Editorials

Op-Ed Contributors

Chinese Press

Columnists

LETTERS

The many sides of global efforts in Afghanistan

By Li Li (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-04-29 07:44

The international conference on the Afghanistan issue held in The Hague, the Netherlands, at the end of last month was closely watched for its outcome since it was right after US President Barack Obama announced his new Afghanistan-Pakistan policy.

The conference achieved a consensus on four issues. First, the deteriorating security and delayed reconstruction in Afghanistan were recognized as a common challenge to the international community. Hence the stakeholders should coordinate their efforts for fostering long-term stability and prosperity in Afghanistan.

Second, endorsement of the four targets that stand out in international aid: enhancing capacity for governance, kick-starting economic development, addressing security concerns, and strengthening regional cooperation.

Third, acceptance of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan being expected to lead and coordinate the reconstruction, and the need for extending the area of its operation.

And last, the conference welcomed the new Afghan strategy of the US and agreed to work for resolution of the conflict in Afghanistan through both military and civil efforts.

The conference particularly emphasized the importance of the Afghanistan presidential election, to be held in August, being conducted smoothly. The US and the European Union pledged to donate $40 million and euro 60 million, respectively, for conducting the election. China promised to donate $75 million over five years.

The conference was against the background of the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and the US revising its anti-terror strategy. For two years now, the Taliban has returned as a force and is operating on a larger scale and wider turf. Even Kabul is under threat. The remaining Al-Qaida fighters across the Afghan-Pakistani border are more active, while the terrorist attacks continue to rock the heartland of Pakistan. With surging casualties among the US and its allied troops, frequent assaults on supply lines, and an upswing in anti-American emotions across Afghanistan and Pakistan, the US is trapped in its Afghan War.

The new Afghan-Pakistan strategy of Obama administration released on March 27, is a bid to extricate the US from this mire with more concentrated military actions against Al-Qaida and broader international cooperation to contain terrorism.

The US actively promoted The Hague conference in order to seek international support for its new Afghan policy. The four-point consensus achieved at the conference meets US objectives. Besides, the US also helped to take forward the Munich meeting of special envoys for Afghanistan and Pakistan on April 1. The participants agreed to coordinate their actions in Afghanistan, and formed an "Afghanistan and Pakistan Support Group". At the NATO summit on April 3 and 4, Obama persuaded the NATO allies to send 5,000 more troops to Afghanistan to safeguard the process towards the presidential election.

President Obama has extended support to the UN effort of coordinating international assistance to Afghanistan and leading the consolidation of democracy in Afghanistan.

Obama has emphasized regional cooperation including among all the neighbors of Afghanistan. He proposes a liaison group on Pakistan and Afghanistan issue comprising stakeholders in the region, including the US and its allies, Russia, Central Asian countries, Iran, Gulf states, and China. The US invited Iran to attend The Hague conference, and held a secret meeting with it, because it believes that the Afghanistan issue cannot be resolved without the participation of all its neighbors.

Last but not least, Obama has accepted a more active role for Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in resolving the Afghanistan conflict. SCO held its first special conference on Afghanistan on March 27 in Moscow. Its members signed an agreement with Afghanistan on combating terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime. For the first time, the US sent delegates to the SCO conference, indicating that the Obama administration acknowledges the SCO as an independent partner in dealing with the Afghan issue.

Although international cooperation may contribute more to the peace and reconstruction of Afghanistan, its effectiveness still faces several challenges. First of all, the real intention of the US in Afghanistan is widely doubted. The US moves its anti-terror focus eastward. Whether it really aims to facilitate the war against terror, or is this just to veil its ambition of seeking hegemony? This question seems to perplex many countries. Before obtaining a clear answer, their cooperation with the US will definitely be impaired.

With different interests, the countries involved in the Afghan issue expect different things, and, accordingly, the obligations they would like to undertake also vary.

Only if the sovereignty and independence of Afghanistan is respected will international assistance be acceptable and allowed by the Afghan people.

Since their country is occupied, the Afghan people are extremely sensitive on the issue of international assistance. Unless the international community assures the Afghanistan government that it will not influence its domestic affairs, not only will the situation stir the nationalist emotions of the Afghan people but also drive a wedge between the people and the government.

The author is a researcher with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

(China Daily 04/29/2009 page8)