Catching Up With Afghanistan

With the turmoil surrounding the Afghani elections, I've had a chance to catch up with friends from Central Asia, and it strikes me that we have now lost our way in Afghanistan. There was such hope last Fall. The reasons are fairly straightforward. The Taliban control the global poppy trade from the fields to consumers in Europe. Many communities rely on Talib leaders for security and for funds to build minimal infrastructure. President Karzai wisely prefers life to death and has allowed rampant corruption to go unchecked among his own supporters. He can then appear on CNN in his multicolor robes and say, "It's not my fault."

The second reason is the deafening silence from Pakistan. What is going on there? Where is our engagement? Without some sort of understanding about our common interests with Pakistan, their instability only contributes to the instability in Afghanistan. Academics had suggested a "divide and conquer" approach to Afghan power groups. That might have worked last year, but not now. Our troops need relief and they need a mission.

Meanwhile, here's a link to a publication from the Central Asia Institute, where you can see how some real progress is occurring on the ground in a small way, namely educating young women.