A decade of disappointment in Afghanistan

Ten years after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, a new book launched on Monday at The Australian National University gives key insight into Australia’s part in the war and the impact of the decade-long conflict.

Launched by Mr Dennis Richardson AO, Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, The Afghanistan Conflict and Australia’s Role unpacks the complexities of the Afghan conflict.

The book’s editor, Professor Amin Saikal from the ANU Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, said it is unlikely the US and its allies will leave behind a stable, secure and peaceful Afghanistan when they withdraw.

“This is something the US-led coalition originally promised, but they will have enormous difficulty in achieving it by 2014 when they are scheduled to end their combat operations,” he said.

“For its part, Australia has made some useful contributions to improving Afghanistan’s infrastructure and security as well as educational and health services – particularly in the province of Uruzgan where Australian forces have been largely based.

“However, this has been at a very high human and financial cost, and is reversible in the wake of Australia’s withdrawal from the province. It should also be noted that Uruzgan is not Afghanistan. It constitutes a minute spot in the wider theatre of conflict in the country.”

Professor Saikal added that the book aimed to highlight where things had gone wrong in Afghanistan and what may be needed to remedy the situation.

“It is easy for a power to get militarily involved in Afghanistan, but very difficult to disentangle itself from conflict with any degree of victory and vindicate its involvement in the first place,” he said. “The US and its allies should have learned from their Vietnam experience and previous British and Soviet involvements in Afghanistan which had resulted in defeat.

“The purpose of the book is to inform policymakers, academics, media and ordinary citizens about where things have gone wrong with the US-led intervention and what may be needed to remedy the situation. We also want to assess whether Afghanistan is likely to slide further into an abyss.”

The Afghanistan Conflict and Australia’s Role is published by Melbourne University Press.