
wrestlers, to competent fencers, to the establishment of bellicose, committed
warriors, to the desire to access war equipment, the warrior spirit has become
the definition of an Afghan. To be a warrior and warlike in the Afghan society
is not only to reach personal achievement and pride but carries with it social
privilege and prestige. The reason that many say, “Afghans are winners in war
but are losers in politics” is because of Afghans place a greater emphasis on
physical strength than on sound political thought. It is also for the same
reason that they capitalize less on learning and education, and more on war and
heroism.
The warrior spirit is most
apparent in Afghanistan’s government and politics. Every group in Afghanistan
seeks power by physical military force, even if it means sacrificing national
and public interest. Power hungry groups in Afghanistan have always succumbed to
any country offering military funding or weapons. The disastrous current
situation Afghanistan is the direct result of alliances of political puppet
groups inside Afghanistan with their “masters” outside, who are working hard
for their own regional interests and who make these domestic groups an
instrument for their objectives. All struggles are to achieve a monopoly of
power, and to subdue the masses of people to their self-imposed political will.
If one individual or group manages to achieve power, they then work to
systematically eradicate all other groups. Consequently, Afghans are less eager
to share power or provide the opportunity for others to have a voice in the
political process. Many neighboring countries have recognized and used the
Afghans warrior spirit for their own benefit. They have strategically turned
Afghans against each other making the road to peace even more difficult.
The continuing motive of war:
Peace cannot be established
unless the motives and reasons for the continuation of war are eliminated. The
vicious cycle of war that Afghanistan has been caught in can be defined in two
categories: The external factor and the internal factor. The first are the
external factor, which includes meddling of outside government’s like Pakistan
and Iran in the affairs of Afghanistan. The second are the internal factors,
which have been derived from the political, cultural, social, and tribal
structure of Afghanistan.
External factors:
The motives and reasons of war
in Afghanistan could be studied in non-governmental area (private) and
governmental (official) areas:
Non-governmental factors: Made of
those active non-governmental elements that observe and consider their
survival in a destabilized situation, with a lack of national government,
and opt for continuation of war in Afghanistan for their self interest as
warlords whose interest lies with plunder and anarchy.
Terrorist groups and the organized
international Islamic extremists who belong to Al- Qaeda.
The followers of the Islamic parties
of Pakistan.
Mafia who are smuggling narcotics and
drugs
Mafia who are smuggling commercial
goods.
Governmental: This is mainly the
existence of political rivalry and contradictory attitude of the regional
powers as each try to influence the Afghans for their own interest. Mainly
Iran and Pakistan through military and financial contributions have tried to
influence their accomplices in the country, and thereby fueling the war for
their interest. Currently, even as we are here gathering for the cause of
peace, Pakistan is playing its tribal card against the Northern Alliance.
Pakistan is protecting the Pushtun tribes while Iran, Russia and India
strongly support and protect the Northern Alliance. These days, Turkey along
with some Central Asian countries and most importantly, the United States,
which has begun its military operation since October 7th, have entered this
dangerous game of regional conflict. Apparently, struggles and contradictory
approaches of foreign powers in the region are out of their interests and is
a major cause of continuation of war and clashes in Afghanistan.
The Internal Factors: factors that are
contributing to the internal war in Afghanistan and cause disability in
Afghanistan are as follows:
Power seeking armed groups who are
involved in war for achieving power (namely the Taliban and the Northern
Alliance).
Local commanders and their militias,
who are connected to one of the major groups on the basis of tribal,
religious, linguistic affiliation as well as financial and personal
expectation, accordingly change their position in between the major
groups. Consequently they destabilizes the involved power balance and drag
on with war for their self interest. These warlords, like the external
factors, see their interest in continuation of war and they see their loss
in the existence of a powerful government.
Increasing unemployment and poverty
will force people to join the war. This puts the common people at the
disposal of the warlords solely for the purpose of survival.
