Published: 17 October, 2009, 22:02
Edited: 19 November, 2010, 17:00
The war effort in Afghanistan is taking center stage of the Western media. This is primarily because the coverage by BBC and CNN has increased in the last couple of months. In addition, the United States is considering a sizable increase in its contingent in Afghanistan, and Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown already announced that he was ready to increase the United Kingdom’s involvement as well.
It is more than likely that both of these countries will award sizable contracts to PMCs and PCSs in order to bolster the security situation. Although it is questionable that private security and military companies add to the stability, their presence is needed to provide security details and run specialized covert operations in Afghanistan and across the border in Pakistan.
The other side of the Pashtun region is Pakistan. British surveyors did a great favor to future generations by putting the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan smack in the middle of the Pashtuns (I am being sarcastic here). Although, from their point of view this was to benefit the dwindling British Empire, it truly created difficulties for everyone today. Pakistan is a separate country, and dealing with the Taliban who operate without borders is extremely difficult for both the United States and Pakistan who respect the given borders.
The biggest problem with US-Pakistan relations with regard to the war in Afghanistan is that Pakistanis want to fight the Taliban, but don’t have the resources. They have the same goals that the US has, but they don’t want to collaborate much. Pakistan does not want to lose its sovereignty. US business is not a large presence in Pakistan and thus it is more or less independent of Americanization. Many Muslims in Pakistan don’t favor the US. However, they do not like the Taliban either. So, accepting a large aid package from the United States is not something that the general population is happy with. Pakistan is willing to step up the war effort against the Taliban and radical Islamists, but is too proud and cautious to accept financial aid (rightfully so, although debatable).
So, Pakistan has the ability to go in and kill the Taliban. Pakistanis know the culture and the landscape. They also have the ability to fight more brutally because they are not as well covered by the media and not held responsible by anyone. They lack the resources and qualified training, but what about the US? They are a more able force than Pakistan, and yet are still on the losing side of the war. The answer is quite evident – they want a whole country to change their culture overnight.
Afghanistan has never been a representative state and never will be. The first step should not be the Western political system of representation, but rather education, which in turn brings about the changes deemed necessary by the very people of Afghanistan themselves. The second step should be working with the locals in improving lives rather than imposing Western values on a culture that is older than most of the countries in NATO and the ISAF (to say nothing of the US’s 200-year history). What the US is trying to accomplish and its justification for being in Afghanistan in the first place is second order now. They are mired in two unpopular conflicts and they have already gone in and destroyed one culture and a country. None of the initial intentions have been achieved either. Doing it a second time will bring the flak on the United States and diminish its role everywhere significantly.
Pakistan does not want to collaborate with the United States as much as Washington does. Pakistan has its differences with the United States and there is still animosity towards the West in many Pakistani regions. Although they are fighting the same enemy, it does not mean that they are best buds. Islamabad has been reluctant in letting the US do much. Although some experts believe that the US and Pakistan have struck a deal in letting the American forces run certain military operations inside Pakistan, there still is no direct, full-fledged collaboration between the two.
This situation is extremely intricate. There are some things that can be done and some that cannot. The US wants more and Pakistan likes it the way it is. The deteriorating situation in Pakistan may lead to greater collaboration between Islamabad and Washington against the will of the elite in Pakistan, who have the real power. If Pakistan does not get more control over its internal problems with the Taliban, then the conflict in Afghanistan may spill over and Pakistan itself may be the site of a large presence of US forces.
Only careful planning and good leadership can save a large conflict from erupting. Although there are many people who want the US to fail in Afghanistan, that failure may cause many problems for everyone in the world. Although it is the fault of the US for getting into Afghanistan in the first place, they have to finish it. An unfinished conflict is a danger to neighboring states, and to the stability of the whole region.