The United States has been deeply involved in the affairs of the two countries. As a matter of fact there are unfinished wars in both countries and in both the mission has not been accomplished yet.

It was expected that the world would learn from the Afghan experience first and foremost and apply the findings to other areas where there is need to fight terror. In Afghanistan, even before the unprecedented and unhindered air bombardment by the US Air Force, the country had been destroyed by the Soviet occupation in a decade of war, and then the infighting and internal strife. Immediately after the defeat of the Taleban regime, the United States told the world that it was now ready to help reconstruct Afghanistan. This was part of the mission; the other part was to completely defeat Taleban and Al-Qaeda. The United States also told the United Nations, and all other advanced nations in the world that there was a great need in helping the Afghans rebuild their country. Many did pledge assistance. Some assistance did get to Afghanistan, albeit, much of it was indirect and through the NGOs who are accused by some of mismanagement the funds that they have used on luxuries for their offices and luxury transport for their personnel rather than real time expenditure on education and health and reconstruction.

Why would the United States take up this difficult mission? The answer as far as the US administration is concerned is clear: to fight terror before it damages US interests further. Politically, Iraq and Afghanistan both belong to a strategically important part of the world. Iraq, is close to the hottest spot in the Middle East, and could physically be a great threat to Israel, the closest ally of the United States. The US has consistently supported Israel almost unconditionally and at the risk of alienating other countries of the Middle East.

Afghanistan is also located in a hot spot, in South Central Asia, close to the sub-continent of India. Close to the newly established Central Asian countries, some rich with natural resources: oil and gas. She is also close to Kashmir a hot spot in relations between the two nuclear powers of the region.

Economically, Iraq is an oil rich country. Afghanistan, presently, is a poor country. Its resources are untapped. Economically and politically, therefore, some politicians believe, Iraq is twenty times more important than Afghanistan. They believe Iraq is important, as it can meet, in a short period of time, its financial needs through the sale of its oil. Lending to Iraq, considering its oil, seems safer.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, was important to US interests in its global competition with the former Soviet Union. It was used for propaganda. It was used to fight the war for the Western democracies with the Soviet Union. She gave huge sacrifices to win the war against communist expansionism. She provided proof to the third world countries and to the world at large that the Soviet Union was not invincible. The Soviet citizens were made to realize that, too. All of this led to conditions for the toppling down of the Soviet system. Immediately after that Afghanistan was suddenly not important. She was left alone to tackle the most difficult phase in its life namely readjustment and reconstruction of the whole system of government after the evacuation of Soviet troops. Pakistan was given a free hand in the affairs of Afghanistan. It took only a few years before the US realized that things were not well at all in Afghanistan. Taleban, who were favored for quite some time by the US and its ally Pakistan, embarked on their reactionary policies usurping many of the rights of the Afghans. But more important for the US, they were nourishing and supporting international Arab terrorists. This was bad for the US. It was bad for the world. It did not benefit Afghanistan in any way either.

But after 9/11, Afghanistan became important again. The US had to attack terrorist bases established by the guests of Taleban namely the Al-Qaeda in that country. Although, as mentioned the mission remains unaccomplished and the war unfinished, it seems that the US is letting complacency set in. It is shifting the importance Afghanistan deserves to Iraq. Doing this at a time that the Taleban are regrouping and are becoming more active by conducting frequent attacks on Afghan and US interests may be a great error.

The US needs to truly win the Afghans over by its actions. This does not need to be military. On the contrary the US needs to help Afghans in their civil lives. American support of the warlords did not go well with the Afghans. America that poured money during its war with Taleban from the sky totes its guns now.

It was the expectation of both the United States and the transitional government to take strides toward establishment of a democratic government and full maintenance of peace and security in the country. Money is needed for both. Money is also needed, if Afghanistan is to abandon opium cultivation for good. Money and true support is also needed for reducing the influence of warlords in Afghanistan. Warlords have already caused social and political damage to the success of the transitional administration in Afghanistan. While the draft of a new constitution will be forwarded to a Loya Jirga in December, there are already doubts and accusations regarding fair play for the election of the deputies to the Jirga. This is because of the persistence of the culture of gun used by the warlords. The Human Rights Watch group has already written to President Karzai about their findings of warlords and gunmen who have threatened candidates and scared them away from the whole political process to the benefit of the candidacy of factional elements. High- ranking government officials have been implicated. Afghanistan needs US help in dealing with the situation. This costs money, too.

There is no doubt about the importance of Iraq and the need for success of the American efforts there, but it should be emphasized that Afghanistan is not 20 times less important than Iraq. Considering Afghanistan's geography, population, strategic importance and its production of illicit drugs as well as its potential for falling into the hands of extremists like, she might be more important than Iraq. The US policy makers should realize this fact. 11/01/03