The Quagmire

The news that US is trying to have peace dialogue with Taliban shouldn’t be surprising. But is it really a good sign? Given the conditions at home and on the war front, there is no way in hell that US could stay put in Afghanistan any longer. Moreover, what is there to achieve anyways? Even if they spend next hundred years in Afghanistan they will You see, US troops have home to go but Taliban are already home. Like hyenas they just need to harass US troops enough and the prey will soon be all theirs. Whether US could pull out troops from Afghanistan by 2011 or not is something we will have to wait till 2011 but one thing’s sure that in no time Afghanistan will become heavens for Islamic terrorist activities.

The war in Afghanistan is nothing but a disaster - a colossal waste of time, energy and most importantly, human life. You can’t sow seeds in the graveyard because the fruits will always be poisonous. The circumstances in and around Afghanistan are so bad that no matter how much efforts are taken, the end result will always be the same - a tragedy. Till now the consequences were confounded to Indian sub-continent only. But with rise of Pakistan the tremors of happenings in Afghanistan have enough power to destabilize the whole world.

The war in Afghanistan is the longest military campaign in US military history. And all though it hasn’t been as costly and as bloody as Afghan adventure of Russia in the 80’s, US has left Afghanistan in more precarious and fragile situation than ever. The current government in Afghanistan is a comedy show. A dark comedy, that is. It’s arrogantly corrupt and shamelessly incompetent. The President has already rigged an election and is actively sending piles of cash, literally bundles of cash, out of country using Afghan Airlines. He doesn’t care about Afghanistan. He just to needs to survive before he makes his exit strategy full proof (bullet proof!) and then life will be good. His greatest legacy will be institutionalizing corruption. The general populace is already dirt poor but they still need to afford bribes to get even basic things done, something, not done under Taliban rule. The Talibanis were honest in their dealings and swift in justice. They knew how to keep their constituents happy as well as in check.

By no means I am condoning any of Talibani governance or supporting Taliban. They were muck of the civilization. Satanic people hell bent on not only destroying their own country but also spreading terror in rest of the civilized world; They are Huns of modern times. But at least Afghanistan had rulers. You knew who you were dealing with. You knew the devil’s face. You knew what they respond to and you had leverage against them. But now everything’s gone. We have competing powers in Afghanistan, internally as well as externally. Pakistan is at its shadowy best, influencing Taliban, Afghani politicians, as well as free-lance terrorists. Iran is seeing an opportunity to exhaust US resources so that US won’t be thinking about Iran in foreseeable future. Russia, of course, is playing a hand, back hand that is! Indians are trying their luck again by denying Pakistan a safe haven in Afghan land. Does quagmire sound familiar?

Is peace talk with Taliban a solution? Absolutely not! It’s like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. It’s like giving aspirin to a patient who has a tumor hanging out of his head. It’s like reading bible before shoving him into an oven. OK, enough metaphors! You get it.

United States must introspect about their priorities. Do they want to make Afghanistan a vibrant democracy? Because then they may start building colonies in Kandahar because for democracy to take roots will take at least few decades if not centuries. Do they just want to kill all Taliban and leave Afghanistan to their corrupt but non-violent politicians? Because then talking to Taliban isn’t’ exactly a bright move. Do they just want to contain Afghanistan and make sure that no terrorist come from that land ever? Well, no terrorist ever came from land anyways. At least, not to the western land! The wannabe’s are mostly Saudi and Pakistani. I guess the real problem with US policies is muddled thinking, haphazard policy implementation and unclear goals.

The Taliban will have peace talk with US troops and they will agree to everything US says. Because after last of US humvee rolls out of Khyber Pass only Taliban with guns will be left along with incompetent and corrupt Karzai government. The elite or ruling class will leave Afghanistan in haste. Karzai, if he survives that long, will be gone with his billions in cash. Pakistan will again have a strong grip on Afghanistan. And Laden, well, he never left the Afghan land!

The real solution to Afghan problem, and I must have said it in every one of my blog related to this issue, is not Afghanistan but Pakistan. That’s the hub of terrorism. Stop the money flowing from Arab countries and stop the terrorists coming out of Pakistan and the problem will be contained. Reduction in Oil prices will curtail the funding right away. Sanctions against Pakistan, for one, will be quite a good weapon because Pakistani army virtually survives on US aid.

The recent criticism emanating from various governing bodies of the United States is a positive first step but time’s a luxury here; We all know what happens if a gangrene is left to fester for long!