Afghanistan stalled on its land bridge
By Abubakar Siddique
President Hamid Karzai has been keen, since becoming head of Afghanistan's
interim administration in late 2001, to tout his landlocked country's potential
as a "land bridge" for regional trade.
The idea entails transforming the mountains of Hindu Kush from a conflict zone
into a trade hub between China, the Middle East, South Asia and Central Asia -
home to one-third of the world's population.
The realization of such a vision, many Afghans believe, would do more to help
restore peace and bring development to their impoverished country than any
amount of foreign aid.
But for now, the reality is that extremist violence often attributed
to the Taliban and al-Qaeda is targeting trade, contributing to insecurity, and
hampering Karzai's effort to see his idea through.
The Afghan president highlighted the problem at an economic-cooperation
conference in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on May 13 that included
representatives from countries in the region, Western allies and international
financial organizations.
Specifically referring to incidents in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Karzai warned
that rising violence targeting trade threatens to harm economic development,
noting that "trucks have been burnt, drivers killed and merchandise has been
looted and set on fire".
Karzai listed other issues that could stall progress, such as insufficient
infrastructure and inconsistent policies, but said that overcoming the
"wildfire of terrorism" was the foremost challenge to regional peace and
cooperation.
"Today parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan have fallen victim to the atrocities
of militants and terrorists, forcing hundreds of thousands of men, women and
children to flee their homes," Karzai said.
Concerted effort
During the past eight years, the United States and its Western allies have
promoted increased regional cooperation as a means of undermining extremism.
As part of US President Barack Obama's new strategy for combating extremism in
Afghanistan and Pakistan, the administration has promised more financial aid,
troop deployments, societal development and regional cooperation to address the
complex situation in South Asia.
In a recent interview with RFE/RL, US Assistant Secretary of State for South
and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher said in addition to facilitating
regional infrastructure projects - the building of bridges between Afghanistan
and Tajikistan serves as one example - Washington, its allies and international
bodies like the United Nations are trying to sell countries in the region on
the idea of working together to ensure a shared and prosperous future.
"You really now have a highway that goes from Almaty to Karachi, and so what
we're trying to do now is work with the countries on the regulations and the
trading environments so that people can start using that for trade, give them
an outlet to the sea," Boucher said, adding that there are "a lot" of such
projects. "We've focused on the trade and investment side; others, the United
Nations has worked with them on water issues, and we're always looking for
chances to connect them to Afghanistan, with electricity, and make sure that
Afghanistan becomes not just a problem, but an opportunity for them."
Aside from violence, regional political rivalries and the lack of a broader
strategic agreement on the future of Afghanistan have undermined efforts to
promote economic cooperation in a region where, in some cases, traditional
divisions have worsened.
But there have been glimmers of progress as well.
In early 2003, Iran concluded a number of trade agreements with Afghanistan,
enticing Kabul to use its Chabahar port on Indian Ocean as an alternative to
the southern Pakistani port of Karachi, which has served as a traditional
transit route for Afghanistan. Islamabad's regional archrival India bankrolled
the development of the Chabahar port and major road projects to aid the
transformation.
Meanwhile, Pakistan built a new seaport in Gwadar a few hundred kilometers
south of Chabahar. Built with major Chinese investment, the port will also
serve as a major hub for the rapidly growing trade and industry in western
Chinese regions bordering Pakistan.
The US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's reliance on Pakistan as a
supply route for the war effort in Afghanistan also keeps infrastructure
development on the radar, as Washington looks to ensure security of those
routes.
Bilateral breakthrough?
With regional cooperation a key priority of US President Barack Obama's new
"Af-Pak" strategy, Washington is keen on seeing relations between Kabul and
Islamabad improve.
The inking of a trade transit agreement - a sticking point between Pakistan and
Afghanistan that has gone unresolved for nearly half a century - is seen as
important step toward that goal.
When the two countries on May 6 signed a memorandum of understanding to work
out a long-awaited trade deal, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called it
"a regional opportunity".
"The Trade Transit Agreement memorandum of understanding that was signed today
commits both countries to finalizing a trade transit agreement that deals with
all of the obstacles and problems of goods and people crossing borders,"
Clinton said. "It was started 43 years ago, and we're determined to bring it to
a resolution. The kind of economic development that will spring up if we see
increased trade and commerce between the two countries is one of the best ways
that we can provide alternatives for those who might otherwise be dragged into
this conflict."
William Byrd, a World Bank economic expert on countries affected by conflict,
sees great potential in Afghanistan's "land bridge" scheme, although he says
Kabul's ability to curbs violence and improve governance is key.
"Afghanistan has potentially a very dynamic economy and can make a lot of
progress. Even under current situation the economic growth has been pretty
high," Byrd said. "What is critical is a minimum degree of security and good
governance. And with that, I am very confident that the Afghan economy can grow
very rapidly."
Copyright (c) 2007, RFE/RL Inc. Reprinted with the permission of
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC
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