Afghanistan: Kabul Wants Obama to Promote the "Afghanization" of War Effort

Afghanistan's foreign minister, Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, has asked the United States to give more assistance to Afghan institutions in order to press the fight against terrorism and the drug trade. And conjuring up bad memories of an American quagmire from four decades ago, Spanta also has called for the "Afghanization" of security operations.

"We encourage the international community to invest in Afghanistan's national security forces -- the army, police, and other security entities. That will be the precondition of Afghanization of the security sector in Afghanistan," Spanta said. "This will be cheaper, more acceptable for you and your taxpayers, your public opinion and of course the Afghans, to take more responsibility. We are determined and we will take more responsibility."

Spanta made the comments during an appearance at the Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank, on February 26. Spanta was in Washington as part of a large delegation from Afghanistan, which, along with another delegation from Pakistan, engaged with top US officials in a comprehensive review of American strategy toward that region.

Later on February 26, he was scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, along with Richard Holbrooke, special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Spanta said he was satisfied with the level of input that his government has had in the policy review, and said that the officials he has spoken to have been receptive to his ideas.

He expressed approval for some of the early moves of the Obama administration. He welcomed the decision to deploy an additional 17,000 US troops to Afghanistan, as well as the appointment of Holbrooke, which he said shows an understanding that the problems of Afghanistan and Pakistan are inseparable.

He said the United States should not try to lower its standards for what it intends to achieve in Afghanistan, adding that Washington needs to sharpen its strategy towards his country, formulating ways to address pressing problems in the areas of security, sustainable economic development and governance. Spanta revealed that 621 mid-level and senior officials were prosecuted or fired in 2008, including ministers, deputy ministers and governors.

Spanta painted an upbeat picture about democratization's prospects in Afghanistan. He cited Afghanistan's presidential and parliamentary elections, and the facts that the country now has more than 500 newspapers, 20 television stations and more than 100 civil society groups. All of this, he said, is "forcing Afghanistan toward further democratization."

But only a multi-pronged strategy by the United States can help Kabul complete the task, he argued. "In recent weeks and months we have heard some views here and elsewhere of the need to reduce our expectations for Afghanistan, and to pursue a 'realistic' view of Afghanistan. In my view it is a reductionist strategy if you focus on only one component, terrorism and al Qaeda, and history shows that any reductionist policy is bound to fail," he said.