Afghanistan: Are our ghosts haunting us?

[Neo]

Afghanistan: Are our ghosts haunting us?

Friday February 05, 2010

Over a period of time, the West has taken fancy to a new attitude – “Domination”. As developed societies with strong economies and muscle, we tend to believe that we are right, always and every time. The thick fog that surrounds us has been deepened by a new breed of intellectuals and experts, most of whom do not have a clear understanding of the ground situation. By virtue of their placement, they are, however, heard by policy makers and these intellectuals and their not so “thinking tanks” are the opinion makers of today.

Times have changed; in fact they changed a long time back. The Empire, where the sun never set has shrunk to its original geographic boundaries. The US dream of domination from Hawai to Hokkaido still remains a dream. The Soviet Union is no more, Russia in whatever form is all that remains. Evolution has seen through the bi polar, the uni polar and the multi polar worlds, change is the only factor that has remained unchanged.

Possibilities, hypothesis, contingencies, scenarios, options, theories, conspiracies, prophesies and intrigues boggle the minds of decision makers, leaving the masses totally confused. Afghanistan has been termed as the graveyard of Empires, a notion not accepted by all. The British in their hey day did not do too well in Afghanistan, the Soviets lost their pride and their Union in a similar endeavour and the Americans have been grappling with the Taliban since 2001, with not much to write home about. What went wrong, have we faltered in our approach? What is being enacted, the Great Game or the New Great Game? Is it a Clash of Civilizations or a Crusade? The world needs an honest answer.

Today, with the Red Indians restricted to their reserves and the Aborigines confined to their colonies, our hearts overflow with sympathy for them. Have we ever pondered who was responsible for the annihilation of these indigenous people? Are we doing something to address a similar perception being created in Afghanistan today? Are the Daisy Cutters and Drones helping or adding to opposition through collateral damage? Somalia and Iraq may have apparently met a similar fate but Iran, Yemen and Afghanistan may be different; much too different to our liking. It is time to re-evaluate our approach to the problem and to give up obstinacy. The first year in Afghanistan people told us to talk to Taliban and our answer was a big, flat No. Why a change of heart now?

All said and done, it is never too late to correct the course. The London Conference barely a week old event, echoes of failure is already being heard. Our reputation as selfish exploiters needs to be changed from ungrateful allies with very short memories to friends who can be trusted. NATO, ISAF and their allies entrusted with this mission need to see through the fog and make the right decisions this time round. It is time to put our ghosts, which have been haunting us in Afghanistan, to rest.