history not repeating itself in afghanistan 2-19-14
DESCRIPTION
articleTRANSCRIPT
2/24/2014 History not repeating itself in Afghanistan – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/19/history-not-repeating-itself-in-afghanistan/ 1/9
EDITION: U.S.
INTERNATIONAL
MÉXICO
ARABIC
TV:
CNN
CNNi
CNN en EspañolHLN
Home
TV & Video
CNN Trends
U.S.World
Politics
JusticeEntertainment
Tech
Health
Living
Travel
OpinioniReport
Money
Sports
Main
By Fareed
GPS podcasts
TIME columnsMoney
Elections
Conflict
Books
FacebookTwitter
Zakaria: Law of jungle not good enough
Internet freedom continues to slide
2/24/2014 History not repeating itself in Afghanistan – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/19/history-not-repeating-itself-in-afghanistan/ 2/9
Chinese censorship reaching overseas
Egypt's identity crisis
GPS quiz: Which police force has a Lamborghini?
The danger of shoot to kill drone policy
Who was the best foreign policy president?
3 challenges for China's leaders
Puppy or panda?
Buy GPS on iTunes!
2/24/2014 History not repeating itself in Afghanistan – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/19/history-not-repeating-itself-in-afghanistan/ 3/9
February 19th, 201405:45 PM ET
Share this on:Facebook
Diggdel.icio.us
redditMySpace
StumbleUpon
History not repeating itself in Afghanistan
By Javid Ahmad and Ahmad K. Majidyar, Special to CNN
Editor’s note: Javid Ahmad is a program coordinator for Asia at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Ahmad K. Majidyar is a senior research associate at
the American Enterprise Institute. The views expressed are their own.
Twenty five years ago this month, the last Soviet soldier marched out of Afghanistan, bringing an end to a nine year occupation that cost the lives of 15,000 Soviet troops and more
than a million Afghans. With the close of the Cold War, the West lost interest in the region and Afghanistan became a proxy battlefield for subversive regional power play. Infightingbetween competing Afghan mujahedeen factions brought anarchy, paving the way for the Taliban and al Qaeda. And now, as the drawdown of international forces approaches,
there’s growing fear that history might repeat itself.
It doesn’t have to work out the same way.
For a start, while the political system in Afghanistan is far from perfect, it enjoys far greater support and legitimacy among the Afghan people than the communist regime did in the
1980s. While Afghan presidents back then were effectively appointed by the Kremlin, Afghans today have elected their own leader – and will head to the polls in April to pick asuccessor to Hamid Karzai. And despite growing pessimism in the West about Afghanistan, Afghans generally remain optimistic about their future: an Asia Foundation survey last year
found that a majority of Afghans (57 percent) believed their country was moving in the right direction.
The Red Army’s horrendous tactics, including indiscriminate aerial bombardments and the use of chemical weapons and landmines, provoked mass uprisings across the country,
forcing five million Afghans to take refuge in neighboring countries. In contrast, civilian casualties resulting from U.S. and NATO air strikes have occurred on a much smaller scale.Indeed, insurgents have been responsible for far more civilian deaths.
Just as important is the fact that the Taliban insurgency is far more limited in scope and strength than the anti-Soviet mujahedeen. Western intelligence estimates put the number ofactive Taliban fighters in Afghanistan at 20,000 to 25,000 – less than a quarter of the mujahedeen fighting strength at the time of Soviet withdrawal. In addition, while the anti-Soviet
mujahedeen effectively represented all of Afghanistan’s ethnic groups, the Taliban insurgency today is largely confined to pockets in the south and east. In addition, anti-Soviet
guerrillas also received political and military support from the West, the Islamic world, and other countries in the region. In contrast, the Taliban-led insurgency is supported byelements in Pakistan, and to a lesser degree Iran.
