Betsy's Policy Recommendation

We are starting with historical background up through the Soviet invasion in 1979. To start off, we will share our current perspective on Afghanistan with policy recommendations. At the end of the semester, we will update our recommendation to reflect what we have learned. Here is mine:

The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as a response to 9/11. We must not just pack our bags and leave the Afghans to pick up the pieces. America has a responsibility to finish the job we started. We must keep our combat troops in Afghanistan until al Qaeda and the Taliban have been thoroughly extinguished. America and the international community should set a goal of defeating these dangerous groups by 2016. At that point, if and only if combat success has been achieved, combat troops should pull out while some troops remain to keep the peace and continue to train Afghan forces to care for their own country.

As combat continues in the south (Kandahar), multilateral powers must invest in the infrastructure of northern and eastern Afghanistan. Afghanistan companies should receive contracts to build roads, schools, public transportation systems, and hydroelectric dams. This will stimulate the Afghan economy while simultaneously building the infrastructure needed for the economy to function. Private foreign companies must help defeat poverty by investing in Afghanistan through building factories and making micro-loans to poor entrepreneurs. We must fight poverty and violence together to break the vicious cycle.

Afghanistan historically has functioned as a monarchy, but rarely without infighting or iron rule. Most villages retain a tribal system with a village 'chief'. Afghanistan's history indicates that a pure democracy will not solve any problems. One idea would be to let each village elect a council with a leader who would then be part of a provincial council the leader of which would represent his/her province on a regional council from which a leader would represent his/her region on a national council. In the provincial, regional, and national councils, leaders would be elected by council vote. In this way, Afghans can retain the tribal system and decentralization they are comfortable with while still having a say in the way their country is run.

Without delving into the complicated history, politics, economics, and social structure of Afghanistan, I would suggest the above. After a semester of study, I may believe differently.

Welcome

On September 11, 2001 Afghanistan was dragged onto the world stage after years of obscurity since the Soviet invasion. Americans searched for answers to this act of terrorism-- where was Afghanistan, anyway? As President Obama tries to wrap up the war in Afghanistan, we hope to learn more about this country which has been mired in conflict for so long. How has Afghanistan's history of conflict shaped the country today? How should the government be structured? What are the next steps for the United States?

Betsy Ray is a native of Washington, DC and Aigerim Saudabayeva was born in Kazakhstan but has lived in the DC area since she was eleven. In this blog, we will chronicle our thoughts throughout our independent project this semester on the evolution of conflict in Afghanistan.