Central Asia

For the past year and half the US media has been dominated by the 2008 presidential election. This is in many ways a good thing as we need to know who these candidates are and what they stand for and against, but the coverage has become so saturated that we are starting to miss coverage of actual news, like what is happening in Afghanistan. Lately, all we really hear about the nation is from either Obama or McCain’s mouth. I want to connect this point to my post yesterday discussing winning the public relations battle with the Taliban in Afghanistan.

A. First things first, this editorial by Joanna Nathan, a senior adviser in Kabul for the International Crisis Group, highlights the importance of the subject of yesterday’s post, US-sponsored public radio throughout the world. Nathan’s ‘Selling the Taliban’ discusses how the Taliban have used the media, mainly the internet, to spread their message, garner support, hide atrocities committed, intimidate local Afghans, and discourage the international community. They are successfully winning the PR battle in this conflict and Nathan rightly demands that the Afghan government and international community stand up to make sure their side of the story is told and to highlight wrongdoings by the Taliban to deligitimize their authority and presence. I would also like to see the nascent Afghan civil society take a part in standing up against poor treatment and intimidation by the Taliban, but of course they need to feel safe enough to do this.

B. ‘But Sir, could you provide us with an example of how NATO and the Afghan government can accomplish this? Why, sure.’ The story of the delivery of a large turbine to the Kajaki Dam deep in Taliban territory by British troops, but also with help from Americans, Chinese, French, Canadians, and Dutch, is an event and action that should be broadcasted all over the Afghan nation and world. These soldiers braved Taliban attacks to bring electricity to the Afghan people. This effort should be promoted to the far reaches of the nation; ‘The Taliban want to keep you poor and wanting, and your government wants to provide services to make your life better.’ Obviously, this is a simplification, but not by too far a degree. This is a concrete improvement in the lives of thousands of Afghans and NATO and the Afghan government need to make sure the population is aware of productive and beneficial deeds of this sort to disenfranchise the Taliban and pull away its supporters.

C. The release of thousands of prisoners and the following instability of the key city of Kandahar is just such a prime example of a situation that the Taliban can exploit with their public relations tools. The well-orchestrated attack releasing 900 prisoners, 350 of whom were members of the Taliban, portrayed the strength of the insurgency and the weakness of the Afghan government and limited ability of the NATO foreign forces. The New York Times ran this report in late August showcasing these points and how the people of Kandahar are viewing the dramatic situation in their hometown. They appear to have real fear of the Taliban and of a major battle being fought right in front of them. This is one example of a battle that the Afghan government and NATO forces need to win, both strategically and in the hearts and minds.

D. Bob Zoellick, President of the World Bank, in an article about the keys to rebuilding Afghanistan highlights the gains the nation has made recently in lowering the infant mortality rate, creating schools for 6 million Afghan children, and in providing almost 500,000 citizens with microfinance loans. These positive developments and signs need to be expressed outwardly. Zoellick of course also acknowledges the many struggles that the nation faces, especially the instability and failure to control and defeat the insurgency. I will not go over all of his recommendations, but he rightly focuses on agriculture reform, creating an anti-corruption body, and the choking of the Afghan narcotics trade.

I’m not trying to sugarcoat the situation in Afghanistan or suggest that the US/NATO/Afghan government should use false or superficial propaganda, but there are positive things happening in the country and the Taliban is waging a public relations war that we must beat them at to win this long-term battle. The Afghan people need to receive concrete security and services if they are to chose the Afghan government over the Taliban, but we should not underestimate the power of perception (and deception).

PS: (Am I writing a letter?) Here is an interesting report on an unusual meeting between powerful members of NATO and the US military in Afghanistan (Mullen, Petraeus, McKiernan) and Pakistan’s Army Chief of Staff Gen. Kayani on a US aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean. The subject of the meeting was unavailable, but it no doubt concerned the insurgency raging in both nations around the Afghan/Pak border. It also appears that it was not a confrontational affair, with one aide stating ‘It was one of those meetings to help clear up the situation, get an understanding of the issues, and look for a way forward.’ We’ll see if any concrete action comes out of it. Of course the recent incident of US troops launching an attack in Pakistan territory may complicate the matter. (Make sure to check out FPA’ s Bilal Qureshi’s excellent Pakistan blog)

Gulnoza Saidazimova of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty about a month ago catalogued the child labor situation in Central Asia. Unfortunately child labor is abused in all most all Central Asian states, but in different ways and to different degrees. Saidazimova first discusses Tajikistan’s use of child labor as a ‘lifeline for their families’ who are forced by extreme poverty to take their children out of school and put them to work on the family farm or marketplace. As is common in all CA states, the Tajik government makes pronouncements against the practice, but does nearly nothing to curb its actual use.

