Member of the European Parliament: The wider tragedy for Afghanistan did not begin in August.
Ms. Clare Daly, Member of the European Parliament, in her speech at the “Peace Crisis in Afghanistan” webinar organized by the Foundation of Dialogue and Solidarity of United Nations on the occasion of World Peace Day, criticized the Western media’s approach to the issues of Afghanistan.
Foundation of Dialogue and Solidarity of United Nations (FODASUN) based in Iran is a non-governmental, non-profit, and trans-religious organization that works for the realization of peace and human rights, tolerance and friendship between nations.
At the webinar held by FODASUN, Ms. Clare Daly, Member of the European Parliament mentioned: For the last few weeks we have seen an acute form of hysteria from mainstream politicians and the establishment media. We have seen them discover a sudden, intense, opportunistic concern for the wellbeing of certain Afghans, compared to an almost total lack of concern for Afghans over the last twenty years. We have heard them proclaim that the US withdrawal was a “betrayal” of Afghanistan and mourn for the loss of Western prestige – as if the spectacle of the West being “defeated” in Afghanistan was somehow harder on their feelings than twenty years of military occupation has been for Afghans to bear.
She added: Most of all, we have heard them catastrophize about the Taliban seizing power. To push back against them, we have to be clear. What has happened in the last month is a genuine tragedy for many Afghans. People were not clinging to planes to escape Kabul for no reason. The Taliban cabinet is not representative. Despite initial promises from the Taliban that they would be more accommodating to all Afghans and try to preserve gender equality in government and in educational institutions, they appear to be reneging on that now. There are reprisals happening; there is violence; there is repression, and for many Afghans in the cities, this does represent an enormous set back – a rolling-back of their rights which is genuinely traumatic and unjust.
She clarified: The problem with this narrative is not that none of these things are happening, because they are. The problem is we’re only hearing about them selectively, in isolation, without any context, and without any memory. This means that the real lessons of the war in Afghanistan can be suppressed; it means the very people who bear responsibility for this tragedy – the Western generals and the pro-war politicians and the media – can yet again blame someone else; they can seize on the disaster they have helped to create and use it as an excuse to create another one.
She has also mentioned: The wider tragedy for Afghanistan did not begin in August. The Taliban have always been destined for power when this occupation ended. No serious follower of events in the country expected anything less. Their takeover should be viewed as a symptom of the American occupation, not its alternative.
And finally remarked: The Afghanistan War was an abomination from the beginning to the end. It never aimed to bring peace or progress to Afghans – those were mere excuses. Democracy cannot be spread at the point of a gun. It was an escapade, a calamity, and it went on for so long, not in order to “stay the course” but because a lot of money was involved, and a lot of people – Afghan elites and Westerners – got very comfortable with it. Taliban rule is part of their legacy. They are two sides of the same coin. Although Afghans now face the challenge of living with that legacy, there is no role whatsoever for Western military power in resolving it. That process will take decades, even centuries, and it will be a painful process, but it has to be carried out by Afghans and for Afghans. It is time for the Western war machine to be brought to a halt, for a period of deep reflection and self-examination, a recognition that the last twenty years were a dire mistake. It is time for humility at last, an end to the wars and for a new and genuine commitment to building peace and justice in the world.
