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Strategy in Afghanistan

By Ali Gohar and Ron Kraybill
October 5, 2001

www.emu.edu/ctp/bse-intro.html

Background

Initial responses to September 11 focused on the question of how to eliminate Osama bin Laden and the threat of terrorism. In recent days a broader set of related questions are emerging. First, how do we relate to the people of Afghanistan? This is a key question. Second, how do we gain support of Afghanis to apprehend bin Laden and take him to trial? This is an immediate question. A longer-term question, but nearly as important to the success of efforts to address terrorism and support the emergence of stability in the region is, third, how do we assist the creation of a credible government in Kabul?

Summary

This paper draws on:

• strategic lessons from peacebuilding efforts in the wars of Africa and the former Yugoslavia and
• "iinsider" knowledge of Afghani culture in exploring strategic options for dealing with the Afghanistan situation.

The paper proposes use of the jirga, a traditional Afghani forum for decision-making, as a means for involving Afghanis in discussion about their future. In contrast to some current discussions about beginning with a high-level jirga, this paper proposes a series of jirgas at lower levels, preparing the way for a high-level loya jirga.

Lessons from Peacebuilding in Africa and Asia
"Rogue Elements" and the Population Bases in which they operate

Peacebuilding experience in Africa and the former Yugoslavia in the last decade teaches that "rogue elements" (e.g., warlords, war criminals, terrorists) cannot be contained or brought to justice in the absence of viable governance or substantial consensus within the populations in which these agents move about how to proceed. It is not enough simply to focus on removal of "rogue elements".

It is important also to:

• understand the needs rogue elements meet in the populations in which they move, so those needs can be
• addressed thus reducing their impact and; understand and immediately utilize procedures for decision making and problem-solving that are familiar to and trusted by affected populations, so they can be consulted to identify response strategies most likely to gain the support of the population;
• conduct the first two activities in ways that feed into and support the eventual creation of credible, sustainable processes of decision making and governance.

In summary, the dual tasks of responding to rogue elements and establishing sustainable decision making/governance processes are closely related. Creating processes for consulting with affected populations and involving them in planning and decision-making is an essential task from the very beginning of efforts to respond to situations where rogue elements operate.

Rooting Strategic Processes in Affected Cultures

Peacebuilding experience in a wide variety of global conflicts has taught that deeply rooting planning, negotiating, or implementation processes in cultural, traditional resources improve the odds of long-term sustainability of any agreement or strategy. When processes build on existing traditions for bringing people together (e.g., the indaba of South Africa, which was repeatedly used to achieve breakthroughs during the political transition; the Middle Eastern sulha; the "council of elders" in Melanesia; the panchayats of India) the odds of success are significantly higher.

Cultural contexts offer an abundance of such resources for problem-solving in various categories including:

• unique individuals (e.g., South Africa's Desmond Tutu)
• uniquely constellated groups (e.g., in South Africa a group of black and white religious and business leaders who had longstanding relationships and met on several occasions to use their broad connections to keep the South African transition process from faltering)
• special types of persons (e.g., religious leaders, elders, "peace chiefs")
• special processes or institutions (e.g., indaba, panchayat)

The Current Afghanistan Situation

A long-standing feature of Afghani Pashtun culture is the jirga, an assembly of elders to resolve conflicts. The jirga goes back thousands of years and continues to serve as the primary means by which public and private problem solving is conducted among the Pashtun. An important characteristic of the jirga is that it is independent of control by any one institution. By tradition, anyone can speak and decisions are made to reflect the collective will of the people, rather than any one person or institution.

Convened at local, regional and national levels, the jirga commands enormous respect among a large number of Afghanis. Not only is it a forum for internal deliberation, it has traditionally been convened for problem solving with external parties. The British used the jirga as their primary means of maintaining relationships with Afghani tribes during the years they ruled Afghanistan. Pakistanis use it for decision making and problem-solving with Afghani refugees living in Pakistan.

Use of the jirga in responding to Afghanistan's difficulties is by no means a novel idea. For nearly a year there has been conversation about convening a loya jirga, the largest and broadest kind of jirga, to build consensus for a widely supported government. For a variety of reasons, this discussion remained only talk until recently. Since September 11 there has been a flurry of meetings with former king Zahir Shah in Rome to explore such a possibility. We believe that convening a loya jirga is a goal that deserves the highest priority.

However, accomplishing this raises serious difficulties in practice:

• The jirga is by tradition inclusive, bringing together all key actors and interested parties for deliberations. A loya jirga may involve several thousand people. This presents logistical questions, which will require several months of preparation to work out. Conceivably a smaller jirga could be convened, but this is less likely to carry the weight and sustainability of agreements reached at a full loya jirga.
• An enormous amount of conflict has taken place in Afghanistan in recent decades. It will be difficult to simply bring a large number of people into one place and begin discussing the future. Complex personal, familial, tribal, and political histories will stand in the way of collaboration.
• Difficult questions of location exist - will the Taliban allow a loya jirga to be convened inside Afghanistan?
• There is danger that international determination to quickly eliminate bin Laden and deal with terrorism will create pressure to use the structure of a jirga to install a government that suits the interests of outsiders, but does not enjoy widespread support in Afghanistan. If this happens, the jirga structure will be discredited and ineffective as a vehicle for governance or interaction among the Afghanis and with the outside world.