On the other side, there is Uzbekistan, where forced child labor is actually state policy, as the children are deemed necessary in the major cotton harvest every September. Human Rights groups have put pressure on Uzbekistan and companies who do retail business with their cotton and have had some success. Major clothing companies such as Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Gap, and H & M, as well as some textile producers in South Asia have decided to stop buying Uzbek cotton and the Uzbek government has adopted a law on ‘Guarantees of the Rights of the Child’ and ratified the Internatioanl Labor Organization’s convention on the worst forms of child labor. But the proof is in the pudding this September. Will anything really change? Will Uzbekistan implement these policies and find alternative ways to complete their harvest in an economically feasible way without children’s hands? In Saidazimova’s report only the Kyrgyzstan government comes up looking rosy on this issue. As she states, it has been at the ‘forefront’ in the fight against child ’slavery’ and not only cooperates with international organizations but also puts actual funds to stop the practice as well. Is child labor in Central Asia a purely economic issue? Social issue? Cultural issue? Can human rights groups’ political pressure do enough, or are structural economic efforts necessary? Can strong political policies and implementation stop or curtail the practice? Is the use of children in work a part of the culture, and therefore more deeply embedded, in the region?

Sticking with the kids, on July 16 Tashkent held a UNICEF sponsored conference promoting comprehensive prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the region (PMTCT). The conference also focused on pediatric HIV/AIDs care. Tragically, the occurrence of mother-to-child HIV is still a major problem in the region due to poor health structures and nurse/doctor training. Hopefully this conference can make a difference, and at least it is showing an effort to face this unpleasant, but pressing problem by the region’s leaders.

On an unrelated note, two men accused of being Uighur separatists committed what the Chinese government has called a ‘terrorist’ act when they attacked and killed several border policemen in Kashgar, Xinjiang Province yesterday, just days before the Olympics are set to start.

(Photo Source: Central Asian children pick cotton (Radio Free Europe) and (International Labor Organization (ILO), ILO-IPEC PROACT-CAR project)

I’m a couple days late, actually with the saturated media coverage it seems much longer, but Presidential candidate Barack Obama visited Afghanistan, meeting with US troops and the Afghan leadership. Reports stated that he made the trip to highlight the nation as the main front as the war on terror, more so than Iraq. I was pleased to hear that Obama visited, or at least flew over, the Pakistan-Afghan border where the insurgency is the strongest and where most NATO/US soldiers are dying. As I wrote last week this strategic area is of vital importance to US, regional, and international security and has been widely misunderstood by US officials and the media at large, so hopefully Obama was able to provide himself a clearer picture of the conflict by his visit (which I must say is about time, why did it take him this long to checkout the war-torn/vital nation? Well I’m at in this parantheses opinion piece, I have been also less than thrilled with Presidential candidate John McCain’s emphasis on Afghanistan, the public needs to know what the US/NATO/Afghan government is up against.) In positive news, Obama is reportedly going to ask Europe to ’shoulder more of the burden to help deal with global security threats’ in his upcoming Berlin speech. The global security threats definitely include Afghanistan and hopefully a fresh dialogue of NATO’s role can be opened.

In a reversal from the past few years, Afghanistan has taken over Iraq as the top international news story in the US. We can only hope this leads to more educated and effective policy prescriptions by politicians, backed by a knowledgeable populace. Here are a few worthwhile stories about the Afghan situation. I will not call this a link dump, there is just too much to cover for me to comment on them all, so let’s call it a ‘link gentle lay down’ instead.

Iraqi Ambassador Samir Sumaida’ie asserted that Al Qaeda was for the most part leaving Iraq and that many of its members were heading to Afghanistan. The Ambassador stated, ‘’We have heard reports recently that many of the foreign fighters that were in Iraq have left, either back to their homeland or going to fight in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is now seeming to be more suitable for al-Qaida fighters.'’ Good news for Iraq, bad news for Afghanistan. That seems to be the trend lately.

Top Pentagon officials have recommended hundreds of more troops for the Afghan effort, but the official recommendation hasn’t been approved by Joint Chief of Staff Adm. Mullen or Defense Secretary Gates. Obama, McCain, and top commanders in Afghanistan have recommended about 10,000 more troops for the war.

