NATO dominates the headlines. But behind the front lines, the European Union is also heavily committed in Afghanistan - but with woefully little to show for it.
Its record in the country has come under fresh scrutiny after the presidential elections in Afghanistan - that the EU helped to monitor - turned out to be a sham. This on top of a floundering police training mission and many millions sunk in other inappropriate projects.
"Frankly, Afghans cannot really understand how with all the assistance that Europe... gives, we cannot ensure that there is far less corruption, that warlords are prevented from playing a significant role and that we begin to establish the kind of rule of law that the Afghans want," says Fransesc Vendrell, the former EU Special Representative for Afghanistan.
No vision
Mr Vendrell, who is the longest-serving Western diplomat in Afghanistan, says he spent four of his six years as EU envoy wringing his hands in frustration at the lack of a shared vision and strategy from the 27 memberstates of the EU. "I failed to get foreign ministers to speak with one voice," he says.
The EU's showcase project, the EUPOL mission to train up Afghanistan's fledging police force, illustrates what is wrong, Mr Vendrell says.
Listen to Vanessa Mock's report from Brussels:
Netherlands
EUPOL took years to see the light of day, its first boss resigned, and three years on it is still under-staffed. Its officers move about in massive convoys, swallowing up valuable security resources. "The mission has become confused," admits Mr Vendrell, adding that it is being further undermined by France, Italy and the Netherlands. These states have taken matters into their own hands by launching their own police training exercises instead of supporting EUPOL. "We must keep ensuring that what we're doing is actually helpful to the Afghan people. We are just not doing that."
The issue is a sore point with NATO's Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who sees police training as key to future security in Afghanistan. He told RNW that the EU should resolve the fact that it "clearly has had problems meeting its own requirements".
"I hope that the EU police mission will be fully resourced and equipped as soon as possible."
What role?
This string of criticism begs the question whether the EU really has a role to play in Afghanistan at all or whether it should leave things in the hands of the US, NATO and the United Nations. Although many observers are unequivocal in insisting that the EU has contributed positively through scores of lesser-known projects, such as farming reform, they bemoan the EU's glaring failure to help ensure free and fair elections, especially given its own long democratic tradition.
"The EU did a great job monitoring elections in Pakistan, where it started monitoring the campaign one year ahead of the votes. This is where the EU has expertise, so it's baffling that it made such as mess of it in Afghanistan," says Daniel Korski of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
The EU sent just 100 monitors three months ahead of the elections, he says, "but it should have thrown its weight around in March when President Karzai's mandate ran out."
Small player
Sweden, which currently heads up the EU Presidency, is now hoping that its review on Afghanistan, which will be discussed by EU foreign ministers on Tuesday, will improve efficiency and focus minds. And plenty of diplomats in Brussels say the criticism is undeserved. "We are a small player compared with the US. And the EU is only ever the sum of its parts," says one official. "If one European country goes off and do their own thing instead of supporting the EU's efforts, the whole thing collapses."
Thomas Rutting of the Afghan Analysts Network adds: "With the massive electoral fraud that went on, we need to finally understand that we have to do a lot more work on governance and the institution-building," he says.
"Many Afghans have put high hopes into the EU and European countries and [want our help] because of [our long] democratic traditions," says Mr Rutting. "There are still big hopes vis-a-vis Europe. I think we can still mend this."
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The EU in Afghanistan
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The EU in Afghanistan:
- EU member states have committed 8 billion euros in aid (2002-10), of which 700 million euros is from the European Commission.
- Aid projects focus on rural development, governance, including police and justice, health, de-mining human rights and civil society.
- The EU's police mission has around 300 staff - short of the 400 target - and works on anti-corruption, intelligence-led policing and criminal investigations.
Photo: Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) workers look for patterns of irregularities of the disputed ballots and audit them at Independent Elections Commission (IEC) warehouse in Kabul Afghanistan, September 2009 - ANP.
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The United States and Europe in Afghanistan:
Why should we stay
Early December (2009) was an affirmative time for the US led-Operation in Afghanistan.