Third, and perhaps most important of all, the Soviets appeared to view Afghanistan as a potential corridor for expansionist ambitions in South Asia and the Middle East and so treated
the country as a client state, allowing Afghan leaders very little freedom of action. This approach stands in stark contrast with that of the United States, which is clearly attempting toestablish a stable, sovereign Afghanistan and prevent the return of the Taliban and al Qaeda to the country.
Still, while the differences between the Soviet and U.S.-led engagements in Afghanistan are substantial, there is at least one element that the two conflicts share: Pakistan. Islamabad’s
role as a historic patron of the insurgency remains alarmingly consistent. In the 1980s, Pakistan, with help from the United States and Saudi Arabia, assisted in propping up the Afghanmujahedeen with weaponry, money, and sanctuaries. Fast forward to today, and Pakistan, ostensibly an American ally, appears to be engaged in a proxy conflict with the U.S.-led
coalition in Afghanistan, with elements in Pakistan reportedly providing the Afghan Taliban with funding, training and shelter. The failure to act against terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan
has been one of the primary reasons for the failure to defeat the Taliban and stabilize Afghanistan.
Of course, none of this is to suggest that Afghanistan doesn’t face real and serious challenges – it does. But success is achievable if the United States and its allies are willing tosupport the country’s continuing development after their forces depart this year. After all, the international community paid a huge price after abandoning Afghanistan following the
Soviet pullout. Let us not make that mistake again.
Post by: CNN's Jason Miks
2/24/2014 History not repeating itself in Afghanistan – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/19/history-not-repeating-itself-in-afghanistan/ 4/9
From Around the Web
Bloomberg
More from CNN
Noah's Ark discovery raises flood of questions
Could Pakistan become a Sharia state?
Kissinger on why Ukraine matters to Putin
Will camel discovery break the Bible's back?
Karzai's not-so-crazy end game
The myths of India's rising regional parties
Topics: Afghanistan • Asia
Recommended by
Next entry »Paris getting creative with 'ghost stops'« Previous entryThe myths of India's rising regional parties
soundoff (31 Responses)
1. Jeff
We need to bomb terrorist hideouts in Pakistan.
February 19, 2014 at 8:35 pm | ReplyJoseph McCarthy
Such is to be expected from someone like you with your obvious limitations, Jeff. You sound like some hillbilly Tea Partier who never got past the 5th grade in school
with that stupid statement above.
February 20, 2014 at 4:53 am | ReplyJeff
And you sound like a Pakistani with a fake Western name. Go back to your country and clean up your terror infrastructure threatening the whole world.
February 20, 2014 at 11:28 am |Liaqat Ali
Considering the authors' paychecks are being written by the right wing propaganda, er, think tanks you may want to take this analysis with a grain of salt.
February 20, 2014 at 3:21 pm | Reply
Karzai
Liaqat Ali was also the name of Pakistan's founder: Liaqat Ali Khan. I wish you both didn't exist, so we didn't have all this terrorism problem around the globe.
February 20, 2014 at 3:58 pm |
HBK
The world "Afghan" is a disgrace to the word nation! Now take your fake pride/arrogance and shove it up your little candy a**
February 24, 2014 at 9:54 am |
Niceguy60
JeffYou have very radical and Extremist views
U.S has 12.000 Gun Murders every year at home
Why don"t you transform your desire to Blow up Others in their own Homelands and Start Stabilizing , Virginia , Boston or New York by helping U.S local authority'sPreventing Constant shooting Rampages at home ?
February 21, 2014 at 7:28 am | Reply
Jeff41
@Niceguy60, gun violence is a serious problem but that doesn't mean we should forget terrorists abroad who want to kill us. Have you already forgotten 9/11?We pay Pakistan billions of dollars and in exchange it helps groups to murder our soldiers in Afghanistan and harbors terrorist groups, including bin Laden.