Nancy Hatch Dupree, director of the Afghanistan Center at Kabul University, advocates greater support for education and literacy development in Afghanistan in her New York Times Op-Ed ‘Rebuilding Afghanistan, One Book at a Time‘. The Taliban have made schools, specifically ones that teach girls, a central target in their insurgency against the Afghan government.

Lastly, the New York Times Magazine has a major article about Afghanistan’s drug trade, titled ‘Is Afghanistan a Narco-State?’ I have not had a chance to read the whole article, but here is a shorter preview about a former US official who apparently was the main source for the article. I will try to summarize and analyze the article at a later date.

(Photo Source: New York Times)

Here are a few interesting items to keep you cool this weekend.

The Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue fourth representational level meeting took place in Tashkent on July 15. For Japan the meeting was ‘aimed to deepen the multifaceted interaction with Central Asia and Uzbekistan, provide for stability and regional security, enhance the trade and economic relations.’

The US Senate confirmed General Petraeus as the chief of Middle East and Central Asia Central Command last week. I guess this is kind of important, right? Petraeus replaces Admiral William Fallon, who stepped down a couple months ago (rumored to be because of policy differences with the Bush Administration regarding Iran policy), and will be replaced by Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno as the lead military man in Iraq.

Not sure how big this story may get, but Stephen Payne, a Houston businessman and GOP activist, is now under a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform investigation, probing whether he violated federal law by suggesting he could arrange access to top White House officials for Kyrg government officials, including President Akayev, in return for large donations to the Bush presidential library. There is a recorded video of Payne and Akayev meeting and discussing meetings with President Bush and VP Cheney in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars to the library.

I wrote a short exert about the passing of Kyrg author/ambassador Chinghiz Aitmatov, and now here’s a sad story from Eurasia.net discussing Aitmatov accomplishments and Kyrgyzstan’s lack of an ability to produce another influential writer or artist.

I am originally a California boy, but I had no idea the northern California city of Fremont had a significant Afghan population, which according to this interesting story, it does!  The piece discusses a local book club called ‘One Book, One Community‘ which recommended its readers check out ‘Three Cups of Tea,” the true story of Greg Mortenson’s travels and charity work in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Apparently, Mortenson was saved by a group of villagers in Pakistan after fallin g from K2 in the Himalyas, and decided to show his appreciation by building schools in remote parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan (now I just hope the Taliban doesn’t burn them all down). Anyways, the city of Fremont and even its mayor have taken on this mission and started donating to the cause themselves.

Two interconnected, disturbing trends concerning Islamic militants from Central Asia committing violent and terrorist acts in and around the Afghanistan/Pakistan border are becoming more visible by the day. The first is the report from unidentified two US senior military officials based in the Middle East that Al Qaeda has stepped up its recruitment in Central Asia in the past two years and has found success recruiting children.

CBS News reported on this late last week and stated that Al Qaeda and other militant groups in Pakistan’s tribal areas have had success bringing in new, younger members to replace their casulties. Last May, a Pakistani military official showed CBS a video of young boy, possibly 12, chopping off the head of a middle-aged tribal man who they accused of being an American spy. The video below shows militant/terrorist training of children in Iraq:

The two US military officials assert that Al Qaeda and Taliban-associated groups were recruiting in Central Asian states, mainly Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, because there was ‘too much pressure’ on them in the Afghan/Pak border by US and international forces. One official stated that there was ‘one big advantage’ to recruiting in CA, ‘there is less focus by the US.’ The officials believe that there have been hundreds of cases of successful recruiting of Central Asian boys in the past two years.

Not all the militants coming from Central Asia to the Afghan/Pakistan war front are boys or recruits. In another disturbing trend, the Pakistani government has acknowledged the increasing presence of members of Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) in their border lands. Prime Minister Gilani confirmed reports that there are hundreds of IMU militants ‘holed up’ in Pakistin’s tribal belt committing violence against US/NATO/Afghan forces and within Pakistan’s tribal groups as well. The IMU have been strongly linked to Al Qaeda and the Taliban and there have even been reports that the group has picked a fight with certain local Pashtun tribes, assassinating tribal leaders loyal to the Pakistani government. Experts believe that there may be as many as 500 IMU militants around the border.

