“I think within a year or so, perhaps, if 9/11 had not happened, in Afghanistan would have been a very broad-based general uprising against the Taliban.” IfsThinkingYearsHas BeensHappenedBroadsAfghanistanTalibanUprising Author:Ahmed Rashid
“The fact that there are no longer large units of Al Qaeda running around means you don't need B-52s. You need intelligence and special forces. And, most importantly, you need to resurrect Afghanistan from what is literally the graveyard of countries and transform it into a normal country, which the Afghans want.” WantNeedsMeanCountryFactsRunningForceSpecialNormalAlsAfghanistanUnitsAl QaedaGraveyardSpecial Forces Author:Ahmed Rashid
“The strategy for peace-building in Afghanistan is economic aid, reconstruction, international security forces. On those lines, the U.S. has been extremely slow. And it has even blocked expanding security forces from Kabul to other cities.” Has BeensForceLinesCitiesEconomicSecurityBuildingStrategyInternationalAidsAfghanistanNational SecurityExpandingReconstructionBlockedKabulSecurity ForcesPeace Building Author:Ahmed Rashid
“There's a sense of desperation in Afghanistan because of the lack of funding and the fact that the U.S. only has a one-track military strategy. It doesn't have an economic and political game plan.” FactsPoliticalGamesPlansEconomicMilitaryStrategyTrackAfghanistanDesperationFundingGame PlanMilitary StrategyPolitical Games Author:Ahmed Rashid
“You have a lot of suspicion from the neighbors of Afghanistan about U.S. intentions. Iran is already, to some extent, trying to undermine the U.S. in Afghanistan. Russia is now becoming increasingly nervous about a more permanent U.S. presence in Central Asia. And China is not keen that the U.S. should be so close to its borders over a long period of time. Certainly, if the U.S. is going to be there for a long time, it's going to exacerbate regional tensions.” IfsShouldTryingLongBecomingPeriodsLong TimeIntentionChinaNeighborRussiaNervousPermanentBordersTensionIranAfghanistanSuspicionAsiaLong Periods Of TimeCentral Asia Author:Ahmed Rashid
“The idea of a permanent U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, as opposed to an economic presence, is going to create a new wave of hostility toward the United States.” IdeasStatesUnitedUnited StatesEconomicMilitaryWavePermanentAfghanistanHostilityMilitary Presence Author:Ahmed Rashid
“The problem right now, which I've been pointing out very bluntly to American officials in Washington, is that the U.S. has no economic presence in Afghanistan. The Afghans can't point and say, "Oh, the Americans built that road. They built that telecommunications facility. They built that electricity powerhouse," because nothing has been built so far.” Has BeensProblemEconomicRight NowBuiltOfficialsAfghanistanElectricityPointingFacilityTelecommunications Author:Ahmed Rashid
“We should remember that the Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. Of course, many of them did support the Taliban. But you cannot equate all Pashtuns with the Taliban.” ShouldRememberCoursesSupportGroupsAfghanistanTalibanEthnic GroupsPashtuns Author:Ahmed Rashid
“What everyone underestimated was the acute unpopularity of the Taliban, even in the Pashtun areas. People like myself were saying the Taliban would be driven out very swiftly from the north of Afghanistan, but given that their main support base was in the Pashtun belt, there would be greater resistance there. That didn't happen. The Taliban had become deeply unpopular and were actually discarded by the Pashtun population almost as quickly as they were in the north. I don't see the Taliban coming back in any way.” PeopleWayHappensWould BeGivenSupportGreaterAreasPopulationDrivenResistanceAfghanistanComing BackBeltsTalibanDiscardedUnderestimatedPashtuns Author:Ahmed Rashid
“Some Pakistanis fought for the Taliban. Pakistani extremist groups provided infrastructural support to Al Qaeda. There was a coming and going of Al Qaeda militants and leaders between Afghanistan and Pakistan for several years. All that has really happened is that Al Qaeda has escaped from Afghanistan come into Pakistan, got in touch with their contacts and friends in these extremist groups, which then provided them with safe houses, cars, and not just in the border areas but also in the cities. Rooting out Al Qaeda in Pakistan now is where the main battle is being fought.” YearsHouseCitiesLeaderSupportHappenedGroupsCarBattleSafeAreasContactBordersAlsAfghanistanPakistanExtremistAl QaedaTalibanExtremist Groups Author:Ahmed Rashid
“In my view, the Western model of influencing the development of third world countries is doomed to failure. The West does not understand how to deal with states that no longer have any authority and are threatened by dissolution. Their efforts failed in Iraq as well as Afghanistan. They are simply not capable of promoting the indigenous economy. Many billions of dollars flooded into Afghanistan, but without any significant effect.” WorldCountryEffortEconomyInfluenceAuthorityCapableWesternSignificantAfghanistanIndigenous Author:Ahmed Rashid
“Dysfunctional states like Afghanistan need business people who are deeply rooted in their country and invest in it. They can add stability. But all development programs of the United States and the European countries unfortunately exclude the private sector, which could make investments based on profitability.” PeopleCountryProgramInvestmentStabilityAfghanistan Author:Ahmed Rashid
“I am confident that there are hedge funds, banks or investment companies that could allocate five percent of their portfolios for risky investments. In any event, for countries like Afghanistan the formation of an entrepreneurial class is of vital importance.” CountryImportanceInvestmentFundAfghanistanEntrepreneurial Author:Ahmed Rashid
“The biggest mistake Barack Obama could have made is to change quite a few things in his Afghanistan policy. He increased the number of troops and at the same time set the US withdrawal date to 2014. Now the United States has to ensure that Afghanistan does not immediately collapse after being left to itself in 2014.” MistakePolicyBarackAfghanistanBiggest Mistake Author:Ahmed Rashid
“The Soviets held to the tradition of colonialism. They raped the country and killed many people. But they also built dams, electrical power plants, streets, and technical schools. They were communists and had the same vision for Afghanistan that Stalin and Lenin had for the Soviet Union: Progress is communism plus electrification. And today? Today Kabul gets its electrical power from Uzbekistan, Herat from Iran and Jalalabad from Pakistan.” PeopleCountryTodaySchoolVisionProgressTraditionPlantCommunismCommunistAfghanistanSovietSoviet UnionElectrical Author:Ahmed Rashid
“America does not hold to the colonial tradition. America came, liberated Afghanistan from the Taliban and al-Qaida, came to an arrangement with Hamid Karzai, wanted to organize elections as soon as possible and then withdraw. The Bush administration thought that once there is a democracy, everything else will fall into place. If today you speak to the architects of the 2001 Afghanistan Conference in Bonn, they will tell you that instead of being fixated on elections, we should have built a State in Afghanistan with an army and a police force first.” TodayFallSpeakDemocracyTraditionArmyPoliceElectionAfghanistanArchitectOrganizeTalibanFall Into Place Author:Ahmed Rashid
“If Afghan soldiers continue to kill American soldiers as is happening these days, it can hardly be assumed that they will stay in Afghanistan in the long term. And what role are they to play? There will not be enough soldiers to ensure the security of the country. But will the US still be permitted to kill terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan with un-manned drones? That could worsen the situation in the neighboring states and they could view Afghanistan as a threat.” LongCountryEnoughTermSituationSecurityThreatSoldierTerroristLong TermAfghanistanAmerican Soldier Author:Ahmed Rashid
