The Main Obstacles The Afghan economy continues to be overwhelmingly agricultural, despite the fact that only 12% of its total land area is arable and less than 6% is currently cultivated. Agricultural production is constrained by an almost total dependence on erratic winter snows, and spring rains for water; irrigation is primitive. Relatively little use is made of machines, chemical fertiliser or pesticides. The country’s fruit and nut exports are listed at $113m per year. This could grow to more than $800m in 10 years time with proper investment. History has shown that socio-economic tension in the country due to the country’s backwardness and very slow economic growth hindered by being rendered landlocked has been the main and real driver of instability. Even when Afghanistan was peaceful for at least half a century, its economic growth had been hindered by the fact that it had been crippled and turned into a land locked country. This is something very crucial which needs to be addressed in the light of new developments in the region as the national interests of Afghanistan now matches with that of the US and international community, on which the next stage of nation building in Afghanistan, is dependent. The outside actors do not bother to seek to establish nation building by strengthening, self-sustaining political institutions that would eventually allow the government in question to wean itself from outside assistance as well as the total and complete defeat of extremism. We must realize the fact that this goal can never be achieved with the present hideous geographical structure of Afghanistan that entails the imposed boundary with Pakistan on the one hand and the inaccessibility to the sea on the other. The US and coalition forces in Afghanistan are currently losing out to the enemy because Al-Qaeda and Taliban are operating from a safe haven, currently under Pakistani control. The enemy receives military training and political and financial support provided by Pakistan and some other secret hands (mostly Arab countries). Al-Qaeda has taken shelter among the tribal populace guarded by the most inhospitable terrain. Pakistan, being the vanguard of political Islam in the region, is whole-heartedly behind this enemy (Al-Qaeda + Taliban). Pakistan being the historic enemy of Afghanistan has always attempted to keep Afghanistan deprived of free access to the sea for its survival and prosperity. Pakistan, ever since its establishment, has tried to keep a weak and subservient Afghanistan as its western neighbour, so that it could use Afghanistan’s territory for her own strategic depth. The national interests of the two countries are conflicting, causing instability in the region. Pakistan’s strategy is to try to wear out and bog down the US and the coalition forces in the present territory of Afghanistan so that by escalating the war, the price and experience of the former Soviet Union in Afghanistan can be repeated and thus political Islam be triumphant. Mind you the Soviet forces were defeated mainly because they sat in Afghanistan, contrary to their strategic intention to reach Indian Ocean. Since the triumph of the US and coalition forces in Afghanistan is subject to the total defeat of extremist groups in this part of the world and that can only be assured through autonomous control of trans-Duran Line area (the ex- territory of Afghanistan) and the seaboard that entails, keeping Pakistan involvement at bay. This is a totally legitimate move reflecting and assuring the Afghan national interests and those of the international community. It corresponds to the vital interest and security of the world. It is all the more incumbent up on the US and international community to put utmost pressure on Pakistan politically to give up its present occupied territory of Afghanistan’s historic lands for the sake stability in the region. Drawing up on the support of liberated people in the area Afghan, US and NATO forces will then be able to jointly operate freely in and around the areas where Al-Qaeda and the Taliban have their headquarters and training camps. That will also ensure US and coalition military supplies flowing freely through Gwadar port located at Makaran coast by the Arabian Sea. This will also enable us to cut off the supply routes and lines of communication of the enemy by bringing them under complete siege. Laying siege around Al-Qaeda and its allies, being as the most effective military strategy under the circumstances will certainly bring the enemy to its knees or put them to flee from the area. It is strongly believed that closing in the area from all directions will crumple the enemy from within and will reduce them to a mere liability among the populace ending up in meeting their total demise.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Jul 2013 18:37:38 +0000