Monday, 19th October 2009
Investment is needed in Afghanistan
Dear Sir,
The United Nations backed electoral fraud investigators has called for a re-count into the August Afghan elections. It is believed the results show current president, Hamid Karzai, has failed to attract 50% of the votes needed to avoid a second vote.
Unfortunately though, the West continues to believe that Afghanistan can somehow be turned into a model democracy.
Afghanistan is not a country in any real sense. It has always been a loose collection of diverse tribes and ethnic minorities whose main preoccupation throughout the ages has been to fight each other. Historically the only thing that ever unites the Afghans is the need to come together to fight an invader.
Of course democracy should be encouraged. But this concept of a single democratic state will not solve the problems in Afghanistan nor will it help diminish and destroy the Taliban’s power and hold over the Afghan people.
What is needed is investment in the worst affected areas. Investment to create a model court system; to develop and train a local police force; to build decent schools, allowing the opportunity for all young to be educated; to construct clean hospitals and a decent transport system, to name a few.
In this way we can show the good people of Afghanistan that life is not all about war and bloodshed.
Yours faithfully,
Struan Stevenson
