Afghan Commentary Post

Repairing Afghanistan and Combatting Terrorism by Wahab Raofi     On March 27, 2009, i n a speech entitled “A New Strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan,” American President Barack Obama said, "we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future." However, six years later, Afghanistan is on the verge of unraveling. The US is withdrawing its remaining troops, the Afghani government is weak from constant Taliban and extremist attacks, unable to spread its wings beyond the capital - Kabul, and unable to protect its citizens. In addition, the economy is in complete decline. As a result of this instability, thousands are attempting to flee the country or join either the Taliban or Daesh.   Can Afghanistan be saved?   1. Constructing a coherent strategy. US policies toward Afghanistan have been ambiguous and have vacillated from c...

Repairing Afghanistan and Combatting Terrorism by Wahab Raofi     On March 27, 2009, i n a speech entitled “A New Strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan,” American President Barack Obama said, "we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future." However, six years later, Afghanistan is on the verge of unraveling. The US is withdrawing its remaining troops, the Afghani government is weak from constant Taliban and extremist attacks, unable to spread its wings beyond the capital - Kabul, and unable to protect its citizens. In addition, the economy is in complete decline. As a result of this instability, thousands are attempting to flee the country or join either the Taliban or Daesh.   Can Afghanistan be saved?   1. Constructing a coherent strategy. US policies toward Afghanistan have been ambiguous and have vacillated from c...

http://www.globalpost.com/ By Wahab Raofi As the flames of war burn terrible scars into Gaza, Israel, Iraq, Syria and beyond, a viable path to peace presents itself. It has little to do with the US military or President Obama. The solution lies in the Arab world itself. Arab intellectuals and moderate Muslims of the ulama (leaders and scholars of Islamic law) need to speak up, speak out and start a social media campaign to stop these wars. The international community of civilized nations and the United Nations should add the names of states like Pakistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia to the list of countries that support and sponsor jihadists. Responsible Muslims and world leaders everywhere must “tell it like it is” and place blame where it belongs. They need to stop pretending that atrocities are committed only by Israel and the US. Muslims will never gain real credibility until they address and condemn the atrocities committed in the name of Islam. The Arab-Israeli conflic...

Free elections are touted by the West as a major component of democracy and a panacea for solving social and political problems in developing countries. Eight Middle Eastern nations have elections scheduled this year and most citizens have great expectations about exercising their right to vote. But not all Afghans share this optimism; most are apprehensive or even fearful about the April presidential election for good reason. First, the timing is problematic. The election precedes the drawdown of coalition forces at the end of this year. President Barack Obama’s “zero option” threat (a complete  withdrawal of troops) in retaliation for President Hamid Karzai’srefusal to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement has created an environment of fear and uncertainty. Since the United States’ liberation of Afghanistan from the yoke of the Taliban in 2001, most Afghans believe their country is on the right track. Despite some obvious shortcomings (particularly governmental corruption a...

By Wahab Raofi The attempted assassination of Afghan presidential front-runner Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul last Friday is a stark reminder of how precariously the nation’s future hangs in the balance. In Afghanistan, it is both the best of times and the worst of times, as novelist Charles Dickens so famously put it, describing another time and place. More than ever before the nation appears to be making meaningful progress towards stable democracy, as President Hamid Karzai prepares to cede the reins of power to his duly elected successor after more than 12 years in office as required by the Afghan constitution. This will be the nation’s first democratic transfer of power. At the same time, the recent violence—along with the very fact that a run-off is necessary at all—points to looming dangers. This is an especially perilous moment as most foreign troops prepare to leave Afghanistan by the end of the year barring a new agreement. Facing off in the final round again...

Afghanistan Afterf Karzai By Max Boot Commentary Magazine  It’s Afhard to blame President Obama for telling Hamid Karzai that the U.S. is planning to withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan unless Karzai’s successor as president finally signs the Bilateral Security Agreement that Karzai himself negotiated with the U.S. Obama did show a commendable willingness to extend the U.S. troop presence, only to be blindsided by Karzai’s maddening refusal to sign the accord–and by the president’s equally infuriating decision to release dozens of dangerous terrorists from prison. The good news is that pretty much all of the major candidates running to succeed Karzai have indicated their support for the accord–as has the Loya Jirga that Karzai called to ratify the pact. Ordinary Afghans and especially those serving in the security forces know they need continued U.S. assistance to hold off the Taliban. And if they needed any reminder of why outside aid is so important, the Taliban’...

By Wahab Raofi TAYLOR JONES / CAGLE CARTOONS HUMAN RIGHTS Free elections are touted by the West as a major component of democracy and a panacea for solving social and political problems in developing countries. Eight Middle Eastern nations have elections scheduled this year and most citizens have great expectations about exercising their right to vote. But not all Afghans share this optimism; most are apprehensive or even fearful about the April presidential election for good reason. First, the timing is problematic. The election precedes the drawdown of coalition forces at the end of this year. President Barack Obama’s “zero option” threat (a complete withdrawal of troops) in retaliation for President Hamid Karzai’srefusal to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement has created an environment of fear and uncertainty. Since the United States’ liberation of Afghanistan from the yoke of the Taliban in 2001, most Afghans believe thei...