Fighting Fire with Fire Does Not Put out the Fire, Sir
By Sher Ali Khan
UC Riverside, CA
President Barack Obama's policy in Afghanistan has created worry amongst liberals in the Democratic Party. The massive troop surge in Afghanistan has been met with disgust at the fact that the president is considering continuing former president George W. Bush's policies in the region. For peace and stability, America will have to embrace more democratic ways, as a force only strategy will make more terrorists and rebels in Afghanistan. In the end, the root of all terror is political, therefore democratic methods can only find a peaceful solution.
Afghanistan has a complex terrain which is occupied by tribal, ethnic and religious factions. After 30 years of war, the resilience of the Afghani people can be seen. During the 1980s, against the Soviets -- with American funding -- the Afghans were able to withstand repeated bombardment and attacks. The war cost one million lives.
The support that resulted from the civilian causalities created a massive anti-Soviet movement. Those fighters known as the Mujahideen (freedom fighters) were the backbone in the war against the Soviets; they included people from all walks of life, mainly young men who had seen nothing but war since they were born.
Their fighting prowess was so well known that President Ronald Reagan invited the leaders to the White House. It was here that he called the leaders the moral equivalents of America's founding fathers. For the Soviets, it proved to be the most expensive war and eventually led to the collapse of the USSR.
After the end of the Cold War, as America turned its attention towards the Middle East, and Afghanistan was left in total anarchy, the mujahideen factions could not find a consensus because they had no governing experience. This led to many dissensions and eventually war. Kabul was essentially torn to rubble as many civilians were killed immediately. The Taliban movement then started out as a reactionary movement to provide stability and justice to the country. Taliban literally means "students," so the movement was comprised of younger people who had little to no education at all and the only education that they had was religious.
Their rule, in turn, embraced a backward draconian version of Islamic law which was seen as an embarrassment for many Muslims. In the end, the people accepted the rather dark rule because it meant the end of war. The recent war on terror is an extension of previous fighting because the fighting has now accounted for record civilian deaths. This has made the pickings for Taliban and al Qaeda very easy. Overall though, the real lesson is that if America had invested in a truly democratic set-up meaning dialogue with all aspects of the society the fighting would have stopped dramatically.
The issue is that now the war on terror is perceived as a war on Islam and invasion on the Afghani people. By invasion, therefore it means that this is a war for independence, against an occupying country much like the Soviets.
For Obama, the worrying factor is that main stay-over from the Bush administration, defense secretary Robert Gates, who advocates large spending on defense.
Terror can only be deterred when the hearts and the minds of the people are won. If the war is fought on the frontlines with guns and bombs, look for more and more people to take up arms because now this is a war for independence.
It is easy to fight a war, but to secure a peaceful and democratic environment takes a little bit more effort. America will have to embrace the Afghan people even if it means pushing for more dialogue with the Taliban. Until that trust is not gained, there is quite a likelihood Afghanistan could well become Obama's Vietnam.
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