The U.S. role in Afghanistan is changing from terrorist hunter to nation builder. As the Taliban and al-Qaida forces are captured or killed, American energy will be focused less on military operations and more on securing a better future for the people of Afghanistan. But this could pose a continued and serious threat to American lives for years to come.
Everyday, more and more Taliban and al-Qaida members are in U.S. custody. The religiously fundamental regime and the terrorist organization are almost completely routed from Afghanistan. Now comes the hard part.
An interim government headed by Hamid Karzai, a leader hand-picked by the U.S., is already in place. With representatives from the various factions of Afghanistan, the group is busy undertaking the process of creating a new government. In six months it is their job to create a government to which they can then hand over power.
And the government they set up must be palatable to the U.S. and international community who have committed troops and future billions in aid. That means there must be some sense of democracy, with a Constitution that includes human rights, and in particular, rights for women.
Afghanistan is under the constant spotlights of the world media. Everything that happens there is broadcast globally. All measures passed regarding the new government are, therefore, well-publicized. This constant attention by the press would seem to guard against any corruption going on. But what about in a couple of years when there’s not so much attention paid to what’s going on there?
Afghanistan is a country with a history of religious fundamentalism. It is a nation whose value systems may not coincide with the Western values being indoctrinated by the interim Karzai government. Also, for years, Afghanistan has been ruled by warlords with their own armies who are reluctant to give up their power.
Any government that is set up, while under the scrutiny of the press, may collapse after several years. Once international pressure is gone, the country may slip back into its old ways.
Infighting is certain to erupt in the new government about the role of women. Controversy is going to exist about new social and cultural rights. Add to this a new political role in the government, and there’s bound to be tension. The changing face of women is going to anger many Afghanis who hold to strict religious rules about the place of women in society. This issue is certain to cause disruption in the new regime.
Another challenge to the shelf life of a new democratic government is warlords. Afghanistan is full of them. They’re like feudal lords. They are powerful men that won’t like any government trying to take their power away. They’ll play ball while the spotlight is on them, but once attention is elsewhere they’ll want to revolt.
All in all, the new Afghan government will be built on shaky ground. To ensure that it survives, U.S. or international troops may have to be there for years. This could pose serious dangers for those countries involved, especially the United States.
If the U.S. has to either return to Afghanistan, or stay there to guarantee the survival of the new government, there will be strong resentment towards America in the Mideast.
Afghanistan will be one more on a list of countries in the Mideast where the U.S. has influence. Israel is the largest recipient of American aid. Egypt is second. And American jets fly missions over Iraq from bases in Saudi Arabia.
The American presence in the Mideast could become asphyxiating. There could be a claustrophobia felt by the countries in that region, and most assuredly, resentment and anger.
And it is precisely the resentment of U.S. presence in the Mideast that fueled the rage of the terrorists that attacked this country on Sept. 11.
Prolonged U.S. presence in Afghanistan will guarantee continued threat to both military and civilian American lives. The tough part is, if we leave, there is a risk that a new Talibanesque regime will re-emerge. And who wants to see any more footage of a woman, wearing a burqa, kneeling in a packed stadium, killed execution style. America must play its political cards very carefully, because the lives of both the American and Afghani people are under the gun.
