Afghan War and Phillipine Wars

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaking to reporters in the Philippines, zeroed in on that Thursday.

"We're looking to President Karzai, as he forms a new government, to take action that will demonstrate — not to the international community, but first and foremost to his own people — that his second term will respond to the needs that are so manifest," Clinton said. "And I think that the corruption issue really goes to the heart of whether the people of Afghanistan feel that the government is on their side, is working for them."

Central to any counterinsurgency fight is the struggle over the legitimacy of the government. One explanation for the resurgence of the Taliban over the past three years concerns the failings of the Afghan government, which the Taliban have managed to exploit by offering what many Afghans see as a viable alternative. That is why Obama has taken pains to push for greater nonmilitary support for the mission — additional State Department personnel and more focus on developing Afghan agriculture and trade.



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I really appreciate US State Secretary Hillary Clinton on her analysis of the Afghan political crisis. I hope that she could arrive also on the same conclusion with the Philippines perspective.

US indirectly involved itself in war in Mindanao ( against MILF, Abu Sayyaf,) and other armed insurgency nationwide through Visiting Forces Agreement.

Wars in the Philippines nowadays could be pointed to questionable legitimacy of GMA government and failures to deliver justice among its constituents. Insurgents also managed to exploit the injustices of Filipinos (Muslims and non-muslims) to offer alternative that made the victims and rebels belligerents. The worse scenario is that some Muslim freedom lovers used to misinterpret the Quran and believed that to annihilate the oppressors and non-conformists to their political belief (non-muslim and Muslim are enemies alike if they do not join their strugles or extreme jihadism). Jihadism is used by leaders (spiritual and military) who are frustrated by government outcomes for Islamic interests with balance to non-muslims. But it is a Jihadism, polluted with hatred and personal belief and no longer Quranic because they do not spare anyone including fellow Muslims and in Surah II Quran, war is just if waged for the sake of defense not for aggression. (For further reading, Milestone by Sayyid Qtub)

President Obama recognized that and it makes him reluctant to and it is painstaking to push for more aggressive military offensives.

The Philippine government should have the same thinking of the two US leaders. Philippines is not worse as Afghanistan. Belligerents are still willing to continue the Peace talk. Sincerity and heart to take care the rebels' concern is the way to peace. Government agencies are elders and its President is the father/mother of a society as in one family. The rebels are also children and members of the family (constituency)that should be taken into consideration and deserve the best things the parents (government)could afford to give.