February 21, 2014 at 10:00 am |
Asad Khurshid
There are two headlines in Pakistan one is aerial attacks on Taliban hideouts that is see today is covered extensively by westren media (oooo terrorsit hide outs in
Pakistan, terrorists, terrorists). The other is Pakistan protest to Afghanistan about the killings of its 26 FC soliders in Afghanistan as they were abducted, taken to
Afghanistan Kunar Province and were executed there now .................. as expected there is not a single coverage from the transparent non biased westren media why
because it shows where the real terrorist hideouts are. I hope Pakistan Government should have guts to do following thingsBomb the hell out of terrorist camps (Taliban+Baloch) in Afghanistan being run by Afgan intellegence and Raw
Immediately send all Afghan refugees back to AFGHANISTAN as their is peace and no terrorist hide out or activity as claimed by US government, media and smarty
pents like u.
February 22, 2014 at 8:50 pm | Reply
2/24/2014 History not repeating itself in Afghanistan – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/19/history-not-repeating-itself-in-afghanistan/ 5/9
2. peterdow
Pakistan is secretly at war with us. Pakistan denies it. We are in denial.
For years, the President and Congress have been spending American taxpayers money to aid Pakistan.
All this time Pakistan has funded terrorists and built nuclear weapons and perhaps this is why the American taxpayer money spent on Pakistan did not feature in President
Obama's State of the Union speech.
Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan where he and the terrorist group he founded, Al-Qaeda, which attacked the US on 9/11, was hosted and sponsored by the Pakistani military.
The same Pakistani military given $10 billion in military aid (and $ billions more in civil aid) by the US since 2001 is actually SUPPORTING, RECRUITING, TRAINING,SUPPLYING AND DIRECTING THE TALIBAN against our forces.
The Taliban and other terrorist groups based in Pakistani territory are secret agents, proxies, irregular forces of the Pakistani military.
The Taliban don't wear Pakistani military uniform of course, because that would give the game away, even to the fools who run NATO, the Pentagon, the MOD etc.
The evidence for Pakistan's secret terrorist war against the West can be viewed in the BBC's "SECRET PAKISTAN" videos.
February 19, 2014 at 10:24 pm | Reply
Asad Khurshid
wow great research u should be given an Honorary PHD degree on your research. If thats the criteria of judging ur low IQ should i paste a few links out of thousandsthat endorse that 9 11 was an inside job.
February 22, 2014 at 9:12 pm | Reply
Karzai
Only a Pakistani fool like you would think 9/11 is an inside job.
February 24, 2014 at 12:59 pm |
3. peterdow
BBC's SECRET PAKISTAN on YouTubePart 1. Double Cross
watch?v=qSinK-dVrig
Part 2. Backlash
watch?v=G5-lSSC9dSE
The AfPak Mission on the internet is about war on terror military and security strategy for NATO and allied countries with ground forces in action in Afghanistan and air and
airborne forces including drones and special force raids in action over Pakistan.
The AfPak Mission helps implementation of the Bush Doctrine versus state sponsors of terror and is inspired by the leadership of Condoleezza Rice.
The AfPak Mission approach to the Taliban is uncompromising.
There should be no peace with the Taliban.
The only "good" Taliban is a dead Taliban.
Arrest all Taliban political leaders and media spokesmen.Capture or kill all Taliban fighters.
The AfPak Mission identifies useful content across multiple websites.
On YouTube, the AfPak Mission channel presents playlists of useful videos.
The AfPak Mission forum offers structured written discussion facilities and the forum is the rallying and reference centre of the AfPak Mission, linking to all other AfPak
Mission content on the internet.
The AfPak Mission has a Twitter, a Flickr and a wordpress Blog too.
You are invited to subscribe to the channel, register with the forum and follow on twitter, flickr and the blog.
February 19, 2014 at 10:26 pm | Reply
4. chrissy
Spot on @ peterdow! Makes ya wonder just WHO they think their foolin with their supposed "our war on terrorists" dont ya? Oh but of course many people are fooledbecause they just dont wanta believe it.
