Holbrooke and a Dam too Far
High in the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan, a 55 year-old dam holds immense potential for the stability and development of Afghanistan’s second largest city. If only the Taliban would let the concrete delivery arrive.
Kajakai Dam
Built in 1953 by Morrison-Knudsen, the same American company that contributed to building the Hoover Dam, the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, the Kajaki Dam suffers from decades of neglected maintenance and inefficient hydroelectric turbines. According to reporting by Rajiv Chandrasekaran in the Washington Post, “the dam produces about 33 megawatts of electricity with two rehabilitated turbines, of which only about 30 percent of the power reaches Kandahar. Along the route, as much as 40 percent of the electricity is lost to theft and transmission inefficiencies.
As a consequence, Kandahar residents fortunate enough to have their homes and shops connected to the city’s rickety network of electricity wires typically receive about six hours of power a day. But there are days and nights without a flicker of light, the whir of a fan, the distraction of television. Frequent blackouts have shut down factories and kept people locked indoors after sunset.”
On Wednesday, the Obama administration’s special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke said the electric supply to Kandahar, a former Taliban stronghold, is currently a central goal of the US’s strategy to win the war. He told PBS’s Gwenn Ifill that General David Petraeus, the new US commander in charge of the multi-national force in Afghanistan, raised this issue with him on a conference call last Saturday.
As much as 40% of the electricity is lost to theft and transmission inefficiencies.
However, the means and methods by which to provide this electricity differ greatly amongst the various departments and policy circles working on Afghanistan’s problems. Military leaders, eager to meet the draw down deadline next summer favor a short-term solution to purchase three huge diesel generators and thousands of gallons of fuel. US Embassy and State Department officials however, favor a more comprehensive plan to upgrade the Dam’s generators and finish installing a third turbine to boost long-term production. In 2008, an operation involving 5,000 British troops, attempted to deliver and install the third turbine to the Dam, but the Taliban fought furiously along the roads leading up the mountainside, making it impossible for trucks to haul cement in to install it. (You can read an excellent account of that mission by Lieutenant-Col Rufus McNeil here)
Herein lies the conundrum, restoring consistent power to Kandahar, a city of 450,000 is a necessary task, but the most effective and cost-efficient means of doing so is blocked by the Taliban. The Afghan government will never be able to afford the diesel fuel for the power generators after the American forces leave, once again plunging the city into darkness if the military’s short-term fix is implemented. That long term perspective however, seems rather wishful when one considers recently ousted US General Stanley McChrystal’s point, who was quoted by the Economist last week telling his staff: “While I think Kajaki is critical for a long-term solution, there ain’t no long-term if we don’t win short-term.”
A decision on the city’s electricity and the Dam’s future should come soon as General Petraeus is highly likely to receive full Senate confirmation on his new appointment today and depart for the region by the weekend. To fix a dam or not to fix a dam, that is the question.
The “DNT-R2P Connection:” Humanitarianism in the 21st Century?
Filed under: Democracy, Human Rights, Responsibility to Protect, Technology
By: Colette Mazzucelli
The trials and tribulations of humanitarianism in the past decade lead Columbia historian Mark Mazower to question the price of moral leadership in foreign affairs. Is there a local-global consciousness emerging to combat the atrocities states inflict arbitrarily on their citizens? The countries and their cultures differ. The abuse of human rights does not: post-election turmoil in Kenya, 2008; brutality against the protesters in Iran, 2009; longstanding sexual violence against women in war-torn Congo; mass starvation over time in North Korea. The list grows as globalization intensifies.
"Mobile applications, whether on the cell or smart phone, are evolving rapidly as millions acquire new means to communicate", says Mazzucelli.
Can digitally networked technology (DNT) make a difference by slowing the trends of abuse? Is the exponential growth of mobile phone use in the developing world a revolution that allows civil society to find its voice preventing the murder of innocents by state leaders? What does this transformation mean for the West with its interventionist ideals and its international norms, most notably, Responsibility to Protect (R2P)? Are we bearing witness to a sea change that makes “ordinary people” the world over a bulwark of protection against would be political entrepreneurs seeking power at any human price?
