When Barack went to Kabul

A few months ago I wrote an enthusiastic article about Barack Obama for the Huffington Post. In response a poster said: "You mean the same Obama who didn't even know that Afghanistan doesn't need Arabic translators because they don't speak Arabic?" Ouch, I thought. But then came this post: "At least Obama knows the difference between Shias and Sunnis, unlike a senior Republican candidate." Ouch again!

America certainly needs to do its homework before going out and trying to save the world. But then again, I had an Arab colleague who once bragged that she only found out about the Shias when she was well into her 20s. She's now working for al-Jazeera, which means there's hope for us all.

As for Obama, the man is no expert, but at least he's honest and is trying to learn. If I had a choice between listening to Obama and Zalmay Khalilzad, the ex-US special envoy to Kabul, a fully-fledged expert, I'd go for Obama any day. Trust me. I went to Khalilzad's speech at UCLA and left it feeling downright stupid. How is it that I didn't know Afghanistan was doing so well? I phoned my mum and broke the news: Khalilzad says everything is basically fine in Afghanistan. She paused, thought, and then said: "If that's true, then why are we still here and not in Afghanistan?"

Obama is making an effort to inform himself about Afghanistan and he's not deliberately trying to mislead the public. This is what the Afghan media liked about him when Obama came to visit on July 19. They noticed a refreshing change - Obama didn't shower Karzai and co with praise just because they're US allies.

They were impressed with Obama's open criticism of Karzai. Kabul Weekly said this is the first time that an important US official has tried to bring into the open Kabul's multiple failures. Mosharekat-e Melli, another independent newspaper, went further, pointing out that Obama's views were very much in tune with those of the people of Afghanistan. That's why, the paper said, Karzai quickly accused Obama of not understanding the complexities of the situation. But one look at the press shows that Obama's points have long been made in the media. Does this mean that the people of Afghanistan fail to understand the complexities of their situation?

There was plenty of praise and appreciation for Obama on the part of independent papers and news websites. They said Obama left the country armed with robust facts and updated information and that he's going to change US policy towards Afghanistan for the better. They said he's found that Pakistan is the main cause of instability in Afghanistan. Official press outlets, by contrast, had little to say about the candidate.

In the words of one newspaper, when Obama departed, he left behind a heavy silence filled with serious expectation. And it was this expectation that got me worried. Judging by the press reaction, the population is waiting for Obama to come to their rescue. It's like in a fairy tale. Afghanistan is the sleeping beauty, Pakistan is the wicked fairy and Obama, he's the prince of course. Am I the only one who hears music from Disney's Aladdin? That song called A Whole New World?

Against this background, I was quite relieved when I saw Kabulpress's coverage of Obama's visit. Kabulpress is Afghanistan's most iconoclastic news website and its editors ridiculed Obama instead of hero-worshiping him. In a page headlined "His highness came, and went!" we see captioned pictures of Obama. One moment he's talking to US soldiers about the need to fight extremism and the next he's snapped sitting beside Gol Agha Sherzai, the governor of Nangarhar province, and a place known to Afghans as the land of eternal spring. And these days, one may add, opium poppies. According to Kabulpress, Sherzai is one of the most fundamentalist-minded people in the Afghan government. So what's Obama doing sitting next to him?

In the aftermath of Obama's visit, the official press snubbed him, the independent press praised him and Kabulpress ridiculed him, but there was one editorial in Hasht-e Sobh, which, in my view, said what needed to be said. Translating its heavy, convoluted and moralising tone into plain English, the editorial had the following message for the Afghans: You guys need to get real and face the truth - the world does not revolve around you and your problems. Sort yourselves out and don't wait for the world to come to your rescue.

That's the spirit. Obama would certainly approve. He might even say: "People of Afghanistan, yes you can!"

The article originally appeared in the Guardian.

Comments

[mattheweste]

I looked up some other stuff by the author at AsiaMedia. Interesting perspective on gender because of course Afghanistan was branded for years in the Western media as the wort place on earth for women but you don't get many women coming from being raised over there and then living over here.

http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=88934

"After all, girls like her were used as an excuse to legitimize the foreign invasion of Afghanistan in November 2001. While the international media turned the cameras on the faces of these young girls and discussed the horrific future that would have awaited them had the Taliban remained in power, young boys their age were detained and taken to Guantanamo Bay. Old men were made to undress publicly and endure the public humiliation of being fingered by U.S. troops. Mosque doors were kicked open by force and bombs were dropped on Afghanistan. All this happened right in front of Western feminists' eyes who carried on obsessing about the burqa, ignoring the fact that human rights are meaningless unless they include both, men and women."

[suec03]

I later read that the reason Arabic-speaking translators are needed in Afghanistan is for questioning Arab Al Qaeda members who have come into Afghanistan from elsewhere. Certainly Dari and Pashto translators would be needed for the local population.

[MPeter]

beautifully done. thank you for your honesty. keep them honest. do not accept mcbush, the republican and msm obfusications. thank you...