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September 12, 2011

Bernhard Lucke, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Platinum Contributor (503)

Finally, an excellent analysis of the situation in Afghanistan! So it seems at least some of our politicians realise what is going on.

I thought that lack of knowledge was mainly behind our failures, but hearing Rory Stewart, I now think it is the old demon Hybris. What a hybris to believe that failure is not an option. Indeed, I would go a step further: we have failed in Afghanistan, and the earlier we acknowledge that, the better.

Only the courage to acknowledge defeat may give us the honesty and strength to learn how we can do better in the future. In this context, I fully agree with his last comment on Libya. Probably we can only win a Phyrrus victory there now, with one regime replacing the other, if we are not creating a new Iraq or Afghanistan. In any case, in the security council all credibility regarding resolutions to protect civilians in civil wars was burned up - the quest for regime change unfortunately puts the German abstention in a different light.

In those days I disagreed with Westerwelle, but now I must unfortunately say, he was right. Military interventions won't cure the maladies of oppressive regimes, but Rory Stewart is right that there are plenty of other and better things we could do if we really wanted to help.

September 13, 2011

Matthew Becker, New York University Center for Global Affairs , (10)

Spot on, as Rory always is. It's incredible to me that intellectuals such as Stewart, who have not only a lot of knowledge about Afghanistan and the problems it faces, but also express a lot of just plain common sense, are often ignored or brushed aside by the powers that be in favor of policies that keep us in these seemingly neverending cycles of failure.

October 12, 2011

Niamatullah Sayer Sharifi, Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, Bronze Contributor (15)

I would like to say that lack of knowledge was one of the main reasons in the failure in Afghanistan. In addition, there was not any strategy towards Afghanistan after the soviet withdrawal, and the international community had left Afghanistan alone. As a result, it became a safe heaven for terrorists and bad guys. Similarly, the policy that they had been made after 9/11 was an emergency policy. Unfortunately, those terrorists and bad guys are still operating in Afghanistan and the international community is here to defeat them . If the international community haven't reach to that goal or objective then Mr. Bernhard Lucke is right that International Community has lost the war and they have to acknowledge that and leave Afghanistan. but doing so will face them with the a new face of terrorism, which will be more stronger and more aggressive.

the job needs to be accomplished either by current techniques or by bringing some changes in it.

regards

November 8, 2011

Reza Kateb, School of Policy Studies, University of Bristol

This presentation was a brilliant analysis on the Afghanistan and even from an ordinary Afghan prespective it is highly important to all policy-makers at various level whom concerns about challenges.

The US foriegn policy has changed the situation in a country such as Afghanistan and basically the International allainces are following their own agenda. For instance they are still supporting the idea of big brother in Afghanistan, by listening to Afghan-Pashtun scholars for the last 10 years or so. It is argued that undue attention is paid towards a particular ethno-regions in terms of rehabilitation and providing livelihood to the people in the country.

On the other hand, Pakistani govenment influnces the international community on various policy issues in Kabul. More importantly, the Karzai administration is not a close friend with international community and particularly a distintion can be seen between the Karzai and Obama’s administration.

It has impressed me, that most aid amount has been spent in oversea and recruiting jobs for US and EU citizens, I noticed that thousands, of international are working in the capacity of advisors in key ministries in Afghanistan with lack of knowldege about Afghanistan.
Unfortunatly the ground for knowledgeable person such as Michale Sample is closed uncertainly.

December 19, 2011

Aziz Royesh, Afghan Fellow at NED, Washington

Rory Stewart is one of those who know what to say about Afghanistan, and what is to be done.

Bonn Accord was a good start. It provided the country, for the first time, the sort of platform that Rory is suggesting. The realities of a country cannot be pushed by force, cannot be changed by dictation, cannot move ahead by good will. One has to create a platform and one has to put the realities on their right track.

There are many who are to be blamed. Especially those who put the agenda of the Bonn Accord untouched and stepped to follow the old model of Ethnic Politics in the new semi-modern context. The administration was changed into the battlefield of such a nasty game, but the villages were left empty for those who would find their audience and posse their challenge in less than five years to come.

Now going after Taliban and trying to appease them for joining the system is sorts of eating from the back of one's head. This is a pity, but one has to accept it.

No one should push for a full-scale runaway. Afghanistan is not Libya. It is a country with hundreds of safe heavens for all who would wish to use it as a training camp, as a sanctuary, and as a model to claim victory over all!