Thursday, August 8, 2013

Peace in Afghanistan

At the outset of International Security Alliance Force (ISAF) involvement in Afghanistan there were many people proclaiming the lack of determination needed to finish the job. Those people were right and unfortunately the Taliban and Al Qaeda are two such groups that planned on such a reality. As the conflict drags on, the violence has been increasing while media attention has dropped. There is very little reason for any opposition group to negotiate with the International Security Alliance Force. In absolute reality we must realize that the war in Afghanistan has been a failure for International Security Alliance Forces. Not only has the Afghanistan war been lost but there is a very strong link to the fall of Syria as well. What needs to change to ensure better results? The end of very well proven unsuccessful military strategies can not come soon enough. Bullets and bombs have rarely worked in modern day warfare yet that fact is lost on the hawks. The outcome of the Afghan war was not because the winners have more or better soldiers, equipment or money. The war was won because of determination, patience and total commitment. Sadly these were well known factors concerning the Taliban and Al Qaeda at the outset of the Afghanistan war. Another change we (the world) have to experience is the end of the cold war mentality. There were a few short years where that reality was a possibility. Slowly we are understanding that the cold war is still very much being fought. The years when the Responsibility to Protect had been developed offered a pedestal of hope. The last twelve years have dashed much hope. Finally a change within the United Nations Security Council needs to be made. Veto power and the Permanent Five members have made a complete fool of the entire United Nations Institution and continue to do so. As it stands now, the world is going to experience an increase in violence in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and other areas. How far will this chaos spread is unknown. We must know now that we can not shoot our way through such chaos. The only question now is: Do we have the courage to seek a more peaceful manner of solving violence?

No comments:

Post a Comment