Light of Peace

Reportedly seven US soldiers lost their life in southern Afghanistan over the weekend 27-28 August 10. The figure is one of the highest of the casualties suffered by the US forces in one spate of fighting. The loss of precious life speaks volumes about the new US policy in Afghanistan that is under criticism since the day it was announced by President Obama.

As a matter of fact the US government seems to be confused regarding its future strategy in Afghanistan. On one hand the US has announced that their troops would start withdrawing in July 11, while at the same time they say that the decision would be dictated by the ground situation. The American and NATO commanders are on the record to admit that the goals in Afghanistan have not been achieved and that the security situation is not satisfactory. At the same time they say that some progress has been made in operations against Taliban. A general has reportedly said that the Taliban are gaining courage when they have heard about the US withdrawal plan, but again he says that Taliban will get a surprise once they come to know that no such move is on the cards. Similarly when it comes to making a dialogue with Taliban, the US authorities display an indifferent attitude while at the same time they encourage such initiatives through their allies like UK and Saudi Arabia. Moreover the suggestion of withdrawal of US troops in the new policy was contradicted by induction of 30000 fresh troops. Obviously this was to be interpreted accordingly.

This is not the way the matters like fighting war or promoting peace are to be handled by a super power. Lack of foresightedness and inconsistency has bred multiple problems for America. The US should realize that the Taliban were never their enemies. rather they were converted to be as such after 9/11. It is a historical fact that most of the combatants and their supporters were trained and funded by the US during the period of Afghan jihad against the USSR. A more rational and pragmatic policy on the part of US can salvage the situation even at this belated stage.

A crucial one-on-one dialogue between the Israelis and the Palestinians are going to take place in September 2010. This event coincides with the end of10-months freeze on the settlements that was announced by Israel in November last year. While the US are ‘mindful’ of the issue of settlements, the Palestinians have announced that there cannot be any dialogues tied to the pre-conditions imposed by Israel. Mr. Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel is on the record to say that the road to peacemaking is not an easy one.


Who are the stakeholders of the peace process? Truly, the Palestinians and the Israelis. USA is the most important key player in this process. Is it so difficult to resolve the issue of settlements? There is no denying the fact that both, Israelis and the Palestinians have the right to live, and more importantly, live & co-exist peacefully. Israel should understand that settlements without peace will be meaningless. What is the use of people living in the settlements under the constant fear of rocket attacks or suicide bomb attacks? A little bit of flexibility on the part of both the parties may result in a big break through, but the failure on their part will again dump the peace process in cold storage for a long time to come.


Let us not give our younger generation only the shelters of concrete and steel( call settlements) but a peaceful environment to live.