Experience taught us in Rwanda the speed with which genocide was carried out by extremists with a political agenda as the West chose selective indifference. Failures to prevent mass murder in Bosnia and Kosovo showed the limits of transatlantic power. If R2P is not to remain too closely linked with intervention, which is one of its main criticisms as a tool to facilitate Western neo-colonial adventures, citizens must assume the responsibility to protect the human rights of fellow citizens. Their actions can make a difference in regimes struggling to find their own way to the constitutional liberalism that checks excesses of state power against individuals.
Mobile applications, whether on the cell or smart phone, are evolving rapidly as millions acquire new means to communicate. The empirical data, which is still limited, informs us that technology can be used to incite ethnic conflict or to deter human rights abuses. Joshua Goldstein and Juliana Rotich discuss the impact of digitally networked technology during Kenya’s 2007-2008 post-election crisis. Their research findings illustrate how text messages incited violence across Kenya. In comparison to Rwanda, however, where radio mobilized the 1994 genocide leaving moderate voices unable to respond, in Kenya, the use of SMS also circulated messages of a moderate nature.
Michael Joseph, the CEO of Safaricom, which is the largest mobile phone provider in Kenya, distributed SMS texts to the company’s 9 million customers to contradict the previous hate messages that had incited mob violence after the 2007 presidential election was believed to be rigged. His effort underlines the multi-directional nature of mobile technology. The Kenyan case also highlights the emerging role telecommunications leaders and visionary designers are playing as tensions between state and society escalate in contested elections. Violence in Kenya also sparked the design by David Kobia and Erik Hersman of Ushahidi, a revolutionary platform combining Google Maps with a tool allowing mobile users to report cases of abuse in precise detail, including images and written observations at the time and place of the incident.
The application of Ushahidi in other countries experiencing human rights abuses makes digitally networked technology, mobile use in combination with blogs, interactive maps, and satellite imagery, the people’s choice in developing countries to forge local-global interactions. There are policy and educational implications for the transatlantic area as we identify a DNT-R2P connection in polities where citizen initiatives redress the heavy footprint of the state. This civic dimension of the responsibility to protect, the agency to act on behalf of human security, must rely on the courage and conviction of local engagement not foreign interventions.
As Barbara Slavin writes, “Internet and cell phone technology have become to Iran’s current democracy movement what the telegraph and cassette tapes were to previous political upheavals.” This is why transatlantic support for public spending to help Iranians evade government Internet filters is a critical element in policymaking. The Iranian people have a right to communicate with each other and with the world through blogs, text messages, and video images. Digitally networked technology offers Iranian citizens a chance to construct alternative narratives, thereby nurturing the internal democracy building that challenges a brutal theocratic regime.
Another area where DNT can support human rights initiatives is in the protection of those working on behalf of NGOs like Peace Brigades International whose members accompany the human rights defenders protecting internally displaced persons (IDPs). Francis Deng observes that digital networked technology provides the “eyes and ears” for the world to make sure that the dangers facing humanitarian workers as well as the plight of the IDPs they defend are not forgotten.
As the use of the mobile increases around the world, another challenge for the transatlantic area is to develop educational initiatives that bring DNT right into our study of global affairs. Innovative curriculum development is evolving as a necessary component of humanitarianism in a model that President John Sexton has defined at NYU as the “global network university.” Its aim is to “maintain human community” as NYU classes, held simultaneously in Abu Dhabi and New York, and networked with other locations in Prague and Buenos Aires, “break the time-space continuum.” The perils and the promise using technology of a multi-directional nature are unprecedented. The policy and educational responses of the transatlantic may help establish a DNT-R2P connection aiding citizens in fragile polities as they protect themselves against oppressive regimes at home.
Colette Mazzucelli, WFI Fellow at Citizens for Global Solutions, is Adjunct Associate Professor, Center for Global Affairs at New York University and Department of Political Science at Hofstra University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Defection Watch: North Korea’s World Cup Team
The matches of this year’s World Cup have delivered many sensational moments, but behind the hum of the vuvuzelas and the bright stadium lights, North Korea’s soccer squad may indeed deliver the biggest surprise of all.
Always a curious sighting outside of their hermitage country, North Korean athletes are often assumed to be high defection risks, given their rare opportunity to escape the hard living conditions of their country, even despite their own privileged positions on the national team. However, their strictly controlled movement in South Africa during the games shows just how far the North Korean government will go to avoid any possible escape. The team is sequestered in a tightly secured hotel north of Johannesburg and has largely stayed out of the public eye. The entire team dines together and travels in a bus with its curtains firmly closed, always accompanied by government officials between their hotel and the training grounds.
