Nearly every observer of Afghanistan agrees that stability in that country demands a multipronged approach involving the military, diplomatic efforts and economic assistance. Having spent nearly the past five years as the senior career officer responsible for U.S. economic assistance to Afghanistan, I agree with those in the military who have said that 80 percent of the struggle for Afghanistan is about reconstruction and sustainable economic development and only 20 percent about military operations. In the face of a heightened Taliban insurgency, the U.S. military has changed its tactics. But if civilian U.S. agencies do not change the ways they deliver economic assistance, they jeopardize their chances for success and risk alienating the Afghan people.
The principal provider of U.S. economic assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development, is severely constrained in Afghanistan by security rules that tolerate no risk for our Foreign Service officers. They are rarely allowed outside the fortress-like U.S. Embassy in Kabul. When they get out, to attend a meeting or visit the site of a project financed by USAID, they are often surrounded by heavily armed security personnel who make it virtually impossible to interact with the Afghan people they are helping. The "no risk" approach is harming America's image.
After the 2005 earthquake in northern Pakistan, the people in the affected region changed their attitude about America when they got to know the aid workers, who were there day after day. But when Afghans see civilian American aid workers coming, surrounded by security contractor "shooters," they stay away. The situation is no better with most of the provincial reconstruction teams, which depend on NATO forces for security. On a visit to Farah province in western Afghanistan earlier this year, the headmaster of an agriculture high school close to the U.S.-led provincial reconstruction team told an expert who had just arrived from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that he was not welcome if heavy military security had to accompany him.
No one wants greater access to the Afghan people and USAID projects more than the agency's dedicated Foreign Service officers do. The fact that they get out so rarely drives down morale inside the embassy and makes it harder to recruit aid workers. I am convinced that they would accept more (and reasonable) risk with better training and equipment. But regular requests to Washington to reassess the security rules that govern our economic assistance have fallen mostly on deaf ears. Meanwhile, USAID officers ask how they can connect with a country they mostly cannot see.
It's true, of course, that a more balanced approach to security, one that recognizes the importance of regularly interacting with Afghans, would also increase the risk that more U.S. Foreign Service officers would be injured or killed. And if we start losing Foreign Service officers, the argument goes, Congress will lose its resolve and reduce the economic assistance budget for Afghanistan or eliminate it. Or, as a military colleague expressed his worry to me, the few aid organizations working in the dangerous parts of the country could withdraw. But the number of U.S. soldiers being killed or wounded has again surged, and both our new president-elect and many in Congress are seeking even more soldiers for Afghanistan. Although aid workers across the country face almost daily attacks, their resolve is strong.
The new team at the State Department and USAID should engage a team of outside experts to conduct an objective assessment of the security rules and their impact on our economic assistance program in Afghanistan. The review should give due weight to the importance of interacting with the Afghan people to hear their ideas, get to know them and gain their trust. It should rigorously test the theories about what would happen if an increasing number of Foreign Service officers were killed and injured as a result. And it should look at other donor countries' approach to security in Afghanistan. Some have the balance between security and access about right, particularly in parts of the country where security is more permissive.
The U.S. military is changing its tactics in Afghanistan, focusing more on counterinsurgency and arguing for more troops on the ground. Civilian U.S. agencies must reassess their tactics, too, and accept the reasonable risks that go along with more effective economic assistance.
The writer was acting assistant administrator for Asia at the U.S. Agency for International Development from 2006 to 2008 and earlier served as a USAID mission director in Pakistan.
#1
Uh, um, dunno. As I regard the goal of "sustainable development" in most parts of A'stan chimerical ..... and completely reject the familiar 80%-fluffy bunnies + prosperity/20% killing bad guys formula relied upon here .... and still think that the challenge in A'stan is for us to identify and then secure the absolute minimum sort of security and political arrangements that prevent use of the territory as sanctuary or base by AQ ..... I'm extremely unexcited.
