Afghan Commentary Post

Published on Huffington Post The Return of a Peacemaker …   or a Trojan Horse? By Wahab Raofi Like a buzzing mosquito that just won’t go away, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is back in the news. He sent a video from his unknown hideout in Pakistan, asking for reconciliation with Afghanistan’s government and presenting himself as a peacemaker. This is the same Gulbuddin Hekmatyar who was branded a global terrorist by the United States, founded the militant Hezb-i-Islami group and is blamed for killing thousands of his fellow Afghan citizens with indiscriminate artillery shelling during the 1990’s civil war. Hekmatyar also served briefly as Prime Minister of Afghanistan, a position he “earned” by virtue of a military coup in Kabul. At age 68, after living in exile in Iran and Pakistan for decades, he is now trying to carve out a new position of power for himself with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. President Ghani has extended an olive branch of peace to various factions, incl...

Here’s a radically fresh concept for leadership in developing or strife-ridden countries. It’s certain to ignite controversy, yet I believe it would be a win-win- win situation for any potential failed state, as well as the rest of the world: import experienced foreigners to serve as your supreme leaders. For example, after his current term expires, U.S. President Barak Obama could hire on as president of Afghanistan or Iraq. Or how about former British Prime Minister Tony Blair taking on a good-paying job as president of Libya? Or Angela Merkel, after she’s done in Germany, as president of Syria? Scenarios like those could be triple-wins because the president-for-hire (1) would not be beholden to any particular tribe or faction and therefore be more impartial, (2) would come with a proven track record and a personal network of friendly international relationships, and most importantly, (3) would greatly increase the chances of stability and peace for the rest of the world. I...

Here’s a radically fresh concept for leadership in developing or strife-ridden countries. It’s certain to ignite controversy, yet I believe it would be a win-win- win situation for any potential failed state, as well as the rest of the world: import experienced foreigners to serve as your supreme leaders. For example, after his current term expires, U.S. President Barak Obama could hire on as president of Afghanistan or Iraq. Or how about former British Prime Minister Tony Blair taking on a good-paying job as president of Libya? Or Angela Merkel, after she’s done in Germany, as president of Syria? Scenarios like those could be triple-wins because the president-for-hire (1) would not be beholden to any particular tribe or faction and therefore be more impartial, (2) would come with a proven track record and a personal network of friendly international relationships, and most importantly, (3) would greatly increase the chances of stability and peace for the rest of the world. I...

  Peace is at Hand in Afghanistan – or Not http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wahab-raofi/peace-is-at-hand-in-afghanistan_b_9831974.html   By Wahab Raofi   “Peace is at hand.” Americans of a certain age will remember the phrase. It was spoken by U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in 1972, in reference to the war in Viet Nam. Today, I can with the same degree of confidence say that peace is at hand in Afghanistan. Kissinger’s was famously wrong in ’72. That war lasted another three years. So when I say “with the same degree of confidence” that peace is at hand in Afghanistan, I do not mean that peace is definitely coming – only that we can see a way to reach it. All it requires is a cooperative effort between the United States and Pakistan. Before looking at the how that could happen, let’s look at why it should happen. The true U.S. cost of the war in Afghanistan will be in excess of $4 trillion, according to Harvard economist Linda Bilmes, a...