Optimism dominated the discourse of Afghan and American leaders on Monday. Addressing a sparsely filled Gaston Hall, they agreed that Afghanistan is primed to assume democratic government and a successful capitalist economy.
United States government officials, who were mostly Georgetown graduates, leaders in the Afghan government, and members of United States business and media communities spoke at the Afghanistan-America Summit for Recovery and Reconstruction. Several ambassadors and members of the private sector attended the talks, according to usher Paul Elliott (CAS ‘07).
The conference coincided with a turning point in recent Afghan history. Copies of a draft constitution were distributed around the country last week. The United Nations will mediate general elections this summer.
Prefacing their remarks with the phrase “In the name of God,” the Afghan leaders proudly described their country’s progress to the audience. “Direct election was but a distant dream two years ago,” said Afghanistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Abdullah. “We are now thinking of a post-Bonn blueprint for political and economic development.” Afghanistan’s transition was planned in Bonn, Germany in December 2001.
The passion of the leaders transcended language barriers. “It’s especially a pleasure for an Afghan woman to be here and talk about a constitution,” said Fatima Gailani, a member of the Constitutional Commission for Afghanistan.
Appointed Ambassador of Afghanistan Said Tayeb Jawad similarly described the people of Afghanistan. He recalled a group of girls who, after their school was burned down by arsonists, returned the next day to study next to the smoking ash. “This is the spirit of the Afghan people,” he said.
Nevertheless, calls for continued financial support were frequent. Afghanistan’s Minister of Finance Ashraf Ghani could not attend the conference but videotaped his comments. Sitting at a folding table, his face shadowed by improper lighting, Ghani urged the international community to step up its commitment to Afghanistan. “My key contention is that we still have a window of opportunity, but that window is shrinking,” he said.
Gailani repeated Ghani’s appeal later in the conference. “Please do not forget about Afghanistan. Do not repeat what happened in the past,” she pleaded.
In response to these calls, U.S. officials pledged their support. “The United States’ commitment to Afghanistan is historic, forged during the Cold War and renewed in the War on Terror,” said American Ambassador to Afghanistan-designate Zalmay Khalizad.
The Afghanis expressed support for the goals of the international community. The Bonn agreement requires, among other things, that the transitional government “shall cooperate with the international community in the fight against terrorism, drugs and organized crime.” Leaders made this commitment clear throughout the summit.
Jawad implicitly supported the United States’ war on terrorism when he spoke of “our common interest to defeat terrorism as a common menace to humanity.”
Security was repeatedly cited as the most urgent need. Paula Dobriansky, the undersecretary for global affairs at the State Department, noted the importance of security in alleviating gender inequalities; without strong protection, she said, women will be afraid to vote.
Additionally, Afghanistan’s Minister-Advosor of Private Sector Economic Affairs Shair Baz Hakemy cited the importance of providing an environment conducive to foreign investment.
Speakers did not mention the war in Iraq, which has occupied the attention of the Bush administration and much of the United States population since the victory in Afghanistan. “I wanted to avoid the word Iraq,” said Tom Squitieri, a national correspondent at USA Today.
However, multilateralism was an oft noted and praised aspect of the effort in Afghanistan. Journalists said that cooperation defined the effort. “Afghanistan is a multilateral effort, so there’s no temptation to act as if one is a colonial power,” said William Royce of Voice of America.
Paul Rodriguez, the editor the Washington Times’ Insight Magazine noted that Americans are welcomed in Afghanistan. “There is nothing but thank-yous all around,” he said.
Ghani confirmed their perception of the situation. “Despite all our challenges, multilateralism works in Afghanistan,” he said
This is the second time Georgetown has brought together Afghanis and Americans to discuss the future of Afghanistan. A conference in July of last year was attended by more than 700 people, according to the Office of the President.
