A Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) worker in Afghanistan, Glen D. Lapp of Lancaster, Pa., was killed last week in a shooting incident in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province. Read the full MCC news release.
To read more about MCC Washington’s work on Afghanistan and view related resources, click here.
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Posted by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach
Theo Sitther writes about Afghanistan in the latest issue of the Peace Office Newsletter entitled “Contested Directions in
Source: Wikipedia
International Peacekeeping”.
After months of debate, deliberation, and speculation, United States President Obama announced his strategy for Afghanistan on December 1, 2009. This strategy includes the deployment of an additional 30,000 U.S. military forces as well as a civilian strategy for diplomacy, reconstruction and development. The U.S. war in Afghanistan has dragged on for over eight years, foreign forces on the ground have continued a fight with no end in sight, and the development and humanitarian needs of the country have remained dire.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
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Posted by Mary Stata
Theo Sitther writes about Afghanistan for Sojourners:
Source: Wikipedia
A stark reality for the people of Afghanistan is their daily struggle against extreme poverty. Unemployment is almost 40 percent, according to a U.S. government estimate from 2008 (later statistics are hard to come by). Because of this, many Afghans lack access to basic health care, education, food, and other needs.
I was unprepared for this reality when I visited the country in December, because much of the debate on Afghanistan, in the media and elsewhere, is narrowly focused on questions of U.S. national security interest: the “war on terror,” extremist ideology, and U.S. troop levels. In fact, U.S. engagement in the country over the last eight years has heavily focused on the military, while largely neglecting the basic human needs of Afghan citizens. Even small U.S. efforts for economic development have been usurped by the military strategy.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
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Posted by Mary Stata
In a prime time address to the nation President Obama announced an escalation of 30,000 additional U.S. troops for Afghanistan. In his speech he outlined three core elements of this new strategy:
These are the three core elements of our strategy: a military effort to create the conditions for a transition; a civilian surge that reinforces positive action; and an effective partnership with Pakistan.
Read a previous blog post on a strategy for peace in Afghanistan.
Read some Afghan reactions to the president’s announcement.
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Posted by Theo Sitther
Source: Wikipedia
After almost three months of speculation, it appears that President Obama is set to announce a new Afghanistan strategy. News sources are reporting that the president will outline his strategy in a prime time address to the nation on Tuesday, December 1st. Mr. Obama is expected to announce an increase in U.S. military deployment to Afghanistan. The Washington Post reports that the increase could be as much as 30,000 additional U.S. troops with perhaps another 10,000 added forces from NATO allies.
At a press conference yesterday Mr. Obama said, “I’ve also indicated that after eight years — some of those years in which we did not have, I think, either the resources or the strategy to get the job done — it is my intention to finish the job. And I feel very confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we’re doing there and how we intend to achieve our goals, that they will be supportive.”
Much of the focus in the debate over U.S. strategy in Afghanistan has centered on the U.S. military goals and troop levels. Afghanistan, however, needs a strategy that goes beyond military goals. If the U.S. intends to make progress and “finish the job,” Mr. Obama’s “clear rationale” must at least include the following elements:
When President Obama makes his announcement next week, his plan for Afghanistan must refocus away from a military only approach to a genuine peacebuilding effort.
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Posted by Theo Sitther
The current public discourse about Afghanistan is largely focused on U.S. national security interest rather than the needs of the Afghan people. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, has requested at least 40,000 additional U.S. troops in order to quell an insurgency. The Obama administration is weighing its options, while many politicians and the U.S. public are wary about committing more resources to a war that has dragged on for more than eight years. A fundamental change in approach is in order. The United States must make genuine efforts to address the underlying causes of poverty, conflict and insecurity. MCC partners in Afghanistan are clear in saying that sustainable economic development can mitigate conflict and bring peace. The United States must work to prioritize these efforts. Unfortunately, even small U.S. efforts for economic development have been militarized through the use of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs).
A PRT is a military unit with embedded civilian personnel that is responsible for development and reconstruction efforts. The use of PRTs in Afghanistan has become widely accepted as the new model for civil-military cooperation and an interagency approach to economic development. This, however, presents some serious problems and concerns.
In short the use of PRTs raise the following concerns:
MCC has produced a brief that outlines the problems with using PRTs in Afghanistan.
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Posted by Theo Sitther
The BBC reported today that three children were killed during the night in an air strike led by international forces, according to Afghan villagers. While the US military confirmed that it had “killed four insurgents on motorcycles in the area of the alleged airstrikes,” the military could not confirm if civilians had been killed in the attack.
Source: BBC News
The article describes the villagers’ outrage following the deaths of the children in the airstrike:
The villagers shouted “Death to America! Death to infidels!” as they displayed the corpses in the back of a pickup truck. The father of the dead boys, Abdur Rahim, told AP that he heard a pair of helicopters circling over his compound early on Wednesday before they fired two missiles that hit his home. His brother and another son were wounded, he said.
“What was the fault of my innocent children? They were not Taliban,” Mr Rahim said. “Did they come here to build our country or kill our innocent children?”
The ongoing deaths of children, women, and men continue to increase the sense of resentment that Afghan civilians feel toward pro-government forces. As such, U.S. and international forces must prioritize reducing the number of civilians killed in Afghanistan.
Click here to read the full article.
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Posted by Meara Dietrick
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