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AGRICULTURAL DIPLOMACY CAN HELP WEAN AFGHANS FROM POPPY CROP
AUG 27, 2007
 Posted by M. Ashraf Haidari
All posts by M. Ashraf Haidari


After decades of violence, the opium poppy crop remains one of the few stable income sources for poor Afghan farmers, who cannot be effectively persuaded to end poppy cultivation without being granted alternative ways of making a living. In 2005, most farmers complied with the poppy ban set out by the Afghan government with the understanding that legal alternative means of survival would be provided. But when the promised aid failed to materialize, drug production quickly rose again. Forced eradication of poppy crops merely targets the effects of poppy production, not its underlying causes. International experience has taught us that…... Full Text
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THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF NATION BUILDING IN AFGHANISTAN
JUL 2, 2007
 Posted by M. Ashraf Haidari
All posts by M. Ashraf Haidari


From an online discussion at Development Gateway, Jul 2, 2007: 1. Mr. Hikmatullah Amin, Afghanistan: I wanted to ask from Mr. Haidari the stance of Afghan Government on the difference between the development projects costs versus the military costs. Last year, Germany spent 4 million euros in development and humanitarian projects while the military cost was 475 million euros. I wonder why the Afghan government cannot prioritize between various ways to fight against terror? HAIDARI: The government of Afghanistan has been very clear on the right balance between security and development assistance, which we have repeatedly brought to the attention…... Full Text
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WHY CANADA SHOULD KEEP ITS TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN
MAY 29, 2007
 Posted by M. Ashraf Haidari
All posts by M. Ashraf Haidari


This commentary was originally published by EurasiaNet on May 23, 2007 Canadians are growing increasingly jittery about their country’s military participation in Afghanistan. A majority of Canadians now wonder if the political cost of maintaining troops in Afghanistan is too high. They should realize that the cost of not being there would be even higher. According to a recent public opinion poll, 55 percent of respondents favor a pullout of Canadian troops from Afghanistan, if the casualty rate continues to climb. Meanwhile, more Canadians oppose their government's handling of the war (48 percent) than approve of it (44 percent). And…... Full Text
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THE ‘WAR ON TERROR’: NATION-BUILDING OR NATION-NEGLECTING?
FEB 7, 2007
 Posted by M. Ashraf Haidari
All posts by M. Ashraf Haidari


Now is the time to finish the job we began in Afghanistan five years ago. Last year saw a desperate and vicious onslaught by a new generation of Taliban forces with enhanced logistical and financial support. More than 4,000 Afghans, many of them civilians, were killed in military actions in 2006, a three-fold increase from the previous year. Suicide attacks -- a phenomenon unknown to Afghans before 2002 -- jumped to 118 from 21. As our intelligence capabilities improve, we are finding and arresting more boys who arrive in Afghanistan fresh from ideological brainwashing in foreign madrassas. They weep when…... Full Text
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REBUILDING AFGHANISTAN: THE DIASPORA’S DEBT OF SERVICE
DEC 15, 2006
 Posted by M. Ashraf Haidari
All posts by M. Ashraf Haidari


Do we Afghans ever think about our debt of service to Afghanistan and actually doing something about it? I think we hardly do so. But let us begin with the basic fact that the land we call home is diversely populated, geographically landlocked, politically and economically least developed, and unfortunately located in a predatory neighborhood where at least one of our neighbors sees its raison d'être partly dependent on instability in Afghanistan. Meantime, we understand that other state and non-state actors -- such as extremists, terrorists, and drug-traffickers -- have exploited our country's vulnerabilities to their advantage, and they will…... Full Text
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