Divide your enemies, unite your friends
3:45 pm - September 9th 2008
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Compare and contrast the following statements:
“The American flag flies again over our embassy in Kabul. Terrorists who once occupied Afghanistan now occupy cells at Guantanamo Bay. (Applause.) Pakistan is now cracking down on terror, and I admire the strong leadership of President Musharraf.(Applause.) States like these [Iraq, Iran and North Korea] and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world.” George Bush 29 January 2002
“The guardian of Muslims in Tehran is cooperating with the Americans in occupying Iraq and Afghanistan and recognizes the two hireling governments there.” Ayman al-Zawahri 8 September 2008
In Afghanistan it is clear that the Taliban is receiving support, including arms, from, again, elements of the Iranian regime. They have learnt from elsewhere. They believe that if they inflict enough chaos, enough casualties of Western soldiers we will lose the will. It will become another “mess”. Tony Blair 31 May 2007
Iran and Afghanistan have never been as friendly as they are today. In the past five years Iran has been contributing to Afghanistan’s reconstruction, and in the past five years Afghanistan has been Iran’s very close friend. President Karzai 5 June 2007
Am I the only one wondering about how smart western foreign policy has been over the last few years?
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Conor Foley is a regular contributor and humanitarian aid worker who has worked for a variety of organisations including Liberty, Amnesty International and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. He currently lives and works in Brazil and is a research fellow at the Human Rights Law Centre at the University of Nottingham. His books include Combating Torture: a manual for judges and prosecutors and A Guide to Property Law in Afghanistan. Also at: Guardian CIF
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Reader comments
Yes, you are the only discordant voice in a chorus of approval!
but come to think of it, I’m not exactly clear what your critique is here. Is it that Iran is both co-operating with Karazai’s administration (as Al Q says) and the Taliban (as Tony claimed – and that’s bad and our fault) or is it that Iran could be an ally in Afghanistan but we keep treating it as a supporter of terrorism (and that’s dumb) or something else? Who are the enemies being divided and the friends united (or enemies united and friends being divided)? Sorry for being obtuse.
Christ that really is Obtuse. Follow the link to your CiF article, and all is made clear ….. what a chump
if any kind editor is inclined to delete both these comments, I’d like that!
Luis – fair enough criticism actually. I could have been clearer by stating that the US/UK policy alienated France and Germany (and most of the rest of the world) as well as Pakistani democrats and reform-minded Iranians (Mohammad Khatamani was Iran’s President at the time).
And what did it achieve?
Hi Conor, but you’re quoting Tony Blair there… if anyone is still willing to listen to Tony Blair’s pronouncements on foreign policy then they should be put into a mental institute. Or no let near govt policy.
David Miliband and Timothy Garton Ash – to name but two
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/07/foreignpolicy.military
And what a difference six years makes
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/09/usforeignpolicy.pakistan
If Bush and Blair had spent a little bit less time obsessing about Iran while “admiring the strong leadership of President Musharraf” they would have seen that the Pakistani ISI were re-creating the Taliban under their noses.
Heh. I have to say, you have a great memory at picking up and remembering what people have said in the past. You’d be great as an advisor to the Daily Show.
Good point about David Miliband – not really a big fan of current foreign policy. Though I don’t see it improving either under the Tories.
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