Also, there's no need for a group of outside experts to decide anything - geez, senior career people, and political appointees, are PAID FOR THAT. Base closure was outsourced to provide cover and smoke for cowards in Congress; the Iraq Study Group was an astonishingly stupid exercise by its very nature, and produced predictably worthless "results". Get a clue, get a backbone, and work things out between career gubmint folks and the geniuses just elected. But first, toss away 90% of the framework used here .....
#2
It confuses means and ends. It's not about Afghanistan. It's about denying Afghanistan to militant islam, as it was about denying Afghanistan to the Soviet Union.
Ironically, the only solution I can see to retaining a 'united' Afghanistan is a Saddam-style strongman. Otherwise partition into ethnic states is unavoidable.
The empowerment of terror in Pakistan has not happened overnight. This is the logical culmination of the politics and policies pursued by Pakistan for years now.
By 'years' he means 'decades' ...
Terrorism in Pakistan has its roots in the culture of hate and the ethos of inequality on the ground of religious faith, leading to their being deeply ingrained in the Pakistani psyche and mindset.
One factor that has played a crucial role in creating this culture of hate is the educational policy of the government of Pakistan pursued since 1977. The officially prescribed textbooks, especially for school students, are full of references that promote hate against India in general, and Hindus in particular.
A cursory glance at Pakistani school textbooks - especially the compulsory subjects like Pakistan studies and social studies - gives an idea of how history has been distorted and a garbled version prescribed to build this mindset and attitude.
The objective of Pakistan's education policy has been defined thus in the preface to a Class 6 book: "Social studies have been given special importance in educational policy so that Pakistan's basic ideology assumes the shape of a way of life, its practical enforcement is assured, the concept of social uniformity adopts a practical form and the whole personality of the individual is developed." This statement leaves no doubt that "social uniformity", not national unity, is a part of Pakistan's basic ideology.
The Class 5 book has this original discovery about Hindu help to bring British rule to India: "The British had the objective to take over India and to achieve this, they made Hindus join them and Hindus were very glad to side with the British. After capturing the subcontinent, the British began on the one hand the loot of all things produced in this area, and on the other, in conjunction with Hindus, to greatly suppress the Muslims."
The Std VIII book says, "Their (Muslim saints) teachings dispelled many superstitions of the Hindus and reformed their bad practices. Thereby Hindu religion of the olden times came to an end."
On Indo-Pak wars, the books give detailed descriptions and openly eulogize 'jihad' and 'shahadat' and urge students to become 'mujahids' and martyrs and leave no room for future friendship and cordial relations with India.
According to a Class 5 book, "In 1965, the Pakistani army conquered several areas of India, and when India was on the point of being defeated, she requested the United Nations to arrange a ceasefire. After 1965, India, with the help of Hindus living in East Pakistan, instigated the people living there against the people of West Pakistan, and finally invaded East Pakistan in December 1971. The conspiracy resulted in the separation of East Pakistan from us. All of us should receive military training and be prepared to fight the enemy."
The book prescribed for higher secondary students makes no mention of the uprising in East Pakistan in 1971 or the surrender by more than 90,000 Pakistani soldiers. Instead, it claims, "In the 1971 India-Pakistan war, the Pakistan armed forces created new records of bravery and the Indian forces were defeated everywhere."
The students of Class 3 are taught that "Muhammad Ali (Jinnah) felt that Hindus wanted to make Muslims their slaves and since he hated slavery, he left the Congress". At another place it says, "The Congress was actually a party of Hindus. Muslims felt that after getting freedom, Hindus would make them their slaves."
And this great historic discovery is taught to Std V students, "Previously, India was part of Pakistan."
Commenting on this literature that spreads hate, leading Pakistani educationist Tariq Rahman wrote, "It is a fact that the textbooks cannot mention Hindus without calling them cunning, scheming, deceptive or something equally insulting. Students are taught and made to believe that Pakistan needs strong and aggressive policies against India or else Pakistan will be annihilated by it."
