In his book "Decent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of
Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia" Ahmed Rashid
depicts the reasons for the United States' failure in rebuilding Afghanistan
after 9/11. He provides his reader with an intimate account of the crisis and
sheds light on the dynamics of this conflict ridden area, demonstrating the
misleading US policy of the Bush administration.
The author's conclusions are devastating, as he argues that Iraq has
been nothing but a "sideshow." The main events fueling terrorism and Islamic extremism are
taking place in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia. Rashid points out that
after the invasion of Afghanistan, the US refused to provide the country with
either forces or funds for reconstruction. Requests by the international
community for a "Marshall Plan" for Afghanistan were turned down.
Rashid further outlines that the US has failed to adhere to the request
by Iraqis to send more troops in order to rebuild security in the country.
Instead, it has spent millions on warlords, who in many cases are former
Taliban commanders, hoping that they would provide information about al-Qaeda.
He argues that the US should have used its money and influence to supplement
President Karzai's power as well as to rebuild the country. He also points out
that the failure of nation building in Pakistan and Afghanistan can be traced
back to the failure of the international community to deal with Afghanistan's
flourishing drug economy, which has laid the groundwork for restarting training
camps for terrorist groups.
Furthermore, Rashid blames the US for ignoring Pakistan's support for
the Taliban but also for not putting enough pressure on Musharraf. The US was
aware of Pakistan's military and financial "support for jihad as legitimate
foreign policy." The author accuses the US of turning a blind eye to the fact that
the billions of dollars that have been poured into Pakistan to combat al-Qaeda
have been used by Musharraf to strengthen the army against India. Rashid points
out that as long as Musharraf promised to help in catching al-Qaeda leaders,
the US did not push for democratic changes in Pakistan's domestic policy.
Remarkably, Rashid does not lose sight of the role India plays in the
complexities that evolve from this region. Kashmir is the linchpin of the
conflict between Pakistan and India. Pakistan's Afghanistan policy can only be
understood against the backdrop of this dispute. As a logical consequence the
author highlights the importance of US involvement in achieving a settlement in
Kashmir. Furthermore, Rashid stresses that the US has also failed to pay
attention to the Islamic movement in Uzbekistan as well as to the various
Chechnyan groups, Kashmiris and Chinese extremists that have an impact on the
stability of the region.
To literally stop the "descent into chaos", Ahmed Rashid calls upon the
US, EU, NATO and the UN to reach a global compact. Collective action, Rashid
concludes, must address the settlement of the Kashmir conflict as well as the
reconstruction of the country. Tackling the drug problem and funding education
and job programs must be a priority. Easing the tension in the region requires
a long-term commitment, which the US must not shirk from. The next US
administration must pressure Central Asian countries who support extremist
groups, which remain a major threat in the area as well as hindering nation
building.
"Descent into Chaos" is a well-written book, which
unfortunately tends to try the reader's patience. Although the historic
overview Rashid gives is essential to understanding the dimensions of the
situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia, the masses of detail and
names have a rather distracting effect. It is nonetheless an insightful piece
that gives an impassioned call to correct the United
States' failed strategy in the region.
Buy at Amazon.com or Amazon.de
Sepideh Parsa is currently an editorial intern at atlantic-community.org
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