February 19, 2014 at 11:05 pm | Reply
Joseph McCarthy
Here goes CNN with that right-wing propaganda of theirs again, chrissy. Let's hope that this collaborationist regime in Afghanistan falls as it is no more than an extensionof NATO's proxy occupation of that country. In truth, the Russians were never the villains any more than the NATO forces are the heroes that the right-wing media
makes them out to be.
February 20, 2014 at 4:58 am | ReplyFranklin
If you added some substance to your statement instead of cheap talks, it'd have been better.
2/24/2014 History not repeating itself in Afghanistan – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/19/history-not-repeating-itself-in-afghanistan/ 6/9
February 20, 2014 at 10:21 am |
Crow T. Robot
Hmmm... there is an inveigling and oily quality to your many responses here, Joseph. I think Jeff has you spot on. If you had posted any authoritative sources foryour assertions, you might be persuasive. Lacking that, you sound like a guy standing in the dark at the back of a truck saying in a loud whisper, "Pssst... hey
buddy! Got a minute? I got a deal for you." Kinda creepy, ya know....
February 20, 2014 at 3:38 pm |HBK
Americans are idiots and are easily brainwashed by the Am-Brit corporate media
February 24, 2014 at 9:50 am |
5. j. von hettlingen
The authors write: "success is achievable if the United States and its allies are willing to support the country’s continuing development after their forces depart this year". Yet
Hamid Karzai has refused to sign the BSA. It's unclear whether the Taliban would disrupt the election and who will be elected. Most Afghans want the US to remain involved,
but without a signature, it can't stay.
February 20, 2014 at 8:23 am | Reply
Joseph McCarthy
Wrong, j. von hettlingen. Most Afghans do not want us there any more than they did the Russians. In fact, that is why so many of them joined the Taliban in the first
place and why the Taliban have not been eliminated. Like I said before, we have no more right to be there than the Russians did!
February 20, 2014 at 3:14 pm | Reply
Jeff
Go back to your country and don't pretend to be American.
February 20, 2014 at 3:53 pm |
6. Tamim
Some valid points in the analysis, however, one important point is missing that will change the conclusion to history will repeat itself! Those Afghan mujahedeen
factions/warlords that brought chaos to the country after Russian withdrawal are still around ever more blood thirsty and more powerful than before thanks to US. They willturn on each other again, form alliances, break alliances and kill more innocent civilians.
February 21, 2014 at 2:03 am | Reply
Karzai
Tamim: Those warlords have now become politicians. They're a lot of invested interests in maintaining the current system. The upcoming elections will be important.
February 21, 2014 at 10:03 am | Reply
7. ulas khan..
Taliban are funded by pakistan isi no doubt, If not then why Drone can find taliban and Pakistan army can not. Wazeristan is a Tiny place People are hijacked by Taliban and
ISI, I talk to my Class fellows from wazeristan why u people support taliban they tell me we cannot do anything if we say something about army or taliban or about there
cooperation they will cut our throat. Pakistan only killed those taliban who are newly join taliban and cannot do anything. ISI support those taliban who can destroy Kashmeer
or Afghnistan or can kill american Soldier ... I dont understand why America give free hand to Pakistan ISI....America Should hit every Army base in Paksitan then u will see
how Taliban come again....
February 21, 2014 at 12:50 pm | Reply
8. Towel Heads
Towel Heads is what Towel Heads do.
February 23, 2014 at 1:37 am | Reply
banasy©
Hi, Hamsta! (Waves)
Nice to see you're as disrespectful as ever!
February 23, 2014 at 2:46 pm | Reply
9. chrissy
Hamsta? Where?
February 23, 2014 at 7:06 pm | Reply
10. chrissy
And WHO really CARES what one wears on their head? Seriously! That was just childish. Dont ya know people are getting sick of those infantile remarks! People of ALL
races so grow up! Sheesh!
February 23, 2014 at 7:09 pm | Reply
11. HBK
Pakistani govt should throw these dirty ugly smelling little Afghan asses more than a million of them livin here for decades out of our country!