Just as President Obama disclosed his decision, in response to General McChrystal's strategic request, to increase the number of US Military personnel with the extra 30000 soldiers, on the other side of Atlantic, far from reluctancy and rather readily, Europe extended its hand to its American partner by agreeing to augment the number of its troops for implementing the Humanitarian missions in the various parts of Afghanistan.
Evidently in Afghanistan there is a prodigious need of a deeper unity between the US and Europe; an extended proficiency and strength among the Commanding officers and our Soldiers. Additionally, a need for objectivity and a logical prospective in the civil societies and the people of the region in order to be able to understand that contrary to what the media, with the technique of sensationalism for their sale uplift, are trying to impose on public perception, the political prognosis in Afghanistan is far from bleak.
With that , Prime Minister Brown in unity with the United States, highlighted the extra 500 soldiers bringing the number of Britannique to the total of 10000, maintaining the largest troop in Afghanistan second only to the US. Rome is marching in preparation to maximize its troops, which it declared thereafter.
While le Chef de la Diplomatie Francaise Bernard Kouchner ruled out the status quo by acknowledging the possibility for the addition of deployment, Deutschland has already reshuffled its cabinet and placed the public pulse in the hands of its new Defense Minister Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg.
His role will be particularly crucial as he steps in to convince the German parliament and the public. He has yet to combine his political rhetoric with the military might in order to justify, not only the German presence in Afghanistan, but also making a case for multiplying the number of its soldiers on the ground.
With all these imperative layout plans, at long last, NATO could heave a sigh of relief.
It has passed almost eight years since the day that the United States launched an operation to remove the tyrannical system in Afghanistan and liberate the people of that land, who had been suffering for quite a long period, first in civil conflicts and later under the atrocities of Taliban rulers.
Yet it is diaphanously apparent that despite the fact that the security remains to be a bit in turmoil, despite the fact that there is still social derangement, the general structure of the country, in a very positive way, has changed since its liberation. Though slowly Afghanistan is advancing towards Democratization.
The local people are already benefiting from the many Humanitarian projects that the
US and the NATO forces have implemented thus far.
In the historical scope, it is evident that in any parts of the world where there has been a step towards a better society, there had been a price which was paid for it. Neither the United States nor la France-- and truly not any other countries in the world has ever actualized Freedom and achieved Democracy without the bravery, sacrifice and perseverance of their people.
It would be unthinkable-- rather facile and implausible to envision that the essential changes that we are implementing in Afghanistan, in order to help them to establish a democratic government will be without casualties on both the US-NATO forces and the local people sides. It will be naïve to think that war against tyranny will be casualty-free with the rapid obtained results. And this is the fact that Politicians have to make it clear to the general public while expecting them to comprehend the mission in Afghanistan and adhere to it.
For we are not there to court them politically or exercise the military excursions but we are there, in that land-- Afghanistan, for a noble cause, the Humanitarian one.
Because we are: Liberating Afghanistan;
Assisting the local people to get their country back on the right path; Helping them to be Free from traces of darkness by providing them every means for the general and the higher education;
And leading them to have a Democratic country under the rule of law.
Putting aside the Humanitarian aspects of this operation, strategically, we can be assured that the US-EU operational framework in the Afghanistan region will work towards, not only the completion of Democratization in Afghanistan, but also it will pay off for the security of United States, Europe and the entire region. We will accomplish our mission in Afghanistan as we are helping it, instead of being the camps for extremist, to become a stabilized and a secure country that could contribute to the world.
The constructive changes in Afghanistan might not be noticeable at this very time, yet in due course the World will see the results of the Knightly measures that the United States and Europe did take for liberating that region from the theocratic oppression and the brutality of the tyrannical system.
Thus the US and Europe should maintain their positions in Afghanistan until the insurgency is defeated; the corruption is annihilated and the rightful Democratic government is in place. And equally important, until the people of the region are able to take responsibility of their own country.
With these principles in the framework of our policies, hence we have to accredit this Humanitarian operation and all our soldiers who are engaged in it.
Catherine Stella Schmidt
Political Philosopher
Author of
A Philosophical Enquiry into the Concept of Liberty
Discourse on Empire
Sublime and Beautiful Europe and the United States
Immoral Beloved
World without Frontières
La Mémoire de la Passion et de l'amour
International Organizations
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