The author is a former Indian Union minister
Posted by: john frum ||
12/26/2008 16:59 ||
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Our enemies are trying to portray Pakistan as a failed state, whereas, politically Pakistan is stable and united as never before. 2008 elections provide political unity. No extremist elements were elected. The only secessionist movement in Balochistan is under control. The tribal conflict on the western borders is due to the Indo-US interference from Afghanistan which will fade-away with the defeat of the occupation forces in Afghanistan. The problem on our western borders is not worrisome, because the tribals of the area including FATA are fiercely loyal to Pakistan. In case of war/threat of war with India, the tribals will ensure security of the western borders and will directly confront the occupation forces in Afghanistan, blowing-up the ongoing conflict in the face of the occupation forces.
ISI helped defeat Soviet occupation during the period 1980-88. It is now helping to defeat Indo-US inroads in our tribal areas. The pressures and blames on ISI are meant to force Pakistan to curtail its sphere of responsibility. The ISI provides the first line of defence which must be strengthened to match Pakistan's military strength, which is much more balanced now than in the past. Added to Pakistan's offensive-defence capability is the support of the Islamic Resistance (IR) " with bases astride Pak-Afghan borders. IR has defeated Soviets during the 80s; defeated the Israelis in Lebanon in 2005; the Americans in Iraq and now the combined forces of America and EU are facing defeat in Afghanistan. M J Akbar, the Indian scholar, rightly said: "These are the shadow armies, led by committed believers", who have defeated the mightiest of the mighty, in the last twenty-five years. What will happen in Kashmir, when the occupation forces retreat from Afghanistan, should serve as a warning to Indian occupation forces there. Does India have the heart to win against them, as the civil society in Kashmir also has risen to claim the right of self-determination?
PAF high altitude limited interception capability will be compensated by other means and resources now available. Pakistan's nuclear capability maintains a credible deterrence with India. "It is not a weapon of war nor it compensates for Pakistan conventional military capability." Pakistan's military policy thus is based on its conventional military forces, to defeat Indian aggression. Pakistan, therefore, must maintain balance between defence and diplomatic policies to ward-off pressures from India and USA, while remaining prepared to fight a full fledged war and "carry the war into the Indian territory," implementing the offensive defence concept. Pakistan must continue to help defeat occupation of Afghanistan " 'The Mother of all Evils'. Peace will return to the entire region, with the defeat of occupation forces in Afghanistan.
Internally, "Pakistan's only weakness is its top political leadership and weak diplomacy." Our foreign office seems to be in a state of deep slumber. Externally, the "occupation of Afghanistan" is the main source of trouble, spurred by the Saffron Nexus, which has given India a false sense of hope and strength, and the resultant sabre rattling. India is enjoying the strategic partnership with USA as we enjoyed it in the past and suffered humiliations and betrayal. Indian quest for South Asian hegemony is a wild dream. Do they think that countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka would accept their hegemony. If history is any guide, this will never happen. God bless India. India has limited options: "Do justice to the minorities and the Dalits or suffer social break-up, civil war and disintegration."
The writer is a former Chief of Pakistan Army Staff
Posted by: john frum ||
12/26/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
With retards like this as a former Chief of Pakistan Army Staff...
What can you say....
By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents
Approximately 15,000 armed Palestinians. That's the size of the military force the Israel Defense Forces will face if a major operation in the Gaza Strip goes forward. These militants, from various Hamas factions, will presumably be aided by a few thousand militants from other Palestinian groups.
For two years Hamas, with Iranian assistance, has been working hard on developing its military power, using Hezbollah as a model. Gaza Palestinians are preparing to step up their offensive, with rockets and mortar shells directed at Israel's civilian population in the south, as well as their defense, digging in to retard the IDF's progress and cause heavy Israeli casualties.
