The Cry Heard Around the World

by Marianne Hamilton, WAMM

When the Taliban, the fundamentalist Islamic group that now controls most of Afghanistan, announced that they would destroy two huge ancient Buddha statues carved into the sides of cliffs, the world was outraged. Actually, by this time most of Afghanistan's heritage -- including the Kabul Museum, home of incredible ancient treasures -- had already been looted and destroyed during the vicious civil war that this nation has endured for so many years.

For over 15 years, the CIA enabled the civil war in Afghanistan with money channeled through Pakistan's secret service. Afghanistan's proximity to the oil-rich Caspian Sea was of great interest to U.S. oil companies (including Unocal) and placed the nation at the center of conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Afghanistan's instability, fueled by ethnic rivalries, offered the CIA the opportunity it was seeking to fund and arm an opposition that would push out the Soviets. Oil companies and the CIA worked together, and the nation became ground zero for "the last battle of the cold war."

With continued U.S. support, the Taliban fought under the guise of uniting Afghanistan. Two major oil companies, Unocal (notorious for their involvement in a Burmese pipeline) and Bridas (a Latin American company) were busy negotiating the building of a pipeline from the Caspian Sea through Afghanistan and Pakistan to the Arabian Sea.

But the Taliban ended the negotiations after they took Kabul, the capital, and overcame the opposition. They figured that with the help of their allies -- Pakistan and Iran -- they could manage on their own. Over the years, thousands of Pakistani soldiers have come into Afghanistan to help the Taliban. Pakistan has trained Taliban soldiers for Afghanistan's civil war and Afghanistan has trained Pakistani soldiers to fight India in Kashmir.

As terrible as the documented human-rights abuses by the Taliban are -- including the brutal and outrageous treatment of women, the stark poverty and famine, the creation of millions of refugees, and the imposition of an extreme interpretation of fundamentalist Islamic law -- the sanctions imposed by the UN are not the answer. As in Iraq, they have created only more suffering and poverty. Instead of sanctions, an arms embargo is desperately needed. If the U.S. continues to supply arms and money to the warlords in the north, there will be more killings, more atrocities.

The resolution of this war will not be easy, but there has to be a start. " A possible solution will have to come from a process outside of Afghanistan," points out Ahmed Rashid in his book, Taliban. "Regional states would have to accept limited areas of influence in Afghanistan rather than pushing for their proxies to rule the entire country. Iran-Pakistan dialogue is essential."

The wreckage and the carnage will continue until there is a cease-fire and some attempt at mediation from the UN. Rashid suggests a "weak central government" with a high degree of autonomy for each state in the beginning, a "bribe" from the World Bank, and help from private charities to aid in reconstruction.

As for Osama Bin Laden, the ruling Mullah Omar -- Osama's father-in-law -- has refused to hand him over, as he is "a guest in our country." He added, "America itself is the biggest terrorist in the world."

Perhaps the wrecking of the Buddha statues is the cry for help that is needed to focus the world's attention on the dire situation in Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of people have died in this country, so isolated from the world. Afghanistan may need something more than statues right now. It is time the world listened.