Afghanistan, the lost war (teaser)

The death of Osama bin Laden could have been seen as the symbol of success in the war on terror, which had been launched ten years earlier following the attacks of September 11, 2001.
In the eyes of many coalition leaders, "The job is now done. Mission accomplished": the country's re-construction is underway, a State and its administration is in place, an education and health system is accessible to a large part of the population....

How do most of the Afghans feel, though? For many of them, September 11, 2001 triggered a chain of events starting with their country's occupation by foreign forces and with arrests being made without any form of trial. It paved the way for the return of the warlords who had plunged Afghanistan into civil war years before. Thousands of foreigners came and disrupted their daily lives: international civil servants, multinational company employees, and even NGO volunteer workers, who all bowed to decisions that were made far from Kabul.
To make things worse, ten years after the start of the American intervention, the country is today considered the second most corrupt country in the world, just after Somalia! Aghanistan, which produced no more than 200 tons of opium in 2001, now supplies close to 80% of the world's consumption.
As for the Taliban, who were expelled in a record two weeks some ten years ago, they are back again all over the territory and able to govern several districts thanks to the support -- given willingly or by coercion - of a growing part of the population.




2014 will be the year of departure of all international troops in Afghanistan. In what condition will they leave the region? Has the war on terror really achieved its goal? Or was it a cause of "wrong target, mistaken strategy"?

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• AFGHANISTAN
• Point du Jour
• Alberto Marquardt