Progress in Afghanistan
NATO is committed to its war of attrition against the Taliban in Afghanistan, but it's been tough slogging. Tough to mount a concerted international effort to assist a government that seems to be so incapable of fully representing the best interests of its country, of its people. An inept government council replete with representatives whose past misdeeds in the country place it alongside the enemy all are attempting to incapacitate makes for a fairly one-sided effort.
The key purpose of NATO forces in Afghanistan is to oust the fanatical Islamists to enable the government in Afghanistan to produce a viable state with full security for its residents, with access to justice and accountability, an improvement of economic conditions and social services and the production of reliable infrastructure. Schools have been built enabling children to be educated; health facilities have been built to ensure the population has recourse to that resource.
There has been progress in economic areas, and rights for women, but the government is still rife with corruption, the justice and police system is unreliable, there remains a lack of basic services and the people of Afghanistan are beginning to lose confidence in their new reality. The Taliban have met with much success in portraying themselves as the friends of farmers in Afghanistan, encouraging their poppy growth and sales, while the NATO allies have lost the opportunity to do the same, finding legitimate markets for the sale of medical opium products.
Soldiers being trained to serve their country don't find satisfaction and commitment in being professionally trained troops, and the encouragement to fight for the Karzai government is restrained by their paltry paycheques. NATO itself is struggling to maintain its needed presence in support of the Karzai government, some of its member-countries subscribing to the mission with adequate troop support, but many more paying mere lip service with inadequate support or none at all.
Afghanistan stands on the brink of success or failure. It will take more than the goodwill and efforts offered the country by the UN and NATO to bring it success.
Time for official Afghanistan to care enough about its future to pull its weight alongside its supporters.
The key purpose of NATO forces in Afghanistan is to oust the fanatical Islamists to enable the government in Afghanistan to produce a viable state with full security for its residents, with access to justice and accountability, an improvement of economic conditions and social services and the production of reliable infrastructure. Schools have been built enabling children to be educated; health facilities have been built to ensure the population has recourse to that resource.
There has been progress in economic areas, and rights for women, but the government is still rife with corruption, the justice and police system is unreliable, there remains a lack of basic services and the people of Afghanistan are beginning to lose confidence in their new reality. The Taliban have met with much success in portraying themselves as the friends of farmers in Afghanistan, encouraging their poppy growth and sales, while the NATO allies have lost the opportunity to do the same, finding legitimate markets for the sale of medical opium products.
Soldiers being trained to serve their country don't find satisfaction and commitment in being professionally trained troops, and the encouragement to fight for the Karzai government is restrained by their paltry paycheques. NATO itself is struggling to maintain its needed presence in support of the Karzai government, some of its member-countries subscribing to the mission with adequate troop support, but many more paying mere lip service with inadequate support or none at all.
Afghanistan stands on the brink of success or failure. It will take more than the goodwill and efforts offered the country by the UN and NATO to bring it success.
Time for official Afghanistan to care enough about its future to pull its weight alongside its supporters.
Labels: Inconvenient Politics
posted by Pieface | 5:41 PM
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