Rebuilding Afghanistan

 

Exploring the challenges confronting the development of Afghanistan requires us to delineate the different spheres of influence in the country into the internal and external dimensions of activity in Afghanistan. The internal dimension of the challenges comprises the developmental hurdles emanating from domestic actors and these impediments existed before Afghanistan became the frontline state in the war on international terrorism. These challenges include the problems arising from the ethnic fragility of the country such as, among other issues, an emerging North-South divide and the insurgency as a tool of Pashtun discontent with the present distribution of power. Other manifestation of the continuing challenges include, the appalling literacy rates, bureaucratic inefficiency, an inefficient justice sector, ill equipped police force and so forth. The development program in Afghanistan is a long term undertaking, therefore the establishment of the police forces as well as other developments mentioned in the opening paragraph might be success stories, however, and the development of these institutions into efficient government entities, void of endemic corruption is the continuing challenge that confronts both the Government of Afghanistan and the international community. .

The external dimension of the development challenges of Afghanistan  is largely due to a lack of donor sensitivity and understanding of the internal complexities of the Afghan society. Another external dimension is Pakistan's Afghanistan policy which has enormous implications to Afghanistan. It is widely believed that elements within the Government of Pakistan are actively engaged in supporting the insurgency in Afghanistan. While these accusations might border conspiracy, nonetheless the development of cordial relations between the two governments could have a significant positive impact on internal developments in Afghanistan.

One element, however, that defies this division between the internal and external is the growing poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. This growth underlines and epitomizes the challenges that confront the Government of Afghanistan, as the poppy business feeds the insurgency, the endemic corruption within the government and warlordism - solidifying the iron triangle of present day Afghanistan.

Attempting to confront the development challenges of Afghanistan will require confronting both the internal and external dimensions of these challenges. Furthermore, what is needed is a synchronicity between the donor community and the Government of Afghanistan in terms of their efforts to resolve these challenges. The following are a thematic categorization of the various barriers to development in Afghanistan.

On an interethnic level, the recent political upheavals have levelled the playing field in interethnic relationships, perhaps to the permanent disadvantage of the Pashtuns. Tajiks and the other significant ethnic minorities, buoyed by many years of virtual self-rule and memories of Pashtun domination and civil war show few signs of accepting Pashtun political superiority. The positive impact of this could potentially mean more equitable distribution of power, economic opportunity, and social integration. The negative impact may well involve continued civil war, increasingly conducted with other ethnic groups united against the Pashtuns who insist on reestablishment of the status quo ante. It is difficult to draw any conclusions about the outcome of this struggle which is ensuing at the moment through a dual-track of insurgency and peaceful political wrangling; nonetheless it deserves particular attention as a major challenge to the donor community and the Government of Afghanistan and might well be the underlying reason for the strengthening of the insurgency.

Experts have cautioned that nation-building may be hindered by overly zealous external administrators who insist upon establishing the rule of law before domestic actors are permitted to play out their political differences. This is particularly true in the immediate post-Taliban period in Afghanistan. Several commanders with massive public support in their particular areas were forced out of power by the coalition forces in favour of a weak police force: A case in point is Mullah Sher Muhammad in Helmand and Mullah Jan Muhammad in Uruzgan. More importantly however, the coalition failed to take the advice of the Government of Afghanistan on this exact point. Western conceptions of human rights aiming towards turning Afghanistan into a righteous society must be put on hold for the moment, it is imperative that other more impending challenges be confronted before focusing on the more mundane tasks.  

The resilience of the insurgency in Afghanistan has surprised many due to its tenacity and longevity. Buoyed by initial success, the international forces became sanguine in their outlook and failed to capitalize on the virtual defeat of the Taliban and their Al Qaeda sympathizers. This allowed the insurgency time and room to regroup and assume a national resistance veneer which allowed them to mobilize support from certain elements within the Pashtun south in Afghanistan and the tribal agencies in Pakistan. The continuing insurgency is the single most threatening opposition to the Government of Afghanistan in particular, and the international community in general. It is imperative that the insurgency is dealt with by any means necessary including political accommodation. Needless to say, dealing with the insurgency has particular implications for the development and reconstruction efforts of the Government of Afghanistan and the donor community.

Broken by incessant war, civil society is almost non-present. Due to the tribulations that the country went through and continues to go through, this functionally important element of the society has virtually disappeared and has taken with it any input that the people might have towards public policy. In my opinion, disenfranchisement of the civil society is one of the chief development challenges of Afghanistan which must be addressed as a means of ensuring long term stability of the country. 

This leads us to the important upcoming summit organized by the Center for Policy Priorities - an Afghan led think tank dedicated to engaging professional afghan youth from across the globe in public policy discourse in Afghanistan. The inaugural summit is in Kabul on November 20-22 and will bring together Afghan professionals from across the world on a discussion dealing with eliminating disenfranchisement and promoting civil society participation in policy discourse. The author will have the privilege of attending this summit as a delegate from Canada.

Afghanistan's geographic position has contributed the single most important element to the shaping of its history, its ethnic diversity, its economy, and its political situation in the region and increasingly in the world. In contemporary times, the geography of Afghanistan has been a curse for the country and as a buffer state the country has been used as a battle ground for proxy wars. Afghanistan's renewed importance since September 11th has put it in the spotlight once more, and as of yet the implications of this renewed significance have so not been fully determined.

Suffice to say that outside actors and administrators must have a nuanced appreciation for the history and contemporary political aspirations of a country's various factions. It is imperative that the donor countries stop treating Afghanistan as a ‘blanket policy' situation, where they attempt to start institution building from scratch, without paying attention to the historical and social legacies of the country.