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A Generation for Afghanistan

The West marched into Afghanistan over six years ago. On Thursday, donor nations gather in Paris to pledge yet more development money to the struggling country. German commentators say its time to own up to the immensity of the task at hand.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai wants to see $50 billion in development money pledged to his country over the next five years. Western donor nations would like Karzai to intensify the fight against corruption and the drug trade in Afghanistan. Everyone, though, agrees there is plenty of room for improvement in the war-torn country -- and on Thursday, ministers from dozens of countries are gathering in Paris with Karzai and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to determine exactly what the mid-term future of Afghanistan will look like.

Most observers expect that Karzai's wish is out of the question with most guessing that the conference will generate close to $15 billion. United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said earlier this week that Washington is prepared to pledge $10 billion over the next two years. Canada's Foreign Minister David Emerson said his country will contribute $1.9 billion for the next three years and Japan said it would give half a billion. Germany's Foreign Ministry said Berlin would contribute some €420 million ($651 million) for the next two years.

According to a Thursday report in the Financial Times Deutschland, Germany is also considering increasing its upper limit for German troops operating in the country. Until now, Berlin has imposed a ceiling of 3,500 soldiers. The Defense Ministry, however, would like to see that increased to between 4,400 and 4,800 soldiers. The German mandate in Afghanistan is up for renewal in October, leaving the cabinet a little over three months to decide on an increase.

In addition to monetary aid, however, the Thursday conference will also focus on an overall development strategy for the country. International forces ousted the Taliban from Afghanistan over six years ago, but the country is still plagued by violence and extremist attacks are commonplace. Corruption is likewise rife and Afghanistan produced 93 percent of the world's opium supply in 2007. Many say that Karzai's power hardly extends beyond the outskirts of the capital Kabul.

The lack of a functioning economy in the country means that some 90 percent of Kabul's budget comes from foreign aid. But of the $25 billion pledged to Afghanistan since 2001, only some $15 billion of it has been paid out. Aid agencies say that the difference results partly from corruption and security issues delaying reconstruction projects.

"I think there will be much more of a commitment politically now to coordination and to aid effectiveness than we've seen ever before," Kai Eide, the UN's special envoy to Afghanistan, told Reuters. German commentators take a look at Afghanistan on Thursday.

The Financial Times Deutschland writes:

"Simply carrying on as before in Afghanistan is not an option -- something that the German government is finally willing to admit. They are not admitting it in public, because they are afraid of triggering a debate about the purpose of the mission in its entirety. But the Defense Ministry's plan of increasing German troop levels by some 1,300 soldiers is an admission that things in Afghanistan cannot continue as they are."

"Upping troop numbers is, without any doubt, the correct move. Germany has supported the West's mission in Afghanistan from the very beginning; it can't duck its responsibility now that things aren't going well. Plus, Germany has for a long time been operating at the very limits of its capacity in Afghanistan. And, on July 1, the German military is to take over the leadership of a quick reaction force. More troops are necessary."

"But a mere increase in troops is not nearly enough; Germany's entire Afghanistan policy needs to be fixed. More than six and a half years since the beginning of the mission, it is time to take an honest look at what has been accomplished. Even if the Germans prefer to talk about what they see as their successes, they have made mistakes -- and they have dramatically underestimated the true dimensions of the mission."

The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes:

"One can't expect the Afghanistan conference ... to paint a gloomy picture of the situation in the country. Instead, it will stress the progress that has been made, come up with new goals and increase the amount of aid money. Of course, participants at the conference will feel obliged to temper that with a few critical words, and President Hamid Karzai will have to listen to a lecture about how corruption must be stopped.

"But it would make more sense if the West didn't pat itself on the back too much. It's not only the Afghans who are to blame for the fact that things aren't going too well in their homeland. It's true that the international community has sent soldiers to the country as well as investing several billion euros in development projects. But mostly, it has underestimated the issue of Afghanistan."

"Now it is time to face up to that fact. It's not about exercises in penance and admitting to mistakes, but about the recognition that it will take not just a few years, but rather a generation, to stabilize the devastated country. Only when that is clear can long-term plans be developed."

-- Charles Hawley; 10:45 a.m. CET