Interview With Thijs Berman On His Concerns For Afghanistan
As the international community strives for “mission accomplished” in Afghanistan and defeat of the Taliban, we talk to Dutch Social Democrat Thijs Berman who in November was in Afghanistan to monitor elections and will return there soon.
He tells us of his concerns about President Karzai’s decision to appoint the election commission, the need to help the Afghans build a credible administration and why he believes sending more troops would be a “mistake”.
Where does Afghanistan stand now?
TB: I think we are in a phase in the development of Afghanistan where everything is open. But there are worrying signs. Afghan President Hamid Karzai promised to tackle corruption, to improve the situation in his country, to improve the institutions. Yet you see that the President has decided not to change the way the independent election commission is appointed: he will do it himself.
He decided that he will appoint the members of the electoral complaints commission. Instead of strengthening checks and balances, strengthening counter power, these are weakened. And that is extremely worrying.
What Afghanistan needs is institutions that are credible in the eyes of its own population. Ninety per cent of current civil disputes between citizens in Afghanistan do not appear before a formal judge, but before a Taliban judge, because people do not trust the official judge. They think they are too corrupt.
Can the international community still hope that there will be a win-win situation in Afghanistan?
TB: Europe can play a big role in investing more – and better – in institution building, in local government, in the training of police and military, which is badly needed. We need to send trainers over there.
I think that instead of concentrating on the military aspect, as the Americans do, we should concentrate much more on building this country – with the Afghans. So there is a huge role for Europe to play. And not so much military because we have sent in troops consistently since 2001, it started with 20, 000 – 30, 000 people, and by now there is 121, 000 – and it did not improve security.
It has not improved the situation. The Taliban are controlling two thirds of the country.
Sending more troops – is that the solution?
TB: Sending more troops is, in my view, useless. It would be a mistake. The Pentagon thinks that you can solve problems by sending in more troops. To a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. It is clearly not the way. What we do have to do is build trust among the Afghans. Not so much in the coalition because we are there to disappear as soon as possible. But trust in their own leaders, in their own political system. And you do that by tackling corruption and tackling, of course, the opium production.
Can co-ordination between the EU and the US be achieved?
TB: Yes, of course! It is necessary. I had talks with the Americans last Monday. I saw the American Ambassador to NATO. I do think that we have to cooperate very, very closely in institution building and straightening local governments and economic development of Afghanistan, rural development of Afghanistan by getting chances to men and women. But as far as I can see, the American approach is still dominated by the military approach.
So what do you expect from your upcoming visit to Afghanistan?
TB: As the EU chief observer to the elections, I feel that it is my duty to see the follow up of our recommendations, so my main concentration will be on what has happened with our recommendations after the fraudulent elections of last year and to check whether anything has been done to improve the likelihood that there will be less fraud next time.
Topics: 2010, administration, Afghan, Afghanistan, Afghanistan election, Americans, commission, EC, EU, Europe, European Commission, European Government, European Union, Governance, government, international community, local government, member states, MEP's, military, moniter, monitor, monitor elections, NATO, news, Parliament, President Karzai, Taliban, troops, U.S., US
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