Now who will debate the U.S. Afghanistan Strategic Agreement?

An interesting article dated 11th July 2011 had this to say about possible UN silence over Afghan public sentiment on the U.S. Afghan Strategic Partnership Agreement: "The Afghan public has outrightly rejected the U.S. plans as the results of a survey conducted by UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) suggest. UNAMA with its 23 offices in Afghanistan conducted the survey across the country some two months back and hasn’t published it. Although the survey’s findings are widely known, if published, the stark survey results will undermine the U.S.’ future strategic plans." If this remains true, global citizens should request that the UN disclose the wishes of the Afghan public as reflected in the survey, and demonstrate that it is still committed to diplomatic solutions and the interests of the people of Afghanistan.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report on Thursday that the U.N. mission in Afghanistan should place a greater priority on protecting human rights, raising concern about wide spread human rights violations by the Afghan Local Police, a U.S. funded paramilitary program that has been also questioned by Human Rights Watch. He made his statement in advance of a U.N. Security Council vote next week to renew the mandate of the political and development mission. Will the Security Council members hear him? Will the domestic constituencies of the Security Council nations?  

Perhaps Kai Eide should be invited to play the same U.N. role that Kofi Annan is playing in Syria today. Perhaps, through Kai Eide, the views of Afghan and global civilians could finally be heard.

Just as the Global Commission on Drug Policy, (comprising four ex-Presidents and prominent diplomats including Kofi Annan), concluded that the war against drugs had failed and recommended to break the taboo for a global debate, a Global Commission on Terrorism Policy should be established, and taboos on a healthy debate about the messy Afghan war and dire humanitarian situation should be broken.

In May 2011, Oxfam issued an urgent call to promote the accountability of the Afghan National Security Forces, entitling their report ‘No Time to Lose’. There is indeed no time for U.S. and Afghan citizens to lose in questioning the last 10 years of U.S. military strategy. Failure to debate the U.S. Afghan Strategic Partnership Agreement could perpetuate killing sprees. There is too much to lose, too many more soldiers to be debased into monsters, too many more innocent lives to be lost. 

Contributions made by Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers