JP\/5\/REFUGEES<\/p>\n
Yoichi Funabashi
\nSenior Staff Writer
\nAsahi Shimbun<\/p>\n
Time to extend
\nhelping hand to Afghan people<\/p>\n
The first snow of the season fell on Mazar-i-Sharif in
\nnorthern Afghanistan on Dec. 3.<\/p>\n
The New York Times carried a photo of snow falling on
\na cluster of tents at a nearby refugee camp. People
\nwho sought refuge there lost their homes in a fierce
\nbattle between the Northern Alliance and the Taliban
\nover this area of strategic importance. The photo
\nshowed a man stooping by a small tent as high as his
\nshoulders. The tent is his home where he spends the
\nnight.<\/p>\n
More than 30 years ago, writer Yasushi Inoue wrote
\nabout the intense winter in this area. Inoue's party
\nleft Kunduz, a border town near Amu Darya, and drove
\nthrough the rugged open terrain toward Mazar-i-Sharif
\nat night:<\/p>\n
\"Flocks of sheep are constantly moving in the dark
\nbeside the road. Sometimes, they are replaced by a
\ncaravan of camels. Flocks of animals seen through the
\nheadlights appear sad. People who walk between them
\nare sadder.<\/p>\n
\"Nomads in the northern region started moving south
\nall at once with the approach of winter. Their
\ndestination, I hear, is Pakistan.\" - from \"Yubokumin\" (Nomads).<\/p>\n
Still, the nomads were probably better off than the
\nrefugees of the present time, who have nowhere to go.<\/p>\n
The Taliban regime collapsed. The war between the
\nUnited States and al-Qaida is nearing an end. At last,
\nthe different Afghan groups are set to form a
\nprovisional government under UN pressure.<\/p>\n
Countries are sending advance parties to the Afghan
\ncapital of Kabul one after another to reopen their
\nembassies. A day after the Northern Alliance occupied
\nKabul, an Iranian mission arrived at the former
\nembassy, which was left to ruin, to resume operations.
\nRussia, India and Turkey followed suit.<\/p>\n
In Russia's case, it came back after a blank of more
\nthan 10 years since the Soviets withdrew from
\nAfghanistan. Now, the complex has turned into a
\nshelter for thousands of refugees. Later, Britain,
\nFrance and Japan dispatched advance parties.
\nAfghanistan is preparing to open up to international
\nsociety once again.<\/p>\n
A mountain of problems lies ahead: establishment of
\npeace and order, humanitarian relief, repatriation of
\nrefugees, establishment of a full-fledged government,
\nimplementation of elections, economic reconstruction,
\nto name a few.<\/p>\n
Rebuilding a failed state will be an expensive
\nundertaking. Unlike Cambodia, Kosovo and East Timor,
\nAfghanistan has a huge population of 25 million.
\nRemoval of land mines alone is expected to cost US$500
\nmillion (62 billion yen). One estimate shows that the
\nentire rebuilding of Afghanistan could cost as much as
\n$25 billion.<\/p>\n
But the important thing is not the amount of aid. Even
\nif the international society could put up such a huge
\namount, unless the Afghan government has the ability
\nto digest and absorb it, the money would only provide
\na hotbed of corruption. It would only change the
\neconomic disposition of this country from dependence
\non drugs to dependence on foreign aid.<\/p>\n
In Kunduz, Inoue wrote: \"There are many carpet stores
\nin this town but they are all deserted. They are
\nwaiting for a single foreign tourist to come in a day.
\nThe whole town is waiting for the game to be caught in
\na trap it set to catch.\" - from \"Kunduz-no Machi\"
\n(The Town of Kunduz).<\/p>\n
Nation-building is not something the whole town can
\naccomplish with commercial activities at the local
\nbazaar. It is a painstaking undertaking that involves
\nthe establishment of a government, development of
\neducation, public health, agriculture and industries,
\nand security of human rights to build a nation and its
\npeople.<\/p>\n
\"From the battlefield to the market\" was the slogan
\nfor Cambodian reconstruction. However, later, problems
\nof foreign aid and development which only benefited
\nurban areas and the market also became clear. Greater
\nimportance must be attached to poor rural communities
\nto build such infrastructure as roads, schools and
\nhospitals.<\/p>\n
When we think about the seemingly insurmountable
\ndifficulties involved in Afghan nation-building, we
\ntend to be seized with pessimism. Some Afghan experts
\nsay that Afghanistan would be more stable if it were
\nto be divided into a number of countries by ethnic
\ngroup or region. They say Afghanistan should follow
\nthe example of Bosnia, where the situation has been
\nbrought to a settlement by division among different
\nethnic groups.<\/p>\n
But in Afghanistan's case, it would only bring back
\nanarchy and trigger civil war again. The absence of a
\ncore will give rise to vacuum of power and encourage
\nmilitary intervention by such neighboring countries as
\nPakistan and Iran.<\/p>\n
For the first time in Afghan modern history, the
\ncountry is given the greatest opportunity for
\nnation-building. It is important that international
\nsociety extend a helping hand to the Afghan people to
\nseize this opportunity.<\/p>\n
Where is the man in the photograph today? Where is his
\nfamily? I wonder if it is snowing in the refugee camp
\nin Mazar-i-Sharif today.<\/p>",
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