2/24/2014 History not repeating itself in Afghanistan – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/19/history-not-repeating-itself-in-afghanistan/ 7/9
February 24, 2014 at 9:48 am | Reply
Post a comment
Name: (required)
E-mail: (required, but will not be displayed)
CNN welcomes a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the Rules of Conduct set forth in
our Terms of Service. Comments are not pre-screened before they post. You agree that anything you post
may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the
license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Service.
Next entry »Paris getting creative with 'ghost stops'« Previous entryThe myths of India's rising regional parties
About us
Subscribe
The Global Public Square is where you can make sense of the world every day with insights and explanations from CNN's Fareed Zakaria, leading journalists at TIME and CNN,
and other international thinkers. Join GPS editor Jason Miks and get informed about global issues, exposed to unique stories, and engaged with diverse and original perspectives.
Most popular
2014 not looking so good for PutinZakaria: How Russia trumped West over Ukraine
Why U.S. should care about Syria crisis
Kissinger on why Ukraine matters to Putin
China's bold environmental move
Fareed Zakaria GPS TV
Every week we bring you in-depth interviews with world leaders, newsmakers and analysts who break down the world's toughest problems.
CNN U.S.: Sundays 10 a.m. & 1 p.m ET | CNN International: Find local times
Buy the GPS mug | Books| Transcripts | Audio
Connect on Facebook | Twitter | [email protected]
Buy past episodes on iTunes! | Download the audio podcast
Fareed's TIME columns
Check out all of Fareed's TIME columns here:
The Saudis are mad? Tough!
What an Iran deal would look like
136
Recommend Tweet
54 1
Share
0
More sharing
2/24/2014 History not repeating itself in Afghanistan – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/19/history-not-repeating-itself-in-afghanistan/ 8/9
On Syria, words have consequences
America the isolated?
Big data, meet big brother
Search the Global Public Square
Search
Categories
2012 Election Afghanistan Africa Asia China Culture Daily Roundup Economy Egypt Europe Foreign Policy From Fareed Global
GPS Episodes GPS Show Iran Israel Libya Middle East Military Pakistan Politics President Obama Quiz Russia Syria
Terrorism Uncategorized United States What in the World?
Categories
Select Category
Email Subscription
Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Sign me up!
@fareedzakaria on Twitter
"In 1974, federal taxes were equal to about 1/6 of US economy. In 2013, they equaled...about 1/6 of economy": NPR n.pr/1eqnrpR
fareedzakaria
5:18 pm ET February 24, 2014 RETWEET
In 54 countries, women face five or more legal differences based on their gender: World Bank bit.ly/1c87wfY
fareedzakaria
2:04 pm ET February 24, 2014 RETWEET
2014 is not looking quite as good for Vladimir Putin as it did a week ago: My take cnn.it/1hKX8mg
fareedzakaria
12:39 pm ET February 24, 2014 RETWEET
On GPS this Sunday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET on CNN: Fareed's take on #Ukraine and former U.S. National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski
fareedzakaria
1:02 am ET February 23, 2014 RETWEET
‘The Kennan Diaries’: Fascinating, sometimes disturbing. My [email protected]/1fn936x3vzb
fareedzakaria
12:16 pm ET February 21, 2014 RETWEET
RSS
RSS - Posts
2/24/2014 History not repeating itself in Afghanistan – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/19/history-not-repeating-itself-in-afghanistan/ 9/9
Weather forecast
Home | Video | CNN Trends | U.S. | World | Politics | Justice | Entertainment | Tech | Health | Living | Travel | Opinion | iReport | Money | Sports
Tools & widgets | RSS | Podcasts | Blogs | CNN mobile | My profile | E-mail alerts | CNN shop | Site map | Contact us
CNN en ESPAÑOL | CNN México | CNN Chile | CNN Expansión
| |
CNN TV | HLN | Transcripts
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Terms of service | Privacy guidelines | Ad choices | Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help | CNN Newsource | License Footage
Powered by WordPress.com VIP