Obama is coming into the highest office with an extremely tough challenge. His predecessor concentrated on Iraq and so he is left with dealing with that other hotbed of terrorism: Afghanistan. Here’s what Obama is up against with the failing, if not failed, state: violence has invaded the streets making security and public safety close to nil, adverse civilian reaction to the killings brought about by US and NATO bombings rendering these erstwhile protectors an image of distrust, and the recent spate of kidnappings of foreigners does not augur well with eliciting foreign donorship for aid. Afghans simply do not trust their police force.

The Taliban is not the only problem of Afghanistan, though these radical Islamist forces have practically occupied the southern regions and are now inching their way to the capital of Kabul. Criminal gangs have also proliferated making the country one whole danger zone and no-man’s land. Kidnap for ransom has become a thriving industry. Afghanistan is a nightmare. No more will it be so than to Barack Obama himself.

If Obama uses just military might, he will only succeed in flattening the country. There might still be hope if he is far removed from his predecessor’s penchant for interventionist foreign policy as was seen in Iraq. Afghanistan is at its nadir in terms of social and human development. The social and economic state of the country is deplorable. If the root causes of crime and rebellion which are poverty and injustice are addressed, there might still be hope for Afghanistan. Economic development and education can be Obama’s trump cards at Afghanistan. He just might be doing those. Not only because he might not subscribe to the idea that war is a business venture for the US but also because a woman is his Secretary of State.

Image

Via salon.com