Afwherethefuckistan*

Back in July of 2005 I wrote an article detailing the 24 acts of reconstruction in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban. The cost for 24 items the US actually built or produced (I included things like the elections, you know, for padding) came to $900 million.

So, now that a year and a half has flown by, I thought I'd check the State Department's website and see what we've been up to. I mean, anyone can be excused for not getting to the rebuilding the moment the Taliban have fallen (for this editorial, I'm just going to assume that the Taliban are gone from Afghanistan. Kind of like our government and NATO are doing.), but surely, five years down the road, we must have some kick-ass schools and hospitals there. Right?

Now, the State Department breaks the reconstruction up into four groups, so I'll do the same.

Essential Services added since I last checked in April 2005:

1. Infrastructure: After a just a few days of intensive operation and maintenance training from U.S. soldiers, a platoon of Afghan National Army engineers began the practical application of their newly acquired skills: the reconstruction of Tarin Kowt road in Uruzgan Province in southern Afghanistan. As a result of the training, the Afghan soldiers learned how to operate heavy machinery such as bulldozers, graders, scrappers, rollers, and rippers (rock removers), as well as how to inspect and maintain equipment before and after its use. The Afghan platoon cut over 13 kilometers of road within two weeks.
   
2. Education: USAID’s Afghanistan Primary Education Program focuses on teacher training, accelerated learning programs for students, and textbook printing and distribution. During the first part of July, the Teacher Education Program completed the training of 425 teacher educators. These teacher educators will form the province-level foundation for nationwide in-service teacher education efforts. The participants, all of whom are teachers in the formal school system, came from Kabul City, Kabul Province, Parwan, Logar, Paktia, and Kapisa.

To sum up, Afghan soldiers plowed 8 miles of dirt in 14 days, bringing their daily average to 1/2 a mile a day. Swell. I wonder what year that was in, the website doesn't say.

We also trained 425 teacher teachers and gave them some books. Maybe. But only for July, 2005. I guess Afghani students have been enjoying a nice, long, 15 MONTH summer break.

Security added since I last checked in March, 2005:

1. Afghan National Police: In preparation for providing security for the September parliamentary elections, the six Regional Training Centers of the Afghan National Police have received shipments of new weapons for use in training their police force. The weapons distribution included 18,800 new AMD-65s – a similar weapon to the AK-47 – donated by the Hungarian government, as well as 2 million rounds of ammunition for use with the rifles donated by members of the international community. Once the distribution of weapons to the training centers is complete, the next priority is to equip the Afghan Border Police with new weapons.
2. Afghan National Army: Afghan National Army soldiers recently took part in artillery live-fire training at the D-30 Howitzer range to improve their proficiency. The D-30 Howitzer is a 3.5-ton weapon that takes a crew of seven to fire and has a range of over 15,000 meters. The training, which is conducted annually, gives soldiers the opportunity to practice firing, thus reinforcing what they have learned in school and strengthening their training. More than 120 Afghan soldiers conducted two months of training to prepare for the annual range time, including practicing crew drills and learning weapons maintenance and safety.
3. Afghan National Army: The first class of 112 basic training soldiers enrolled in the new National Military Academy of Afghanistan outside Kabul graduated on March 17. Upon completing basic training, the cadets will pursue a four-year college degree at the Academy and then be commissioned ANA officers. The newly formed Academy is the first military academy for the Afghan National Army.

Okay. Weapons, ammunition and training dispersed. Back in September of 2005. Really though, we wouldn't want to shock people living over there with too much safety and stability too quickly. Forget Maslow, just watch where you step, right?

Governance added since I last checked in February, 2005:

1. Elections: In preparation for the upcoming parliamentary elections, the National Democratic Institute hosted an all day conference August 20 for women candidates in cooperation with the Women’s Political Participation Committee. The event included 45 women candidates from the Kabul area and representatives from Afghan women NGOs. Women’s Affairs Minister, Dr. Massouda Jalal, gave opening remarks for the conference. Each candidate was able to present her platform to the conference, followed by general discussion, with an emphasis on cooperation among women.
2. Elections: On July 12, the final list of candidates for September’s parliamentary elections was released. These lists form the ballots for the Wolesi Jirga, or the lower house of the National Assembly, and the Provincial Council in each of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. The lists comprise 5,805 candidates -- 2,778 for the Wolesi Jirga and 3,027 for the Provincial Councils, with 583 women candidates. The Wolesi Jirga comprises 249 seats, allocated proportionally to the population of the provinces. Each Provincial Council has between 9 and 29 seats, also based on the province’s population.
3. Elections: On March 3, three years after the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan appointed its first ever-female provincial governor. Habiba Sarobi, who previously served as Minister for Women’s Affairs, will head the government of Bamiyan province. Her appointment is part of a national initiative to promote women to positions of power. Sarobi is one of three women who are now serving as government ministers in Afghanistan.

Again, all of these dates are for last year, in 2005. There is a lot of emphasis on women in the government, and there should be. However, the State Department fails to note that Dr. Massouda Jalal lost the presidency to Karzai and remains critical of the lack of role by women there, the Taliban have targeted women in power and only one women (Habiba Sarobi) heads any of the 34 provinces.

But perhaps I am merely being petty. After all, I don't believe that a democracy can be elected at gunpoint.

Economy added since I last checked in May, 2005:

1. Alternative Livelihoods: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes reported August 29 that opium production in Afghanistan has declined in 2005 due primarily to a substantial reduction in cultivation. From 2004 to 2005, poppy cultivation decreased by 21 percent. USAID’S Alternative Livelihood Program (ALP) has contributed to this decrease by providing farmers with alternative work. In Nangarhar province, for example, ALP helped reduce poppy cultivation by 98 percent, employing 13,000 people daily in 563 villages with jobs such as cleaning irrigation canals and building flood protection walls.
2. Business development: USAID is helping to stimulate local private sector development and create sustainable employment by creating a venture capital fund and separate loan guarantee program for ex-combatants. Activities include establishing the Afghanistan Renewal Fund, the first venture capital fund in Afghanistan specifically targeting small, medium-sized enterprises; providing technical assistance in business plan development, market research analysis, and market entry; establishing the First Loss Reserve Fund, a loan guarantee fund providing participating banks a $10,000 guarantee for each ex-combatant hired by the loan applicant; and improving the quality and marketing of various products.
3. Counter-narcotics: On March 10, Afghanistan adopted the 2005 Counternarcotics Implementation Plan to target the cultivation, production, and trafficking of drugs. In 2004, the Afghan Special Narcotics Force seized more than 80 tons of narcotics, destroyed 75 drug laboratories, and closed two major opium bazaars. In addition, 20,000 Afghans are now employed by cash for work projects in Helmand and Nangarhar, with over $1 million in wages introduced into the local Afghan economy, and 440km of irrigation canals, drains, and karez water systems have been cleaned.

What? To stimulate the economy, the US has worked to give banks $10k for every mercenary and Taliban hired?

It's funny that the State Department feels opium production is on the decline. Maybe they haven't read the September 2006 article that claims Afghanistan High on Opium, Not Democracy. Of course, that's getting ahead of myself as the figures, again, are from 2005. In 2005, reports were claiming "militaristic" attempts to eradicate poppy crop is driving farmers to Taliban. and Britain's Foreign Office says the opium harvest in Afghanistan this year will be one of the biggest on record.

Now, last time the US government stopped reporting any progress on Afghanistan it was because they moved their website and didn't send me a memo. I did a quick word search on the US State Department's website and I found the following:

1. Rumsfeld Sees Promising Trajectory in Afghanistan 07 October 2006
2. NATO General Urges More Progress in Rebuilding Afghanistan 05 October 2006
3. Rice Promises Strong, "Enduring" US Commitment to Afghanistan 28 June 2006

Uh, that's not sounding too promising. Not to be daunted, I Googled Afghanistan Reconstruction:

1. CDC makes commitment to Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund UK government-backed emerging markets fund of funds manager CDC has committed $5.8m to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund. Oct 13, 2006
2. Iran criticizes inadequate aid for Afghanistan reconstruction Mohammadi in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday criticized the inadequate international assistance for reconstruction and development that reaches Afghanistan. Oct 10, 2006
3. Dutch foreign minister urges stepped up reconstruction efforts Kick-starting reconstruction in southern Afghanistan should be a priority for NATO allies.

Well, that's not promising either, but in a nation where $1 goes to reconstruction to every $9 for combat against an enemy supposedly defeated back in 2001, what can you really expect? I'm just glad Osama bin-Laden is no longer running around free on the border between Pakistan and Afwherethefuckistan.

~Lila Schow
Because Responsible Citizens Clean Up After Their Government
http://goodusgov.org/

*Footnote:
Dear David Rees,
Sorry I stole your word.








Cheers,
Lila