On Tuesday, July 20, foreign leaders met in Kabul to discuss the next steps in what has become a long transition process for Afghanistan and its supporters. Afghan President Hamid Karzai addressed the group, saying that he is committed to working to reduce the pervasive violence and corruption in his country. Karzai and other leaders, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, stressed their goal for “complete transition of security and budgeting responsibility to the Afghan government by 2014” (The New York Times). Hillary Clinton was very frank as to the unpopularity of the war in Afghanistan among her constituents, but still reiterated the United States’ commitment to achieving a successful transition.
Despite the hopeful promises made by Karzai and foreign leaders, the future for Afghan women is still very unclear. While the Afghan government’s goal of reconciliation with the Taliban was barely touched upon in Karzai’s remarks, it is well known to be one of the government’s chief goals. Many Afghan women leaders worry that women will be overlooked in the peace processes with the Taliban, and that engagement of the Taliban will lead to a loss of the minimal progress that local women have made in gaining traction and influence. Afghan women are also worried that the U.S.’s goal of rearming local militias will jeopardize women’s rights.
In reference to Karzai’s goal of peace with the Taliban, The New York Times speculates that “the sparse commentary seemed to signal that there was still little agreement on exactly how to proceed after months of meetings and consultations within the Afghan government and with American, United Nations and NATO allies.” Hillary Clinton has tried to dissuade local women’s fears by reiterating that she views defending women’s rights as a “personal commitment,” and that no plan for Afghanistan’s future can “come at the cost of women’s lives.” But it remains to be seen if and how local women will be included in the next steps of the peace-brokering process. Without their direct involvement, Afghan women’s rights will surely be at risk.
To learn more about the Kabul Conference, see http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/21/world/asia/21afghan.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=all.
