ShareThisSecretary of State Hillary Clinton is following up her comprehensive visit to Asia with Washington discussions focused on South Asia, and specifically the expanding war in Afghanistan. This week, she meets with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday and Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta on Thursday. Last week, the Obama administration announced an increase in the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan by 17,000, to bring the total level to 55,000.
Security in Afghanistan has been deteriorating for months. In mid-June, a dramatic prison break in Kandahar freed approximately one thousand people, including an estimated four hundred hardcore insurgents. On New Year's Eve, the Taliban scored a major tactical military as well as political victory through killing members of the security force of Abdul Salam, the commander of Musa Qala, a long-contested city in southern Afghanistan.
The decision to increase U.S. troop levels has been accompanied by pressure on allies to increase efforts. Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have emphasized this point in recent visits to Europe. In contrast to Iraq, both NATO and the UN support the military operations in Afghanistan.
Last summer the Group of Eight foreign ministers decided to devote massive financial resources to combating the narcotics traffic and poverty in Afghanistan, focused on areas where these problems are most severe. A new G-8 coordinating body will oversee approximately four billion dollars in aid, concentrated in tribal areas bordering Pakistan where al-Qaeda and the Taliban are strong. Assistance will include police and military training as well as expanded anti-drug efforts. The thrust, however, is economic, not military.
In seeking effective policies, history as usual is instructive. In particular, useful lessons are provided by the experience and initiatives of the Nixon administration regarding Turkey, a principal source of world heroin production. President Nixon creatively used product licensing to encourage Turkish farmers to sell crops to pharmaceutical companies for legal medicinal purposes.
Drug lords moved some production to other locations, including Afghanistan, but the mammoth established drug route from Turkey to Marseilles France, and then the U.S. -- dramatized in the 1971 Oscar-winning film "The French Connection" -- was disrupted. Our important ally Turkey was strengthened. Why not apply this practical approach to Afghanistan?
Iran has provided reconstruction assistance to Afghanistan valued at over one-half billion dollars, reflecting Tehran's hostility to drug trafficking. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has emphasized the potential for cooperation with Iran. Secretary Clinton and new South Asia Envoy Richard Holbrooke have indicated openness to consider this possibility. The G-8 aid initiative provides potential leverage to make this a reality.
Simply introducing more troops and firepower without other measures will only further strengthen the insurgency. This is a fundamental lesson of the Vietnam War. The Soviets learned that lesson in very hard terms during a decade of occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s.
The British likewise had costly experiences in Afghanistan throughout the 19th century. Eventually, London achieved reasonable cooperation with Afghan warlords, with a long-term effort that involved astute diplomacy and economic incentives.
Washington should try to emulate that combination of carrots, sticks -- and patience. The increase in troops may be a necessary condition, but the Obama administration to succeed must effectively integrate G-8, NATO and UN resources. President Obama and Secretary Clinton face an exceptionally complex policy challenge. Emphasizing the interconnection between Afghanistan and Pakistan this week is wise.
(Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College in Wisconsin. He can be reached at acyr@carthage.edu.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
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