Nevertheless, military experts in Israel and the West believe the IDF is capable of retaking Gaza. Israeli reservations about a broad military operation, therefore, are mainly linked to the question of what happens afterward, when the IDF controls a large area that it doesn't want and is in constant friction with terrorists and the civilian population.
The main components of the "Hamas Army":
Order of battle: Hamas is transitioning from a terror group to a paramilitary guerrilla organization. The transition includes improvements to the command and control structure, the acquisition of better weapons and the creation of a training program.
The core of Hamas' "army" is its military wing, Iz al-Din al-Qassam, which the organization sees as its best trained and most disciplined force. It was deployed against Fatah in June 2007 and it will bear the brunt of any engagement with the IDF. Iz al-Din does not generally perform unpopular policing operations (such as the daily suppression of Fatah), instead focusing on preparing for battle with Israel.
The estimated size of the force is about 1,000, divided into sectors and from brigades down to companies.
Training: Palestinian sources say Iz al-Din troops undergo rigorous military training as well as participating in ideological classes held in mosques. Hamas forces do six months of basic training that includes live-fire exercises in which they learn to fire rockets, antitank missiles and mortar shells. They undergo urban warfare training, including exercises simulating an assault on a settlement complete with covering machine-gun fire and antitank fire prior to the assault. Some of the instructors were trained in Iran and Lebanon. In recent years dozens of Gazans have traveled to training camps run by terror organizations and Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
IDF soldiers who have fought Hamas cells in the Gaza Strip in the past two years report an impressive improvement in their discipline and in their equipment.
Other factions: Hamas and smaller organizations, starting with Islamic Jihad, can be expected to cooperate in the event of an engagement with the IDF. Two Popular Resistance Committee factions maintain close contact with Hamas and are likely to subordinate themselves to the organization in a war with Israel.
Three military groupings identified with global jihad (that is, Al-Qaida and its offshoots), on the other hand, will not accept Hamas authority and will continue to operate independently.
Rocket attacks: The rockets and mortar shells were initially developed as a way of bypassing the border fence, which prevented militants from entering Israel to carry out attacks. Shin Bet security service head, Yuval Diskin, told the cabinet this week that Hamas already has rockets with a range of 40 kilometers, that are capable of reaching Ashdod and the outskirts of Be'er Sheva. These are advanced Katyusha that were smuggled into Gaza in pieces through the tunnels and assembled in Gaza. These rockets have not yet been fired at Israel but Hamas and Islamic Jihad already have dozens of 122 mm. Grad rockets with a range of about 20 km. Gaza militants recently began using another Iranian-supplied weapon, 120 mm. mortar shells with an 8-kilometer range.
Hamas has also made significant gains in manufacturing its own rockets. It has learned to create Ammonium Perchlorate Compound, an advanced rocket propellant that in addition to extending the Qassam's range beyond 20 kilometers also - and more importantly - increases the rocket's shelf life.
That means the organization can, for the first time, maintain a supply of rockets for months at a time. Analysts believe Hamas currently has over 1,000 rockets. Islamic Jihad maintains its own production and storage facilities, but both rely on Iranian experts for training. Sources in Gaza say that Hamas' "military industry" is working overtime to manufacture rockets, and that the organization can easily fire 80 rockets a day, as it did on Wednesday.
Defense: Hamas' defensive strategy includes an extensive underground network of bunkers, tunnels and booby-trapped structures. The Palestinians have proved their explosives capabilities, having destroyed three Israeli tanks and two armored personnel carriers using high-grade explosives.
Antitank missiles are an important component of Hamas' defensive strategy, which takes on board the lessons learned by Hezbollah in the Second Lebanon War. Hamas has acquired antitank missiles from the Eastern bloc, although the exact models and capabilities are not known.
Militants can be expected to employ antitank missiles against Israel Air Force helicopters in the event of a confrontation, in the effort to delay and obstruct the entry of the IDF.
