Afghanistan

Political ideology

PANT: “The Great End Game” (Outlook Magazine, IN)

359 days ago by Urvashi Aneja

Harsh Pant argues in this article that as Washington and Kabul turn a new page in the Afghanistan saga, New Delhi should be keen to take this opportunity to become a more credible actor in its neighbourhood. There is an overarching lack of coherence in Indian response as New Delhi seems to be perpetually on the defensive, first making Washington the sole pivot of its outreach to Kabul and then petulantly complaining about American unreliability. On the one hand, India has been signalling to the US that it views long-term American presence in Afghanistan as integral to regional security. On the other, it’s been reaching out to make common cause with the Iranians, who want to see complete US withdrawal from the region. The Washington-Kabul strategic partnership agreement now provides India with some crucial space for diplomatic manoeuvring so as to regain the lost ground and expand its footprint in a neighbouring state where it remains hugely popular despite its inconsistent policy approach.

Score (out of 10)

N/A6.250 readerscontributor

Political ideology

KARNAD: “Mission Taliban” (The Asian Age, IN)

362 days ago by Urvashi Aneja

Bharat Karnad argues in this article that that NATO plan to handover operations to the the newly raised 325,000 soldier-strong Afghan National Army (ANA) and police, and to decamp by 2014, is absurd. The US has spent some $20 billion all told on ISAF operations over a decade, and no military technology has been spared; yet, nothing has quite worked. Now the nascent ANA is supposed to finish the job ISAF started with nothing like the battlefield tech-support and infrastructure the foreign armies benefited from; moreover, this is to be accomplished on an annual Nato dole of $4.2 billion for a country with a diminished GDP of $17 billion. Karnad thus argues that India should begin to seriously consider a military role in Afghanistan. Deploying a static Indian military presence, say, in the Hajigak region where Indian companies have mining concessions and will need protection, seems a reasonable first step; the more kinetic element could be Indian Special Forces deployed to fight in support of ANA and alongside the American Rangers and SEALs.Moreover, with their vast counter-insurgency experience, Indian Army contingents can leverage the high comfort levels the Afghan people will naturally have in dealing with them.

Score (out of 10)

N/A6.250 readerscontributor

Political ideology

RAJAMOHAN: “Snubbing Zardari” (Indian Express,IN)

362 days ago by Urvashi Aneja

US President Obama extended a last minute invitation to Pakistan President Zadari to the NATO summit in Chicago, but then refused to engage with him. C. Rajamohan argues in this article that President Obama was highlighting the US frustration at Pakistan’s reluctance to open up over land access to the international forces in Afghanistan. Rajamohan argues that snubbing Zardari does not solve America’s current problem with Pakistan. It only deepens the popular Pakistani resentment against the United States and weakens Zardari vis-a-vis the army.The US also knows that Zardari is not in charge of Pakistan’s policy towards the US or Afghanistan. Finally, if the current negotiations have halted due to a difference of opinion over the price of access for NATO trucks and containers, US-Pak mutual accommodation should not be impossible to accomplish in the coming days.

Score (out of 10)

N/A70 readerscontributor

Political ideology

GHAREKHAN:”Not a zero-sum game in Kabul” (The Hindu,IN)

388 days ago by Urvashi Aneja

There has been a perceptible improvement in India-Pakistan relations in the past few weeks; especially noteworthy was General Kayani’s remarks that ‘peaceful co-existence’ should be the principle guiding relations between the two countries. Former Indian Ambassador to the UN, Chinmaya R. Gharekhan argues in this article that this is an opportune time for India and Pakistan to cooperate on Afghanistan. The bilateral relationships which Pakistan and India have with Afghanistan are not, and should not be, a zero-sum equation. Each must recognise that the other has legitimate interests and concerns in Afghanistan. Equally, both ought to, and do believe that a stable Afghanistan is in the interests of both countries.

Score (out of 10)

N/A70 readerscontributor

Political ideology

GALLUZZO: “Italy in Afghanistan after 2014″ (Il Corriere della Sera, IT)

388 days ago by Antonella Masi

M. Galluzzo writes today about the future of the Italian commitment in Afghanistan.

The Secretary General of NATO, Danish Anders Fogh Rasmussen, has been busy in meetings with key allies during last weeks. The goal is to obtain guarantees about what will happen after 2014, and yesterday Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti ensured that the Italian presence in the area will not end after 2014. In particular, the commitment will be to provide financial resources (to help with the rebuilding of the country) and human capital (to train the Afghan army).

Monti stressed anyway that the exact date of the withdrawal is part of the important issues which, rightly, should be considered and discussed together with other allies and taht “the specific commitment will be quantified at the appropriate time”.

Score (out of 10)

N/A40 readerscontributor