At the moment, the Pakistani government seems to have a hands-off approach to the foreigners, hoping the local Pashtun tribes will send them packing. Unfortunately, some of these tribes, like ones led by militant leader Baitullah Mehsud, find the IMU militants as allies in their fight against the Pakistani and US/Afghani governments. Lastly, here is a great analysis comparing the IMU and a similar Islamic militant group also based out of Uzbekistan, Islamic Jihad Union. It also discusses the IMU, and for that matter the IJU’s, presence in Afghan/Pak border area and the groups recent use of suicide bombing as a major tool in their arsenal. The report acknowledges the importance of Uzbekistan’s oppressive government as a cause of IMU and IJU’s birth and existence and how the Karimov regime in turn uses their presence to further tighten his leadership and power in order to defend his nation’s national security and safety. The analysis is told from a European perspective and charts these two militant groups recent past and possible futures.

In the next few days, I will discuss more deeply the tribal politics around the Afghan/Pakistan border that have now become one of the most dangerous and important security situations for the entire globe, as the most recent Taliban attack on a US base in Kunar Province, killing 9 American soldiers, attests.

Here are some short snipets with some reading material to get you through the weekend without fresh, red-hot Central Asian news!

Continuing our discussion about CA’s blood transfusion and HIV/AIDS problem on June 19, here is a more personal and touching story of the consequences of the region’s poorly managed and constructed health care system. This should not happen, period.

And for those of you still thirsting for some knowledge about the region’s water woes here is a short, but rather thorough explanation of the region’s difficulties when it comes to this vital resource.

On June 9, the Head of the Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia, Miroslav Jenca, assumed office and hosted a meeting in Ashgabat on June 23. The Center is meant to provide assistance to the governments of CA in building up their capacity to resolve disputes peacefully. Sounds like a worthy mission, good luck.

Here are two reviews of Sergei Bodrov’s new motion picture ‘Mongol’, the story of Ghenghis Khan; one positive, one negative. Both reviewers thought the film was visually pleasing, but only one thought the narrative worth listening to. It stated that ‘Mongol’ provides an ‘authentic-looking glimpse at the culture and customs, hardships and tribal rivalries of life in Central Asia 1,000 years ago. If I see the movie, I hope to, I will give you my expert film critique (warning I love ‘Spaceballs)

Lastly, I know you’ve been clamoring for more horse-riding for peace stories so here you go. Majid Charhesht, an Iranian sports fanatic, is crossing Central Asia on horseback all the way to Beijing for the Olympics. In 2004, he made his way to the Athens Olympics by way of roller skates! At least he’s doing it for a worthy cause, world peace.

Have a great weekend!

Getting health care and health care policy right is a continual battle for developed countries, as one hears cases of doctor and medical mishaps all to frequently, but one thing we have come to count on, at least here in the US, is that the blood transfusions we receive are clean and safe. A new World Bank study titled ‘Blood Services n Central Asian Health Systems– A Clear and Present Danger of Spreading HIV/AIDS and Other Infectious Diseases‘ reports that this is not so in many CA states. For a little background on Central Asia’s HIV/AIDS problems here is a old write-up with some useful resources.

The World Bank study retested 7,500 blood donor samples from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and identified the prevalence of several infectious diseases; including .2% for HIV, 2.7% for Hepatitis B, 3% for Hepatitis C, and 3.6% for Syphilis. These results show that current donor screening methods in the region are not fully effective and need improvements quickly. In fact, the report found that some CA health facilities did not even test their blood donations at all!

Radio Free Europe reports that since 2006, hundreds of people, have been infected with HIV/AIDS by tainted blood in CA hospitals, including 149 children in Kazakhstan, 69 children in Kyrgyzstan, and several more in Tajikistan.

Patricio Marquez, the main author of the World Bank report, stated; “Numerous parts of these countries’ blood transfusion systems are in serious need of restructuring, of new investments and of increased budgetary support for operation and maintenance.” The reports official recommendations

A. Establishing nationally coordinated blood transfusion systems and universal unpaid blood donor systems

B. Optimizing laws, regulations, and donor promotion campaigns

C. Effective donor screening strategies, training of medical personnel, and the promotion of using blood and blood products

D. International support to assist the restructuring of these nations health care systems

Lastly, as we have discussed before, there are cultural constraints present in Central Asia (and in many other places in the world) that prevent an open discussion about HIV/AIDS and how to prevent it and the lack of effective blood donor campaigns is a sad result of these beliefs and fears. The people who are mistakenly infected with tainted blood are one thing and one thing only, unfortunate victims, and should be treated with the utmost respect and care.

