Last updated: 01/12/07
What next for Afghanistan?

Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, gives Dex Torricke-Barton and Samira Shackle a frank account of terrorism, the Taliban, and international tension.

Hamid Karzai, the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan, is a divisive figure on the international stage.

Whilst he is supported by Bush’s administration he has spoken out, sometimes bitterly, about America’s early support of the Taliban. He has also criticised the huge expenditure of the Iraq war, while at home, apparent support for his regime has been punctuated by several attempts on his life.

Despite the new democratic era in Afghanistan, the country remains wracked with difficulties. Terrorism and insurgent violence have marred Karzai’s presidency, with a continued British military presence indicating the scale of the problem. The drugs trade, too, has ravaged Afghanistan’s population and provides continued finance for insurgency.

Karzai visted Britain in October to discuss aid packages for Afghanistan with Gordon Brown and the Queen. He remains hopeful, and is keen to emphasise his belief that progress can be made without the deployment of more troops: “I think it’s going to be a very productive visit. The most important issues are the continuation of support for the fight against extremism, and greater efforts to promote regional cooperation. We need more help in the area of development too.”

In October NATO chief General Dan McNeill said that the land British forces had taken from the Taliban during the summer in the Helmand province may need to be fought for again next year, as the Taliban will be regrouping during the winter.
Doesn’t this suggest the war is going badly? Karzai is philosophical, “What the general was referring to was that Afghan police and security forces wouldn’t be able to hang on to the gains made in Helmand, and yes – that’s a concern. I don’t think we need to talk about more troops, but focus instead on building up our police, and domestic institutions of rule.”

Despite attempts on his life by the Taliban as recently as June of this year, Karzai maintains a rational approach. I ask about the process of reconciliation to which he has referred, and whether this could ultimately lead to members gaining government positions. “Yes, it could,” he said, “but it’s important to define exactly what we mean when we say ‘Taliban’. There are two categories. Firstly, there are those who fight under the banner of Al-Qaeda, and are motivated by an ideology of hate and terror. They seek to destroy the Afghan people and our children. They are not welcome in our country. But there are those who have been driven away from society by fear and desperation, or deprivation. The young who have been misled. These people can be redeemed, and we need them if we are to win the battle against extremists.”

Karzai has an acute awareness of the potential dangers of this battle of ideology, and in his speech at the Oxford Union he spoke about the need to deny extremism ‘intellectual sanctuary’. These comments are particularly resonant in Oxford in light of recent debates over free speech, and Vice-Chancellor John Hood’s oration, in which he defended academic freedoms and the importance of the “exposure of young people to powerful ideas of all sorts.”

Does this sort of attitude run the risk of encouraging an international ‘sanctuary’, whereby a fear of censorship allows extremism to be fostered?

“Firstly, you must be ready to deal with those people arriving in Western countries from the rest of the world. You need to welcome them, but also integrate them into society. It is primarily a social question, an issue of social adjustment. Where religion is misused against others, this task is particularly urgent – and not for any of us to deal with alone.”

In August, Karzai criticised the lack of Western support for his counter-narcotic strategy, which included the reduction of opium-poppy cultivation in the country. Has there been any progress since then?

“A lot, but only after the criticism. I spoke out against the lack of coordination between the international community and my government in fighting drugs. But things are really starting to come together now. It just shows you: sometimes you have to be a little rough and tough to get things done!”
Despite the fact that he is not afraid to stand up for his policies, many people find immense difficulty in the basic context of his coming to power. The validity of military intervention (in this case, American) to impose democracy on another country is certainly on unsteady moral ground.

Finally, then, what is Karzai’s view of ‘regime change’?
“This is a tremendously important question, and I’m still thinking about it. This issue goes back to morality. If we as fellow human beings feel concern for one another, then the more well-equipped and able among us must make sure that the less able and equipped are helped.

“Sometimes you may want to liberate, other times to provide help in some other way; development, food. But the most important thing is that we act from a platform of morality, not from a platform of national interest. If the latter, then we will only care about greed, or oil.”

First published in the Oxford Student.