Proposed Strategy for Use of the Jirga

The following strategy of jirga use would, we believe, address these potential difficulties:

1. Aim to convene a loya jirga as soon as possible. Whether this could be done in a matter of months or years remains too early to determine.
   
2. Begin immediately to lay the groundwork for a loya jirga by convening a series of smaller jirgas at grassroots and middle levels.

Purposes of the smaller jirgas would be:

• to begin immediate consultation with Afghanis themselves about how to deal with bin Laden and the Taliban;
• to enable participants to develop relationships and a sense of common purpose before attempting a major, comprehensive loya jirga, and to consult widely regarding protocols and procedures for the eventual loya jirga.
  
• Many of the people best equipped to provide leadership of a future Afghanistan no longer live there. Over two million Afghanis live in refugee camps in Pakistan and a large number of educated Afghanis also live in the U.S. and Europe. A first round of jirgas with these Afghanis abroad would provide opportunity to explore the dynamics of a jirga in settings where the political space is uncontested. Because Afghanis abroad are in close communication with people at home, progress there is likely to have impact on the situation inside Afghanistan.
• Who should initiate and/or sponsor such a strategy? The odds of success for any consultation or decision-making process are significantly higher if the process is initiated by persons or organizations with maximum credibility among the participants. A large number of Afghanis recognize the former king Zahir Shah as a person enjoying sufficient stature to convene a loya jirga.

The smaller jirgas may possibly be better facilitated by organizations or persons more cleanly removed from the politics of the Afghani situation. Possibilities might include the UN, a respected religious body or NGO, or possibly a coalition of credible organizations. This would enable constructive experiences to take place and allow room to recover from mistakes or unexpected dynamics without tarnishing prospects for the eventual loya jirga.

Could or should the U.S. government initiate a jirga process? U.S. sponsorship would probably contaminate the credibility of the effort due to the U.S. role as a recent victim and, hence, a major protagonist. The U.S. government could, however, encourage jirgas and would benefit significantly from the jirgas as a source of valuable information and guidance regarding U.S. dealings with Afghanistan.

5. How could conversation outside of Afghanistan be linked with political processes inside Afghanistan? It is difficult to formulate specific strategies for this critical ultimate goal because the variables are many. Nevertheless, the following points could be made:

• Pakistan would be an invaluable ally in this. The Taliban, after all, was sponsored by Pakistan and, recent events notwithstanding, remains highly vulnerable to Pakistani pressure. Pakistan would likely be supportive of strategies to involve Afghanis in deliberation about their own future, particularly if the method of involvement were local in style rather than western/international. Moreover, the Pakistanis have a great deal of experience in use of the jirga in their own deliberations with Afghanis.
• The flow of information from outside Afghanistan via informal networks should not be under-estimated. Borders cannot remain sealed forever. Radio broadcasts will always be possible.
• It is more important to begin an inclusive, culturally appropriate process of decision making now than to, at this time, have specific answers for how it will end. At some point, it seems obvious, Afghanis will need to be enabled to broadly participate in discussion about their future. Rather than wait to begin such discussion until the major international actors have completed their own actions, it would seem wise to begin such discussion immediately, even in the face of limitations.
• A key part of the task in any such discussion is establishing a recognized process for planning and discussion among Afghanis. Even if it remains unachievable to use this process inside Afghanistan for a long time, it would be a significant accomplishment were it possible to convene a series of inclusive conversations among Afghanis outside of Afghanistan. This would set a precedent, help develop necessary negotiation and problem-solving skills, and foster norms of constructive engagement essential for that time when political space does open inside Afghanistan. Were outsiders to make it possible for such a process to become established, it would also strengthen the confidence of Afghanis that others seek to make them the primary shapers of their own future, and not mere pawns in the destiny of others.

Authors:

A Pakistani national of Afghan Pashtun descent, Gohar is a Commissioner with the Commissionerate of Afghan Refugees in Peshawar. In support of his work with Afghan refugees over the last decade, Gohar has studied and often used the jirga as a forum for negotiation and decision making with Afghani refugees in Pakistan. Currently he is on an 18-month study-leave as a Fulbright Scholar in the Conflict Transformation Program at Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Kraybill was deeply involved in the South African political transition from 1989-1995 as Director of Training at the Centre for Conflict Resolution in Cape Town, and as Training Advisor to the National Peace Accord. Since 1995 he is Associate Professor of Conflict Studies in the Conflict Transformation Program at Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Virginia. He has served as a trainer and advisor to peacebuilding processes in several dozen locations in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. In 1999-2000 he spent 10 months living, studying and teaching in India.

Email: kraybilr@emu.edu; alibaba1956@hotmail.com
Phone: 540-432-4498
Reviewed and approved by Conflict Transformation Program November 2001

Conflict Transformation Program
1200 Park Road
Harrisonburg, VA 22802
Telephone: (540)432-4490
Email: beyondsept11@emu.edu 

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