When four players on the team failed to show up for the teams first game against Brazil last week, most speculated they had already made the jump. However, all four players we spotted again several days later on the team bus.
The players’ disappearance and reappearance however, was only the first strange occurrence before the Brazilian match. Just before Tuesday’s game began, a five-row block of seats on the second level at Ellis Park Stadium filled up with more than 40 men and a woman, all dressed in identical red shirts, jackets and scarves, wearing identical red caps and waving small North Korean flags. During the game, ESPN’s game announcer Martin Tyler commented that the group that appeared to be North Koreans, weren’t actually North Koreans, but rather “handpicked Chinese Actors,” recruited by a Chinese sports marketing company on behalf of North Korea. Wild speculation grew that North Korea was too scared to let their own citizens out of the country and had to outsource its supporters instead.
The North Korean team’s possible defection was given added fuel today after their 7-0 loss to Portugal. This defeat, which ranks as one of the worst all time losses in World Cup history, will definitely not win them praise or national recognition back home as their earlier 2-1 respectable loss to Brazil afforded them. Therefore, with their prospects of returning home as heroes now diminished, are we likely to see a few players sneak off?
US Team Identifies Trillion $ Mineral Deposits in Afghanistan
Monday’s New York Times leads with a blockbuster story and while its extraordinary news, its not surprising.
The mountains, valleys and high rock passes of Afghanistan have lured global powers and interests for centuries. The foreign parries and thrusts between the British Empire and the Russian Empire for supremacy in Central Asia’s Great Game throughout the 1800′s would absolutely have been fiercer had they known about this treasure. In modern terms however, this public revelation adds complexity to any continued US engagement in Afghanistan and its neighbor Pakistan, which offers the fastest land route for the minerals to the Indian Ocean and world markets. Both countries’ populations and governments are going to have cocked ears to this news and while President Karzai of Afghanistan has known for sometime, its unlikely to have spread far outside his inner circle.
US Geological Survey Mineral Map of Afghanistan, pre trillion $ find. USGS
As the world’s population grows up digitally and elements like copper and lithium continue to be highly valued, Afghanistan’s deposits set up a second Great Game scenario between China and the United States. Both countries already have small mining operations in Afghanistan, and the Chinese have already demonstrated their willingness to play outside the lines, accused of bribing an Afghan minister with $30 million while lobbying for more mining contracts. In economic development terms this extraction of wealth from the ground could spawn immensely proportional changes in one of the poorest regions of the world. However, the sophisticated technology needed to cultivate the rich veins of ore and “foot in the door” position of the US to identify and expose these deposits probably means little equity in the discoveries will belong to Afghans.
World Cup Preview: Heather Martino w/ Jonathan Ledgard, Eastern Africa Correspondent for The Economist
South Africa’s place on the world stage, terrorism and the games
By: Heather Martino
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Brand new stadium in Cape Town, South Africa. Table Mountain, Cape Town's most prominent landmark in distance.
As the 2010 World Cup approaches, all eyes will be on South Africa, prompting many to take a larger look at the country. On his recent trip to the United States, I spoke with Jonathan Ledgard, Eastern Africa Correspondent for The Economist, and discussed South Africa and the upcoming World Cup, as well as several of today’s most pressing issues facing the continent.
With The Economist boasting articles with titles such as “South Africans can be proud about hosting the World Cup. Less so about the state of their nation,” I expected Ledgard to be less than optimistic about the country’s progress in preparation for the upcoming games. On the contrary, when asked about the state of the country, Ledgard spoke about the beautiful landscape, comparing it to California, with a mix of the south side of Philadelphia. He said that South Africa has “invested a lot in branding, or rebranding the country, and not just from a tourist potential.” The country has made progress in terms of infrastructure, and is reaching out to England, China, and India for investment. When asked about the United States, Ledgard stated that the U.S. is a smaller market for South Africa, and that they were concentrating their efforts on the aforementioned countries. “In all fairness,” said Ledgard, “FIFA is very tough, but they are pretty happy with South Africa’s corporations.”
