Afghanistan, The conflict of our generation - Harvey

Afghanistan is well defined as the conflict of our generation. Our involvement is wide in scope, multifarious in nature and due to be long in duration. Not only must our forces deliver security and stability to a country that has been ravaged by recent history and has served as a focal point for power struggles for centuries, but it must also ensure that any peace created can endure.   

Establishing the foundations for peace and security in any situation is no mean feat: in the case of Afghanistan the stakes are high and it is made even more difficult by the 50? C heat, the often treacherous terrain, the political vacuum, and the indigenous knowledge of the Taliban we are fighting.

Nick Clegg in Afghanistan earlier this year.

I recently returned from a short but eventful visit to Afghanistan where I was able to see first hand the extent of our operations and the scale of the challenges that our forces face. It was both a harrowing and a humbling experience. Whilst I am reassured that we are making progress, I gained a new appreciation for the scale of the challenges ahead. It would not be unrealistic to assert, as many commentators have, that we may well be in the region for the best part of twenty to thirty years. Indeed, that is an inevitability that many on the ground have already accepted.

In any case, it is too early to think of an exit strategy in Afghanistan. Unlike Iraq, this is a war sanctioned by the UN and founded on a legal and moral basis. Our role there is supported by the Afghan people, and we have a duty to them to deliver on our promises. Whilst we risk failure if we cannot give it our all, we have a chance to succeed if we can persevere and see it to its natural conclusion.

Meeting with soldiers there reinforced this view and it was clear that all of them believe in what they are doing. Whether this message is getting to people back home is another matter.

Our goals in the region are manifold. Delivering security and stability as promised is a prerequisite but only the beginning. In addition, we must help to create a stable infrastructure that provides a strong framework on which to build. Although the Afghan National Army are progressing well and are now 80,000 strong, the police are still riddled with corruption and lacking international support and training. Corruption at every level, politics in particular must be addressed. However, this must be an Afghan-owned process. By helping grassroots development, and organic change at every level, rather than imposing structures and systems, there should be much less chance of Afghanistan falling into a political vacuum when international forces do leave. 

I was pleased to see that in Helmand the entire approach of British forces is founded on such a commitment. They are helping Afghans develop and build, and everything we do seeks to tie in the local leadership and communities. I was deeply impressed at how thoughtful, intelligent and far-sighted our people are, and how clearly they keep their eye on the long term impact of absolutely everything they do. Force is used sparingly. The concept of “legacy” is incorporated into every aspect of reconstruction and we are constructing hospitals, military installations and other structural buildings that will bring benefits to local people for decades to come.

Ministers were generally more positive, and very grateful that British aid is channelled through the World Bank for the Afghans to use on projects they see as a priority.  Too many western nations want to specify how money is used and send it with too many strings attached. This is not nation-building and it doesn’t help develop the Afghans’ own capacity.

However, to deliver in the long term we need to call on our allies for more support. Despite strong contributions from some countries, we need other NATO members and the wider international community to pull their weight and recognise the value of the operation and its long term implications.

Moreover, it remains clear that the British public is not yet prepared for the level or duration of our involvement. Getting out of Iraq would be a first step in winning public support, but for our troops, the Afghan people, and our chances of success this is one crucial battle that must be won. It falls to our generation to ensure a legacy of peace in Afghanistan, failure to do will afflict generations to come.