Afghan Commentary Post

  Summary: Free trade, open borders and an end to corruption may be our only hope of ending the cycle of terrorism between Pakistan and Afghanistan.  By Wahab Raofi   A new surge of deadly terrorist attacks in Afghanistan – three during an 11-day span that killed scores of innocent civilians, including women and children – slashed physical and psychological scars onto a citizenry still coping with the trauma a 40-year war. The Pakistan-backed Taliban claimed responsibility, which leaves us with a dilemma: what can be done to stop this?             Like so many conflicts, peace will require a new attitude from both sides. Pakistan could heed its populist opposition leader Imran Kahn and focus on free trade instead of terrorism, while Afghanistan could clean its own house of corruption. But neither path can succeed without the other.   The Afghan government reportedly has sent a high-ranking de...

  By Wahab Raofi On top of almost insurmountable security and economic obstacles, Afghans now face an identity crisis that threatens their national unity and could pave the way for a complete Balkanization of this fragile nation. The division erupted after the government decided to convert its national ID cards from paper to an electronic version. This sparked anger, shouting and hot debate among multi-ethnic Afghans in public, private and official arenas. The new electronic version would be harder to duplicate or forge than the paper Tazkera cards and would contain each citizen’s nationality, tribe and religious affiliation. Afghans grew bitterly divided over this, and it has turned into a highly emotional and contentious issue. In parliament, discussions of the pros and cons have unraveled into shouting matches and name-calling, with opposing sides accusing each other of unpatriotic acts and treason. Proponents argue that the nation to should become united unde...