Why Afghan Women Matter Posted by Patrick Barry

Harmonizing America's ideals with its interests has become a rhetorical touchstone for President Obama.  He expounded on that idea in Oslo this morning, rejecting a 'false choice' between realism and idealism. But he also did so after announcing a new strategy for Afghanistan, characterized by supporters and detractors alike as heavy on pragmatism, but light on moral obligations. There remains quite a bit of ambiguity as to how far the President is willing to go to see that both imperatives are served

One aspect of the Afghanistan conflict that will test the President's charge to bring realism and idealism into greater accord, is women's rights. Women's rights went unmentioned in the President's speech at West Point. It received almost no attention during the Capitol Hill hearings that followed.  On a rhetorical level, it's more or less absent from the strategy.  This is a significant shift from the course taken by the last administration.  Bush placed heavy emphasis on America's responsibility to Afghan women, even going so far as to use their plight to legitimize the war.  Not so with the Obama administration.

It's commonly assumed that the reason for this shift springs from an understanding that whatever moral obligations the U.S. has to the women of Afghanistan, advancing their cause is not easily situated within a more pragmatic, interests-based approach. The Bush team would have had a tough time delivering on its promises to Afghan women, even had they given Afghanistan greater attention and more resources.  It's clear that the Obama administration has been more careful with its commitments, understanding that actions matter more than rhetorical flourishes, (a point evidenced  by the significant increase in assistance for women's causes in the 2009-2010 budget) In addition, as Christine Fair remarked in testimony before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, it's hard to reconcile a particular focus on women's rights in a context when the rights of all Afghans are violated on a daily basis.  Others have echoed this point in the aftermath of Obama's West Point speech.  But while it would appear that such arguments leave nothing but a moral case for attending to the concerns of Afghan women, that's actually not so.  In fact, it seems to me that this is an instance where America's moral obligations and its pragmatic interests are closely interwoven.

One reason for this has to do with the promises made by the last administration.  Why is that you say? The U.S. goes back on its promises all the time when necessity demands it, especially when those promises were probably unrealistic in the first place. The problem with taking that view is that it's inconsistent with our acknowledgment of the role perceptions play in driving conflict. As counterinsurgents so often argue, when it comes to winning over the population, opinion matters.  I would imagine that completely abandoning an issue that had once been a strong point of emphasis would attract attention, with possible negative consequences for Afghan perceptions of American efforts. That decision shouldn't be made lightly.

Another argument for maintaining focus on the conditions of Afghan women is that their security acts as a barometer for overall security in the country. Human Rights Watch makes this case in their new report, which observes that violence done to women in Afghanistan has a multiplier effect where one act against a single woman can intimidate dozens, contributing to a climate of fear.  In a similar way, though an Afghan schoolgirl's gender informs the vulnerability she experiences on the three-hour trip to class each morning, her vulnerability is also tied to the systemic insecurity that all Afghans encounter.  If U.S. interests do in fact rest on protecting the Afghan people, then focusing on women's safety would seem central to that pursuit. 

Finally, understanding the obstacles faced by women in Afghanistan provides insights into the factors that could potentially drive instability in the county in the long-term.  Corruption and warlordism. An inefficient judiciary. Incompetent community policing.  These challenges often weigh heaviest on Afghan women. If Afghanistan does slide further into instability following an American withdrawal, in part, it will be because those corrosive dynamics were never sufficiently understood, because deficiencies were never corrected.  If what the President says is true - that the choice between interests and principles is a false one -  in the case of Afghan women, it's time our policy reflected that. 

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