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Seeking Change They Can Believe In

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By JEAN MACKENZIE The Institute for War & Peace Reporting

The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 27, 2009

KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghans were paying close attention last week when Barack Obama was sworn in. After all, Obama has pledged to move Afghanistan to center stage in his new administration's foreign policy concerns.

"There is a lot of optimism around Obama," said Sayed Nasim, a graduate of the law and political science department of Balkh University, in northern Afghanistan.

"We want real change, not just some shift in the pieces on the chess board of power," Nasin said. "Obama should make economic change his priority, rather than sending more troops."

America brought dramatic change to Afghanistan more than seven years ago after the U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban. Today, however, Afghanistan seems more deeply mired in violence and corruption than ever.

Development in much of the country is all but at a standstill; in the southern provinces the insurgency is gaining ground almost daily.

Military operations against the insurgents by the U.S.-led coalition and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force have angered the local population, who seem much more willing to hold foreign troops responsible for the resulting death and destruction than they are the Taliban.

Afghans who expected immediate benefits from the international presence are bitterly disappointed and eager to vent their frustrations on the international community in general and former President George W. Bush for the current situation.

"Over the past seven years, Bush has done a lot of damage that Mr. Obama is going to have to fix," said Khalil Rahman Omed, a journalist in Lashkar Gah. "My only wish is that he will do good things for this country." Many here are skeptical that Obama's plan to nearly double the number of American forces in Afghanistan to 60,000 is one of those good things.

Mohammad Sedeq, a shopkeeper in Kabul, had a similar message.

"If (Obama) sends 20,000 or 40,000 more troops, it will make no difference," he said. "They won't be able to control even one valley if there is resistance. If Mr. Obama has a good heart, and good intentions, there will be a positive impact. But if he is like this George Bush guy, we don't want him. It would be really dangerous for Afghanistan."

Many Afghans fear that arming local militias will bring the country back to an era when warlords terrorized the population. Few are eager to return to that chaotic time, which served as a prelude to the reign of the Taliban, who gained power in large part because they were able to curb the warlords' excesses.

"Tribal militias are a bad idea," said Mohammad, a shopkeeper in Kabul's Charahi Shaid neighborhood. "They may fight against terrorists during the day, but they will become thieves at night." Like others, he said that economic aid was the key to security.

"Now, as Obama takes power, I pray to God that we get security," he said. "He should pave the roads, and make it possible for businessmen to open big factories. He should help get rid of unemployment."

"Our hope is that (Obama) will help get this country out of poverty, unemployment, and bad luck," said Sayed Basir, who owns a furniture store in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif. "This is a brave nation with a long history, but financial problems have turned a lot of people bad. Let's see what Obama can do for us. Will he be better than the last guy? Or, God forbid, even worse?"

While Obama appears to have a lot of good will for now, he may also have a small window of opportunity.

"Afghans have been a toy on the superpower playground for long enough," said Abdul Hakim, a nurse in Mazar-e-Sharif. "Our people are now poor because of this; they do not have technology, a developed economy, culture. We have been made into a weak country. I ask Obama to stop this."

The most plaintive appeal came from Helmand in the south, where foreign troops are battling the Taliban on a daily basis.

"Barack Obama jan," said Mujtaba Mohammedi, the head of the local youth association, using a common form of endearment. "Listen to me. Please stop the killing of innocent civilians in Helmand. Please."

Jean MacKenzie is Afghan program director for The Institute for War & Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization that trains journalists in areas of conflict.

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