For Sitara Magazine
By Khalida Sarwari
Everybody’s talking about Afghanistan. On CNN, reports of the daily carnage are sandwiched in between Britney Spears’ latest escapades and confessions of weary-looking has-beens on Larry King Live. Afghanistan has made its presence – and not just in the news. The Western world is meeting Afghanistan in books, like Khalid Hosseini’s acclaimed novel, The Kite Runner, and in kabob houses, over bolani and cardamom tea. Though tarnished and broken – much like its inhabitants – and barely functioning as a nation, Afghanistan is finally getting recognized, due in part to the momentous events that transpired on September 11, 2001.
“The international community forgot about Afghanistan,’’ Julian Evans, the British Consul General, explained in a lecture last month at the Berkeley City Club in Berkeley, California.
Evans spoke about the current situation in Afghanistan and the national and moral obligations of the United Kingdom to the war-torn nation. Evans said that, for its part, the U.K. is committed to continuing its peacekeeping efforts in Afghanistan,admitting that while dangerous, it would be morally indefensible not do so.
“If the coalition withdraws, Afghanistan will be a failed state,” Evans said.
Evans proposed objectives to prevent the further downfall of a nation that is ranked first among the 50 least developed countries, according to the United Nations.
The first objective is to make Afghanistan self-sustaining. In order to become independent, Evans stated that the second objective for Afghanistan is to establish the institutions that will be necessary. The third objective is to provide British military forces that would help enable the Afghan government to implement policies in its venture to become a democratic nation.
Contributions from the international community have not been ineffectual and should not be underestimated, Evans said. In the presidential elections in 2004, 70 percent of Afghans voted, with a 52 percent voter turnout in 2005. The media, formerly banned by the Taliban, now consists of five television stations and 200 newspapers. Security around the country remains stable, with the exception of particular regions in the south. Women are thriving in the national assembly and judicial branch. A quarter of the members in the national assembly are women and 42 women in the country hold the honorable position of a judge. In schools, 40 percent of the students are girls and a third of the teachers are women.
As they say, it ain’t over until the fat lady sings. In Afghanistan, the fat lady singing would represent American and British troops pulling out. Evans fears that women will especially feel the consequence of this endeavor:
“They will be plunged into a new dark age.”
Evans was realistic in his assessment of affairs in Afghanistan, saying that even with the U.K.’s commitment of over 900 million dollars in developmental efforts and investment ventures, the country will remain poor for a while, stating “Afghans have to be responsible for themselves.”
Responsibility entails a unified vision to put an end to the many years of national and cultural rape by foreign invaders and the Taliban. Time has seen many dynasties, nations, and empires crumble to dust and rise again and Afghanistan is no different. If the strong and ruggedly beautiful landscape of the nation is any indication of the nature of its people, then there is hope yet for brighter days ahead.
