Kirjoitus Helsinki Times -lehdessä; The endless war on Afghanistan 17.12.2009
Finland is getting ready for Christmas. People are looking for peace both in their minds and in their souls.
In Christmas time it is good to keep in mind that there are whole generations of people who have never experienced stability and peace in their lives. There are people whose religious holidays have always been devastated by conflict and hatred.
Afghanistan has been a theatre for Great Power struggles, as well as a playground for the cruel Taliban rulers, since the end of the 1970s. In thirty years of civil war, tribal rivalries, invasions, occupations and corrupt governments, the Afghan people have not had a moment of peace. After decades of war and conflict the Afghan children, women and men deserve better.
Yet the war on Afghanistan seems to be endless. In the beginning of December, US President and Nobel peace laureate Barack Obama unveiled a new strategy for his country’s involvement in Afghanistan. The plan calls for 30,000 more troops to be sent to the country.
Two weeks ago, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated at the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that the US is expecting its allies to invest more resources and send more troops to Afghanistan. At the same hearing, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates underlined US priorities. He stated that the US priority in Afghanistan is not nation-building but to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda.
The US is not committed to a nation-building approach to Afghanistan. At the same time, leading politicians in Finland argue that Finnish peacekeepers are in Afghanistan to build Afghan capacity and to invest in the overall development of the country.
Furthermore, it has been argued that Finland is in Afghanistan because we want to demonstrate our responsible attitude to international affairs. Responsibility can be, however, demonstrated in many different ways. Finland should also be responsible enough to acknowledge the facts and withdraw the Finnish peacekeepers from Afghanistan if they were driven to war-like circumstances and were unable to fulfill their peacekeeping tasks.
Even more worrying is the quality of the information we receive from Afghanistan. We can read, listen and watch about deployments, troops and peacekeeping. We know the numbers and statistics. Yet we know little about the real sufferings and daily challenges of the Afghan people. This is rather shocking considering we are bombarded by media broadcasts and news in our own lives.
But we know the situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating and it must have an impact on the Afghan people as well. At the moment, the corrupt and unpopular government of Hamid Karzai makes deals with both the Taliban leaders and other warlords. Drugs are produced and sold and the West’s ally, the Afghan government, does absolutely nothing to prevent it. Women’s rights are at stake, people die, and the war drags on.
