Afghanistan awaits its Phoenix rising

Investments will break cycle of poverty, corruption and end Taliban influence


Afghanistan, before the current situation, before the Soviet invasion, was a poor but happy country, the new Afghan envoy reminisced.

Now Afghanistan is suffering from the effects of a decade long battle against the Taliban while trying to fight corruption and build a nation based on the core democratic principles that help govern the free world.

The newly-arrived Afghanistan ambassador spoke to The Korea Herald during his first interview with the local press about the areas in which Korea can help rebuild the war torn nation especially in light of the rich natural resources that are resting there just waiting for the right investor.

Korean assistance

“We are very happy with the assistance given by the Korean government because it was one of the first countries to offer assistance to Afghanistan,” said Afghanistan Ambassador Mohammad Yunos Farman.

Korea announced in April that it will spend $500 million over the next five years to support the U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan.

This new assistance is on top of the $180 million in aid Korea gave through the Korea International Cooperation Agency.

The most important assistance Afghanistan needs right now, Farman noted, is the training of their human capital.

“We have many resources like oil, gas, some other stones and even uranium,” he said. “So in the future we would like Koreans to take part in the investment and extraction of those minerals and also in the agricultural sector.”

The one thing that Farman would like to see is that the money donated goes towards the Afghan government instead of “other” channels.

The aid will go towards training and equipment for their security forces, healthcare and education, the root sector which Farman believes will solve many of Afghanistan’s problems and build the country into a supportive member of the international community.

Responsibility of corruption lies …

“The problem of corruption is due to the lack of human capital. If someone is well educated and knows the negative aspects of corruption he will probably never go down that route,” he said.

Concerning the rebuilding of Afghanistan, Farman would like to see more harmony among the different donating countries.

First and foremost he believes that those countries should go through the Afghan central government, which has been plagued by allegations of corruption in recent years.

“The Afghan government needs to receive part of that assistance so that they can decide where the assistance will go,” he said. “If they go through other channels, and corruption continues, then it’s for the donating countries to take responsibility for that corruption. The government has no control over that kind of assistance.”

The ambassador did add that if assistance does go through the government and widespread corruption continues, then it would be up to the Afghan government to answer those allegations.

“It’s a question of trust. Because they don’t go through the government, then we are not responsible,” he said.

Security through investments

Afghanistan’s security situation also hampers foreign direct investments.

“We are ready and we should take extra measures for the security of all foreigners in Afghanistan especially those that invest in the country,” he said.

As investments go, foreign companies tend to gravitate to areas that are more secure than others.

Farman believes that investments, security and the elevation of poverty travel in a parallel direction.

“For example, if a town doesn’t have electricity then it is less secure, but once electricity comes, it makes security more stable. Or if a factory opens in a poor area, then the people in that village will have a job, earn a living and will not have to resort to crime to take care of their families.”

Yet in many cases, corruption, violence and poverty follow a cyclical motion that is very difficult to break.

“It’s true there are a people in government that take kickbacks to supplement their income. That should not be allowed. The other form of corruption, the one that’s to gain millions has to stop.

“One way to end this practice is to enforce the rule of law. We have to apply the existing laws and even if there are no laws, we have to adopt them and punish them all,” he said.

Future with or without Taliban

Afghanistan’s future relies heavily on December’s scheduled conference in Bonn which will be critical in shifting the focus from fighting to building a strong and democratic country.

Many believe that the 2001 Bonn agreement stands as the root cause of the current conflict because it was carved out by the victors at the cost of the Taliban and the Pashtun tribes associated with the movement.

Farman believes that the Taliban should be included in the political dialogue for the future of the country only if they renounce terrorism or, in their case, Talibanism ― a form of extremism ― and go the same route as Sinn Fein by 2014 and open a political wing.

“Nobody wants Talibanism to come back. They continue to recruit young people. Those young people don’t have a choice but to join them. There are no jobs, they are in refugee camps. The Taliban come to them at their most vulnerable state by offering them food, the Quran and a gun. That makes them feel important and part of their view of the greater good.

“Now we have to reintegrate those young people, by giving them jobs so that they become productive members of society. The Taliban can help in this goal but the red line is no Talibanism; they have to respect the Constitution.”

By Yoav Cerralbo (yoav@heraldcorp.com)