On a separate note, I would like to acknowledge the passing of Chingiz Aitmatov, a widely popular writer and statesman, who was buried in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan a couple days ago. Kyrg President Bakiev eloquently eulogized ‘One more star in the sky has faded; the heart that was filled with joy and sorrow, pure feelings and reams o not only the Kyrgyz nation but also of all the peoples of the world, has been stilled, has stopped.’

(Photo: Children were infected at hospitals in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (Source: RFE/RL)

Just a quick one today folks. If you haven’t checked it out yet, make sure to take a look at the post on May 11 ‘A Autocratic Dawn’, I think it raises an important issue that will and has affected CA and the world.

EurasiaNet has written a scathing report chronicling the Tajikistan government’s voluntary tax request from some of its poorest citizens in order to raise $10 million dollars to finance the Rogun project. The news outlet calls the tax ‘arbitrary’ and ‘confiscatory’ and rightly claims that it will dramatically hurt the poorest of the nation for amounts to a very small percentage of the projects ultimate budget, around $550 million. The people of Tajik deserve better and if this money is raised, the government needs to be transparent of its use, otherwise it will disillusion its populace to an even greater degree.

Kyrgyzistan’s President Bakiyev has provided a one-time compensation payment of $14,600 to 72 children and their families, who were accidentally infected with the AIDS virus in two southern Kyrg hospitals, because of what has been asserted as medical personnel negligence. This is a tragic way for progress to be spurred, but hopefully this is a sign that the Kyrg government is going to start taking HIV/AIDS prevention more seriously.

I ran across this article on the Motley Fool’s philanthropy site.  Here is the first sentence:

Across the world, a profound disaster is unfolding: Over the next 10 years, 1 billion young people in developing countries will be competing for about 300 million jobs.

Okay, so these are the choices: create businesses, hire people, or expect them to figure out an illicit business, or, expect them to starve.  Or, we could teach the next generation of entrepreneurs.  That is foolanthropy’s goal, and Mercy Corps has been granted money from foolanthropy to work in Kyrgyzstan.  According to a Mercy Corps press release, the program pairs high-school graduates with craftsmen such as metal-workers in order to teach skilled labor.   There is also a second program which concentrates upon fruit tree development on a community0wide basis in the Ferghana Valley.  A third program uses microfinance to help entrepreneurs develop businesses and jobs.

Further reading:
Mercy Corp’s report on their Ferghana Valley projects 

UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon has designated 2008 as the Year of Water Sanitation, a worthy effort which dovetails into public health and climate change issues–and which Central Asian states could use to their benefit.

According to the UN, investing $10 billion a year could halve the proportion of people without basic toilet facilities by 2015.  This grimy state of affairs affects 2.6 billion people worldwide, and not just aesthetically.

Public Health vs. Polio:
In Pakistan and Afghanistan, polio, spread by fecal-oral contact, continues to be a public health problem.  Afghanistan has had an immunization program over the past year at enormous effort; Pakistan needs one desperately.  Dr. Chan at the UN’s World Health Organization has stated that the last pockets of polio incidence are also the most expensive and difficult to reach–Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, and Nigeria.  Cultural differences, difficulty in understanding the vaccine regime, and security and transportation problems  frequently hinder efforts.  Hardline preachers in the Pakistani tribal areas have forbidden health workers to immunize children, as late as August of this year.

Rotary International, a long-run enemy to polio virus, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, are jump-starting the continued effort with a grant to WHO of USD 2 million.

“An estimated 42,000 people die every week from diseases related to low water quality and an absence of adequate sanitation,” U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement announcing 2008 as the Year of Sanitation.   Water-borne diseases such as botulism, cholera, and typhoid mostly affect children.

Climate change:
Add to the fact that climate change hits poor countries the hardest–and water quality in poor countries is the worst.  What this means is that water sources themselves become exploited in a heightened fashion, because water itself is not taken care of downriver.  The effects of climate change in Central Asia’s aquifers and in Xinjiang make it more important than ever to safeguard and safely treat/sanitize the water that is available.  It’s a great program for 2008.  I hope Central Asia officials are busy writing their grants for water sanitation projects–Today–at the very latest., for their major rivers and their dead lakes, their sewage infrastructure, and whatever else that they can think of that will bring water quality up for human use–and for human industry–and human health.

Further Reading: Wikipedia on Poliomyelitus, a disease spread by poor sanitation

Photo: BBC