Afghanistan: The Time is Now

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., headed a Committee hearing to discuss Afghanistan. Kerry said the committee hoped to achieve "open, honest dialogue that sheds light on the issues on this immensely complex region." The most significant of these issues seems to be the corruption of the Afghanistan government. Right now the problem lays "not in the strength of the insurgency but the weakness of the government," said Sarah Chayes a former NPR correspondent currently living in the region. The Afghanistan government and military forces have launched a Taliban type campaign afghanistanians are routinely stopped and fined at check points throughout the country by government officials and "it is not unusual for a men to lose a day's worth of wages on their journey back from work" remarks Chayes. With the upcoming elections in April and the mounting violence in Afghanistan "now is the time for a surge political effort" we are on "the brink of failure," says former Australian Special Forces Commando and retired Lt. Col. David Kilcullen. Currently "the threat to the local people come from the local police not the Taliban" says former Finance Minister of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani. In Afghanistan "corrupt organizations are being infused with resources" and "the people blame this on the international community." John Kerry recognized these issues but also pushed that there is a need to reconcile the fact that this is "a government that is crumbling, and corrupt but is also legitimate."

The Committee discussed how the new Obama Administration has offered a second chance to the efforts in Afghanistan. Chayes urged the committee that a "quick and intrusive force" is needed in the region. The international community needs to regain the trust of the people of Afghanistan. A goal that Ghani says can be "achieved through a focused momentum." There was a consensus among the committee that there needs to be a fundamental shift in ideology and in the way we use our resources in Afghanistan. A shift from central to local governing is crucial in the fight to win back Afghanistan. Former Special Envoy to the Afghan Resistance James Dobbins pressed the need for "direct engagement with the public" and "to bolster the quality of the personnel at the top and senior staff members.

"Our greatest assets on the ground are the Afghanistan people" says Ghani. The committee discussed the need to increase the local income and provide tools for local tribes to cultivate their resources such as local fruits and vegetable opposed to the rampant production of poppy, which is used for heroin. The upcoming election in April serves as a pivotal moment for the American efforts in Afghanistan. There is a need to "support the voting process but not a specific candidate" remarked Dobbins. Maintaining integrity in the local government and shifting to a bottom up mentality will be fundamental in enabling the people of Afghanistan to create a sustainable future. Senator Kerry said that "there is no point in giving people the resources to be able, if they are not first willing."