Enhancing Softness is Crucial: An Appeal to Reinforce Afghan Community Structure
The international community, including Germany, is yet to decide the future course of action for Afghanistan as NATO forces prepare to withdraw by 2014. This decision comes after a decade of improvisation in the civilian side of the operation.
The Afghanistan mission, which began as a limited military operation primarily targeting al-Qaeda in 2001/2002, did not initially include a civilian plan. However, the focus has since shifted, with organizations such as the German Bundestag's investigative committee, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), Caritas International, Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Goethe-Institut, Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), and Bundeswehr-related support networks like the Patenschaftsnetzwerk Afghanische Ortskräfte e. V., working together to support Afghan civil society actors and former local staff.
These entities collaborate to facilitate the protection, evacuation, and sustainable development cooperation of Afghan civil society, ensuring active civil society participation and sustainable development after NATO troop withdrawal.
In the past, key figures like Peter Struck, the Defence Minister at the time, have focused on securing order in Afghanistan. Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, on the other hand, demanded that the Northern Alliance reinstate women's rights.
The strongmen of the Northern Alliance, however, were more concerned with dividing newly won territory among themselves rather than negotiating with the Taliban. This has led to ongoing security threats, with many political development projects in Afghanistan still requiring military protection.
NATO troops are not fleeing but are gradually handing over security responsibility to Afghan institutions. The reduction of troops will be negotiated with the Afghan government and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
The military is concerned about the security gains achieved since 2001 not being lost under Afghan sovereignty. The Taliban, too, view successful development projects as a strengthening of the government, which they consider their enemy.
The international community should be concerned about the impact of the withdrawal process on Afghan civil society and ensure they have an active voice. The civilian development strategy needed for the future should focus on education, supporting civil society, and smaller, less "hard" projects.
Obama's announcement to withdraw one-third of U.S. troops from Afghanistan by mid-2012 was compared to the advice given during the Vietnam War. Germany's involvement in the Afghanistan mission in 2001 was poorly planned, but the speakers in the debate about Germany's participation in the NATO mission had a militarily supported relief operation in mind.
As Mazar-i-Sharif and Kunduz experienced conflict with no sign of order or a government to support, the Afghan civil society will not play a role in the transfer process or negotiations with the rebels. German aid to Afghanistan in 2011 was to be dispersed in two instalments, with the second instalment tied to a faster customs clearance and registration process for vehicles and equipment.
The future of Afghanistan remains uncertain, but with careful planning and coordination, the international community can help ensure a sustainable and peaceful transition for the Afghan people.
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