What’s your view about what should happen now in Afghanistan?
June 11th, 2008 by mike
I’ve recently been interviewing award winning author James Meek on my literary magazine The View From Here.
James has worked as a journalist since 1985 and his reporting from Iraq and about Guantánamo Bay won a number of British and international awards. In 2001 he reported for the Guardian Newspaper on the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan and the liberation of Kabul. James new book is We Are Now Beginning Our Descent.
I asked him about his opinion on the current state of Afghanistan and this was his response:
I believe there are parts of the country where life has improved, but on the whole the picture is bleak. US and British forces in the south and east of the country are doing what they can, but their mission is impossible, since whether they are doing well or badly in their goal of fending off their armed opponents and making the country safe for reconstruction, they are effectively acting as free mercenaries for a corrupt government. If they rid a neighbourhood of the Taliban, they only make it safe for bribe-taking cops, embezzling bureaucrats and governors up to their elbows in the heroin trade. If the western troops pulled out, they would only clear the way for the other forces tearing the country apart to return in greater strength than ever - the cultural conflict between the Pashtun in the south of the country and the Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras in the north; the war between ignorance and enlightenment, between the countryside and the cities; the proxy war for influence between Afghan’s neighbours, Iran, Pakistan, China and the former Soviet countries; the feuds between local warlords. There are three alternatives: partition of the country into north and south, the emergence of a popular, ruthless, relatively secular dictator whom the outside world and the majority of Afghans can tolerate, or - the best option, I think - the temporary suspension of the Afghan government and its replacement by a UN-mandated administration on Bosnian lines, but with a Muslim face and a Muslim chief administrator.
So what’s your view?
For the full interview click here.
Picture Credit: Sean Clee/Royal Navy/PA
hey Mike..
Great post and timely considering what happened earlier on the pakistan border….
I tend to agree with James, an administrator will have to be put in place until some other solution can be found….
It is shame but neither of these countries Afghanistan or Iraq are going to be ok for many many years……
Some things should just be left alone and the people will sort it and then we help…
Mike - Great post and interview.
It really is a Catch-22 situation in Afghanistan and there is no winner. Maybe best for all the foreign forces to leave and let the situation sort itself out - this will probably take
The worse thing about the whole situation is the poppy flowers and hence the heroin trade continues to thrive as ever before. These are one set of flowers we should not be smelling.
arvind’s last blog post..Mother’s Day – a Time to Celebrate and Honour your Mother whilst you still can
“These are one set of flowers we should not be smelling”
Agree and glad you liked the interview.
mike’s last blog post..Too Much Fun
I think it’s disgusting that to further it’s own living standards the world went in and unleashed an attack on Afghanistan and colonised it. I think it’s impossible to make a bunch of people living in caves scapegoats for 9/11 or any other world event. The attack on Afghanistan was clearly an occupational move to conquer a weak country in the heart of Asia just like China did with Tibet. The country stands at major trade routes in Asia and is also extremely rich in Mineral resources; further, bases in Afghanistan effectively exert control and pressure on the surrounding region; so essentially Afgan occupation is a move to further the occupier’s living standards
Afghanistan was around 10 years into independence from the Soviet Union when it was re-colonised, if the country had been allowed self determination then after all the bloodshed in 10 or 20 or 30 years the country would have settled down; we have already seen this in post colonial era countries such as India, which are now reaching superpower status 60 years after independence from colonists, with the 1st 30 years pretty bleak. One cannot have hope for a country like Afghanistan or Iraq or Tibet and expect it to settle down with colonisation in place, because colonisation makes people rebel against it.
Thank you for this post. I’m not sure what the best thing to do is. I do not feel that I have enough information. However, the information that I do have indicates that whatever the decision, it will not be popular for some segment, government or nation and turmoil will continue. Now, why did we get involved again. (really don’t need the answer…it just sad all the way around).
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Yep it does seem to be a “no win” situation.
Hiya Mike - congrats on another quality interview over at The View from here!
How’s it all going with the magazine thesedays? It’s getting around facebook thats for sure and its great to see your excerpts posted here - you’re gathering quite a portfolio.
Ok - we were avoiding the Afghan question - politics and war isn’t a strong point (is it anyones?) although with James Meeks insights we’re far more clued up than we were - thanks for sharing.
Incidentally a pal of ours runs an advneture company and one of the best trips, he tells us is to Northern Afghan - to the sites where Geng khan (No relation to Shaka) unleashed hell - treking wise its the best….hes offered me a place on the Genghas Kahn training camp in Mongolio this September - seriously - it exists and your taught how to track bears and eagles….
I’ll pass on it for now - quite fancy catching up on the soaps
A Genghas Kahn training camp in Mongolio? The mind boggles!
The magazine is going really well thanks I’ve got another author interview next week and then the week after an interview with a site called Preditors & Editors which is a site that lists agents and publishers and warns you of the crooks that set themselves up to scam money from authors trying to get a deal. They are currently getting sued in two courts!
mike’s last blog post..Too Much Fun
Do keep us posting on that libel case Mike - interesting how it’ll turn out!
Onwards n upwards, eh.
Posting this for the second time…..
Be careful and really check out which of the Ghenkis Khan places you go to. There are many. I have been to two and each claimed to be the real Ghenkis Khan centre.
However, you can’t really go wrong in Mongolia, its a beautiful place with plenty of awesome scenery and food (if you like lamb and mutton especially).
I may well do a post about it in the near future, Yhurt and all!
The roots of the Afghan problems are far deeper than 9-11. Prior to that the Russians went in to prop up a regime they wanted in place, prior to that the Britiish were in there, the place has been a hotbed throughout the ages.
The Taliban were, to my mind a direct result of the Russian invasion but the causes of the conflicts through the ages are complex and often tribal. Regarding what we do and the solutions, I am hardly qualified to comment but I do think its a bit trite for the West to assume we know what’s best for them and that we should dictate who is considered a suitable leader given we have very little understanding of the many people who make up the place.
As for the Poppies and Opium, I saw an Afghan farmer interviewed and his comments did make me think.
His comments went along the line of ‘You object to me exporting Opium as it corrupts your societies in the West, the ones who have made my country a mess and left me this as the only way to make a relatively good living. Yet you can bring Jack Daniels to my country and think you are helping civilise us when alcohol is just as abhorent and corruptive to me and my beliefs. When you stop shipping alcohol on us I might think again about Opium, nobody forces you to buy it’
Right or wrong, agree or disagree he does have a point.
Opium is a perfume, right and yes the farmer has a point…
Well said Gareth. The same farmer may well have said something about the west foisting western “culture” on his country and people.
The Westerners have no divine right to be there and perhaps all the armed forces should just leave and sort out their own house first.
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