BRUSSELS - International forces are unlikely to win their battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan, risking a regional conflict that could match the magnitude of previous world wars, a former top U.N. envoy said on Wednesday.Lord Paddy Ashdown -- former United Nations high representative and European Union special representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina -- said failure by the NATO-led force would have far wider repercussions than any losses in Iraq. He called for the appointment of a high-level coordinator to lead the foreign mission in Afghanistan.
| Himself, of course, though he denies lusting for the job. |
| If indeed we were losing in Afghanistan it would indeed put pressure on the Paks, though the Paks are liable to go down anyways. But the notion that a terrorist group that has the support of a minority of the population is going to defeat the West is silly -- it happens only if we lose our nerve. Which Mr. Ashdown has already lost. |
The number of Taliban suicide attacks in Afghanistan -- more than 100 so far this year -- is set to top last yearÂ’s record of 123, the United Nations says, and most victims are civilians.
| In a country of 25 million people, these are pinpricks: irritating and a little unnerving, but not a cause for surrender. Particularly in the Tajik and Uzbek regions and in the West around Herat, there's virtually no booms and no fighting. Those folks, sensible ones, are working on reconstruction and have the usual gripes about government and corruption. It's the Pashtun area, from Afghanistan to the Pak frontier and tribal areas, that is the problem. That wall Fred wanted to build is looking better and better ... |
| Cause and effect, though Mr. Ashdown can't see it. |
While Western forces, alongside the Afghan army, have claimed victories against Taliban rebels in the south, many remote areas and some towns remain under rebel control and insurgent attacks have also spread north to regions previously considered safe. Frustration with the government over the slow pace of development, official corruption and the lack of law and order have all played into rebel hands.Ashdown, a former British Liberal Party leader, said there was a “desperate need for somebody to coordinate the international efforts” and called for the appointment of someone to lead the foreign mission in Afghanistan. “Unless somebody has the power genuinely to coordinate and unify the international approach, we will lose and I think that is happening,” he said.
“It’s not about who does the job
But Ashdown, who now heads the Brussels-based EU-Russia Centre think tank, had been tipped in some circles for such a role, but ruled himself out of the job. “I never talk about approaches, but what I will say is that I have had many high-level jobs and I am not looking for any big jobs at the moment. I am happy doing what I am doing with Russia,” he said.
| He'd never do the job, unless he was asked ... |
