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S. Fredrick Starr
What's Really Going on in Afghanistan, Central Asia, Pakistan, etc.?
by Christian bell
Editor in Chief
FILE PHOTO
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When Fred Starr came to the January Series in 1997, his topic was "How Central is Central Asia?" During that lecture, he made the brash (at that time) claim that world focus would soon shift to Central Asia.
His predictions came vividly true after the events of September 11, 2001 and the ensuing U.S. military campaign against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Starr emphasized throughout his lecture that world attention should continue to be focused on Central Asia, precisely because of its centrality.
"We're earnestly travelling down the center lane" of political decisions, Starr said. But in doing so, we are failing to acknowledge the extremes on both sides: that Central Asia (particularly Afghanistan) brings enormous risk but also the potential for enormous global benefit. "The long-term potential of what we are engaged in is far greater than we think," Starr said.
Starr highlighted some of the problems and instabilities in Afghanistan and the Central Asian region: the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden and key members of al Qaeda and the Taliban are still unknown, there is political instability and economic uncertainty, and there are many external groups that have a vested interest in the region and potentially controlling it.
But despite these things, Starr highlighted opportunities that stood in opposition to these problems: al Qaeda has been severely weakened, there is a strong push for democracy and a working, viable economic system in Afghanistan, and that the "external forces" that could threaten peace in the region are playing calmly thus far and have even gone so far as to sign an international treaty for peace in the region.
Starr noted that there was only one group currently seeking power in Afghanistan whose motives appeared self-serving and antithetical to the peace and prosperity of the region, and he cautioned that the U.S. should keep a sharp eye on the group.
However, if Central Asia and Afghanistan are allowed to flourish, the whole world stands to benefit: new trade routes would be opened, and a new economy would spring up around the prospect of intercontinental trade in Asia. Starr also suggested that this creation of a stable economy and government could stabilize other politically-unstable areas around the region. It is up to the world finally, he said, to ensure the opportunity is not lost.
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