Lack of national government based on
law and order, along with lack of security and safety causes chaos and
anarchy. Local groups resort to weapons for the purposes of plunder and
aggression and end up taking away the right of civil people, and
consequently expanding the rim of war in the country.
The domination of war culture in the
last two decades has been so deep in the mentality of people that the
slightest issue is dealt with by means of war rather than peace and
co-existence. People who were born in war, grew up in war, and who are fed
by war do not recognize any other means and are completely alien to peace.
Unfortunately all tolerance, comprehension, and patience to commit to
peace are lost despite the need.
One way to mobilize people in war is
to provoke one group against another based upon tribal, religious and
linguistic affiliation within the society. This trend unfortunately began
with the Soviet invasion in the 80’s and continues today with same
nature and speed. These differences are one of the major factors of
continuation of war in Afghanistan. Competition between Pushtuns and non-Pushtuns
increased dramatically, and it has very nearly divided the Afghan nation
into two strong zones.
Too many power hungry warlords
motivate war in Afghanistan. The seven figureheads of the jihad era along
with different political parties fight for power and are trying to prove
their superiority. This drives them to expand their military expedition.
Unfortunately, major clashes are between the figureheads and are on a
personal level. Rather, than resolving the major issue of Afghanistan,
they are involved in petty disputes on a large scale. This situation leads
to more war.
Sustainable Peace:
Sustainable peace is possible
and could be attained if only those factors and motives of war as it was
elaborated above, are eliminated entirely. The major question is how can we
eliminate those factors and motives and establish the pillars of peace and
constancy in Afghanistan?
What is certain that in the last
two decades of war, Afghans have lost the potential to remove, by themselves,
the various obstacles and problems of their way. Afghans need the continuous
support of the international community. Without the support and participation of
the international community, getting out of this black hole will be difficult if
not impossible. The expectation of Afghan people in this critical moment of
their history is that the international community will take decisive action for
eliminating both the internal and the external obstacles that have blocked the
path for peace, solidarity and consistency. The actions that must be taken are
as follows:
In the domain of external factors:
Total expulsion of all foreign
militia forces, and extremists composed of Afghan-Arabs, Pakistanis, and
other nationalities, and total eradication of their organizations as they
will not be able to reform directly or indirectly within the territory.
Total prohibition of poppy seed
cultivation in Afghanistan to cut the hands of Mafia and their interference
in the domestic affairs of the country.
Establishment of official commercial
contracts according to the national and regional interest in order to
eliminate any sort of smuggling of commercial goods in Afghanistan.
Prohibition of influences of Pakistani
and Islamic parties madrsas, and Iranian religious organizations that
will be against the supreme national interest of Afghanistan.
Sustainable peace will not be reached
until there is a comprehensive understanding between all outside governments
not to directly or indirectly interfere in Afghanistan’s politics. Foreign
aid will be welcome in Afghanistan only from countries genuinely interested
in helping the country rebuild. We hope that the United States, the United
Nations and other friendly nations such as Canada pressure the neighboring
countries of Afghanistan to stop fueling this war. In this sensitive period
of not only Afghan history but also world history it is necessary that all
countries of the world should act together under the auspices of the United
Nations to reach sustainable peace in Afghanistan.
In the domain of internal factors:
Demilitarization of all parties
involved in war including non affiliated groups and militias.
Controlling of all financial and
military transaction getting into the country.
Establishment of a strong national
government and the role of people in electing their representatives to the
local counsel and civil organizations.
Deployment of the United Nations
Security Forces and establishment of a strong police force for security and
safety of the public.
Immediate activation of educational
system particularly for reconstruction and reviving those values that
promote peace and solidarity.
Immediate undertaking of reconstruction
projects, reviving of the national economy, and providing the opportunity
for the employment of a productive work force.
Planning of the retuning refugees and
of their resettlement in their respective town and villages.
Attracting all Afghan experts and
professionals outside the country to use their expertise in reconstruction
of Afghanistan.
Develop laws that follow Shariate and
respect the human rights of all people.
Again, I would like thanking the
Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for providing this opportunity and it was
my privilege to be here.
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