Offensive plans: Hamas' main weapon is its ability to launch dozens of rockets a day at Israel. In the event of an escalation the organization can be expected to try to prove that it can hit more distant targets, such as Be'er Sheva. Ashkelon is liable to suffer massive rockets attacks. In addition, Hamas is likely to target one kibbutz or moshav near the border in an attempt to cause large numbers of residents to leave and weaken Israeli morale. Israel must also be prepared for a surprise from Hamas, a la Hezbollah, ranging from additional tunnels to facilitate abductions to attacks on boats or aircraft and up to attacks on strategic targets in the south.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/26/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
"Approximately 15,000 armed Palestinians. That's the size of the military force the Israel Defense Forces will face if a major operation in the Gaza Strip goes forward. "
There are 1.4 million people in Gaza and they can only muster 15K with 1K of that specially trained?
#4
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#5
mhw is exactly right. The Israelis cannot succeed unless they have a plan to deal with the press. Ideally, they should ban every traitorous news organization from Israel and Gaza and shoot a couple Reuters stringers to underline the point. No visuals = no news. The left can bitch but without the Gazan equivalent of Green Helmet Guy there is no story and nobody will care.
Unfortunately, I see no evidence Israel has figured this out.
#6
Just a question...who is the fool/troll/idiot who keeps posting that tiresome picture of the highway cop?(see #4) If it is a rregular Rantburger, could someone explain to the significance. I think I'm missing something.
#12
FREE Streaming TV Shows, Movies, Music (over 6 million digital quality tracks), Unlimited Games, Money, and College Educations (Stanford, Oxford, Notre Dame and more) @ http://www.InternetSurfShack.com
#1
And let's remember all the Euro banking and investment that vanished in this economic cycle as well that was invested in American paper - because they couldn't work the money in socialist regulated Europe too. American speculative markets filled while Euros emptied.
#2
The Chinese have yet to realize that Americans have a long and proud tradition of ripping off foreigners intent on making easy money in America.
The Scots thought they could make a fortune in Longhorn cattle drives from Texas to KC, only to find that the entire herd would vanish en route. Others bought Florida swampland and desert real estate. Oil wells, farm crops, you name it.
Now the Chinese have trillions of dollars in the US government bonds bubble. The Japanese, who have wised up, are selling US bonds as fast as they can, and the Chinese are buying those bonds as well.
Suckers from across the globe are getting in on the bubble, with the demand for T-bills now at four times the supply--four times what Washington and Obama can even promise. "Bond scalpers" are offering resales of US bonds.
And right now, they have already promised half the annual US GDP. $8.5T.
When the bubble bursts, China would have had enough US paper to make a national highway system--out of paper. If they actually had paper, instead of just electrons on a computer.
What they will probably get out of the deal is a lot of new and vulgar Chinese words and phrases that are synonyms for "Americans".
#3
"When the bubble bursts, China would have had enough US paper to make a national highway system--out of paper. If they actually had paper, instead of just electrons on a computer.
What they will probably get out of the deal is alot of new and vulgar Chinese words and phrases that are synonyms for "Americans"."
I can live with that.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/26/2008 10:43 Comments ||
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#4
It's still not too late to panic, get in on the ground floor of the new PARNOIA, bones can still be made in the blog-world outta dis. Got screwed by Byrd Flew? Loose your street Credit in the Y2K deal? Need to change your rehab from your $500 a barrell oil-onism? It's not too late. Step right up, this is your new disaster, you can still be right! It's not too late.
#5
CHINESE MIL FORUM > ALIENS FROM CHINA SLIP OVER THE MEXICAN BORDER INTO THE USA + THOUSANDS OF CHINESE MOVING INTO LAOS, CAMBODIA, AND VIETNAM [seek new opportunities, life they can't find back home in China]; + WAFF > RUSSIA ERECTS NEW BASE ON THE CHINESE BORDER.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