“There really is no world comparison to South Africa,” said Ledgard, and the media does not always do a good job of presenting an accurate portrayal of the country. Maybe “awakening” is too strong of a word, Ledgard agreed, but there is the position held by many that “if it’s African, it must be rubbish and not work, and it’s a little unfair.” Ledgard spoke with awe about the vast construction of tremendous stadiums, new underground railroad systems, and airports. “I feel that sometimes there is such negativity about South Africa, that whatever happens is held up to the highest account,” said Ledgard, as he compared it to Greece. “When Greece was running the Olympics they were far more in shambles, [but] people were not getting on Greece’s case the way they are on South Africa’s,” adding that being chosen to host the 2010 World Cup is a “real success for South Africa and a chance to reboot its image.”
While the new and refurbished stadiums in ten cities throughout South Africa look beautiful, there has been some concern over their use beyond the World Cup. I asked Ledgard about the cost of these stadiums, especially given that some schools were bulldozed to make room for a 46,000 seat stadium in Nelspruit. Far greater than the cost of building this stadium, which is estimated to be $137 million dollars, is the cost of sending youngsters to hot and airless classrooms to make room for their construction. When asked about this, Ledgard said that this is a “big problem for South Africa,” because they are “damned if they do and damned if they don’t.” By this, Ledgard meant that “if they don’t build world class stadiums- people will criticize them,” especially given that the World Cup is the largest sporting event next to the Olympics. However, while soccer, or football, is popular throughout the world, Ledgard pointed out that it is not the number one sport in South Africa. “Maybe [soccer] is a large event spectator wise, but rugby brings in the most money for South Africa”, said Ledgard.
Touching on the issue of whether or not the new stadiums will be used after the World Cup, Ledgard talked of how “a lot of stadiums are trying to get rugby clubs to move in there” but this is almost like “trying to get the Red Sox to move to a new stadium,” adding that it is highly unlikely that the stadiums will be used in the long run. However, Ledgard reassured me of the necessity of their construction, saying that the key issue is “turning South Africa to global volumes,” to make the economy “more like Australia or something like that.” He added “If the price is a few empty stadiums, I’m sure people will accept that.”
South Africa's fans are ready to watch the games, but will they be safe?
While the first match, set to take place in Johannesburg between South Africa and Mexico, is just a day away, I asked Ledgard about the safety and security of the fans. Given the stampede at a friendly preliminary match between Nigeria and North Korea last Sunday, that left at least eleven people injured, I asked if this was any indication of the police forces’ lack of control. To this, Ledgard said that “the government invested a huge amount of money in overhauling the police force, to make sure they are prepared.” While assuring that the police force is up to par to handle the crowd, Ledgard expressed some concern for South African Intelligence, which is likely ill-equipped to handle the threat of terrorists, especially given the large faction of Somalia al-Qaeda operatives in the region. “If it [a suicide bombing] happens during the World Cup, it will not be surprising to me,” said Ledgard, adding “I know from experience there’s nothing good enough to protect against that- anywhere in the world, and it is definitely a worry for South African intelligence to handle this threat.”
Building on this topic of safety and security, I asked Ledgard about the condition of hospitals in the event that some catastrophic event might occur. Ledgard assured me that the “hospital issue won’t be a problem,” as they are held to a really high standard. He stated that the hospitals- especially in Cape Town and Johannesburg- are very sophisticated, pointing out that “South Africa was the first country in the world to do heart transplants.”
Ledgard added that, when looking at South Africa, it is necessary to put it in some kind of context with the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa. “Other African countries, like Nigeria and the Congo, will be looking on their television screens, and thinking my lord they [South Africa] have a real police force, electricity, sewer systems, and etc.” Despite all of the positive initiatives the chance to host the 2010 World Cup has brought for South Africa, Ledgard felt the biggest problem facing the country today is the issue of crime and HIV/AIDS. “Crime is appalling, and right behind it is HIV” said Ledgard, adding that these “two issues dominate the country and really need to be addressed.” However, Ledgard is optimistic of the positive effects of the World Cup, saying that it is a “step in the right direction for the country.” It will show that South Africa is “not a country that is collapsing, but a country that is very positive and trying to move toward a globalized economy and state its place in the world.” On a final note, Ledgard said that he is “much more positive that this is South Africa’s chance to shine, and I hope everything airs well.”
Only time will tell if the World Cup will help jump start South Africa’s economy, allowing for it to become a globalized nation. However, if hotel and ticket sales are any indication, the World Cup is promoting tourism and investment in the country. We can only hope that Ledgard’s fears regarding a terrorist attack will not materialize, and that South Africa’s hosting of the World Cup will be a bright light and a beaming example for the rest of the African continent.
