A Marshall Plan for Afghanistan?

In reading some of the recent thought of Paul Miller at Foreign Policy I couldn’t resist the urge to comment even if the articles I found most interesting weren’t published yesterday.  Generally I find Mr. Miller’s policy opinions intriguing, informative and a reasonable contrast with some of my own.  His September article presenting “a realist case for nation building” struck close to home as I’ve certainly made much the same argument to friends in recent days.

There’s definite value in being able to express the importance of nation building through a lens that isn’t strictly humanitarian.  Some simply aren’t interested in humanitarian efforts abroad or see the process as not worth the cost to the US populace in time or capital.  Typically when dealing with people of this mindset, I find the realist and structural realist arguments of security, economic interests and stability an effective alternative.  Yet as I read Mr. Miller’s article I grew increasingly skeptical and concerned with the approach taken and some of the conclusions drawn. Continue reading »

Somalia is not a failed state

According to Sharif Ahmed.  He makes some good points, but I”m not sure it is correct to say that the rest of the world thinks that Somalia is of no consequence: the piracy, terrorism and generally bad situation there means that lots of people are paying attention.

To make his case, Ahmed cites the underfunding of the AU mission and the need for more Somali troops.  He is right to say that more is needed in both cases, but I fail to see how either qualifies as evidence of neglect.   The AU is chronically underfunded, in part because it is an independent African association (or supposed to be) and African countries don’t have many resources to share.  This is a reason to help develop Africa, but that’s not entirely our fault (Ahmed appears to be addressing the West; if he is directing his remarks at African leaders – as he should be – then my apologies).

He also states that Somalia needs more troops.  Again, I’m sure he’s right, but this is not always a case of underfunding; witness Iraq and Afghanistan or Pakistan.  The US has poured in billions of dollars and all three still lack adequate forces, both national and otherwise.  Years of war across the globe have stretched everyone a little thin, even while there is will to help.  It is unfortunate, because peacekeeping troops probably could help Somalia stabilize, but I’m not sure where they’d come from.  Even with stability, there is no guarantee that Somalia will emerge from this as a successful state.  So far it seems that the Somalis just don’t like each other, and that is not a good start for nation-building.

I wish Ahmed luck.  I think he needs to lead the international community in rebuilding his country, and he can start by not expecting us to simply follow.

Kosovo as a model for Afghanistan?

Last week Barak posted a link to Prof. Brumberg’s article about the misleading analogy comparing the surge in Iraq to Pres. Obama’s 30 000 more troops to Afghanistan. A few days before, I came across a Washington Post article suggesting Kosovo as a model for nation-building, including in, you guessed it, Afghanistan. It’s been a long week, so it took me a while to put together why I disagree with the Post writer, Craig Whitlock, but essentially, it’s that once again, the analogy is incorrect. Continue reading »