It may take time but Iraq and Afghanistan will get sorted out once the military and political battles are finished. The question is, what will be left when the dust settles?
All of our leaders - American, Brit, even Little Stevie - don't pass up an opportunity to pitch the urgent need for reconstruction of these countries from the ground up, beginning with infrastructure. We blew up a lot of stuff, the bad guys blew up way more stuff, stuff is still getting blown up. We can see roads that need to be fixed, schools that need repair, essential utilities such as water and electricity that need to be restored. That's the visible, tangible part of the destruction that has attended these wars. However both countries are suffering another loss, probably just as great in consequence and potentially impossible to fix.
Afghanistan and Iraq have been hemorrhaging their best and brightest, the very people who are most needed to restore civilian society. These include doctors, teachers, engineers. They're leaving, in droves, for two reasons: better opportunities and to avoid being targetted by insurgents. Guerrillas like to kill these people. Taking them out undermines confidence in the government just as surely as destroying power or water systems. Kill enough and you'll stampede more out of the country.
From the Washington Post:
"Iraq's top professionals -- doctors, lawyers, professors -- and businessmen have been targeted by shadowy political groups for kidnapping and ransom, as well as murder, some of them say. So many have fled the country that Iraq is in danger of losing the core of skilled people it needs most just as it is trying to build a newly independent society.
"'It's creating a brain drain,' said Amer Hassan Fayed, assistant dean of political science at Baghdad University. 'We could end up with a society without knowledge. How can such a society make progress?'
"Professionals and businessmen with the means to escape are going to Jordan, Syria, Egypt or, if they have visas, to Western countries. Those left behind say they feel abandoned."
The same story echoes from Afghanistan. The Rand Corporation's Obaid Younossi travelled to Afghanistan earlier this year to report on the dilemma:
"Talented Afghans are leaving - and few are returning from abroad - because insurgent attacks, threats and criminal activities are still common. As long as Taliban remnants and criminals continue to kill and terrorize Afghans, the nation will not be an attractive place for young people to build their futures.
"In addition, Kabul lacks a steady supply of electricity and clean water. The city's air is choked with dust and pollution from diesel fuel that is used to run electric generators and from the huge number of cars crammed into a city designed to sustain only a fifth of its roughly four million inhabitants.
"Afghans with an education and the skills in greatest demand know they can earn far more and live far better abroad. For example, university professors make less than $2 per hour in Afghanistan, and licensed physicians make about $100 a month working in a government hospital.
"To stem the brain drain and entice professional Afghans to return, the United States and the international community need to make Afghanistan a better place to live.
"First, security needs to be improved. This will require an intensified effort to train and supply Afghan security forces to maintain peace and order on their own, so they are not permanently dependent on U.S. and NATO forces. In addition, the United States needs to give Afghans concrete assurances that America is their long-term security partner.
"Second, the United States need to work with Afghans to develop a long-term development plan for the nation, and back it with a multibillion-dollar financial commitment lasting at least 10 years. If it can hasten a real peace, this investment in creating a thriving Afghan economy would cost less than spending on continued warfare.
"Third, alternative livelihoods must be found for farmers now growing poppies, the biggest cash crop in Afghanistan and a major source of heroin sold around the world. The illegal drug trade fosters corruption, instability, and disrespect for government and the rule of law.
"Fourth, a system of Afghan government accountability and good governance needs to be established to ensure that U.S. aid is being spent effectively, that corruption is eliminated and that programs are in place to improve living conditions and opportunities for the Afghan people. This means bringing readily available electricity, clean water, better roads and new jobs to Afghanistan.
"Finally, neighboring countries need to be pressured to stop jockeying for more influence in Afghanistan."
Younossi's five step plan is easy to understand. It all makes perfect sense. Yet, while it's easy to understand, achieving it is a Herculean chore.
Fielding forces so small that they have to spend an inordinate amount of time defending themselves from attack isn't going to get the job done. We've already lost five invaluable years and time is a critical factor that is not on our side.
If we're going to do this, at least let's give it a decent try. That's something that Bush, Blair and Harper have been avoiding.
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