lunes, 14 de octubre de 2013

Immunity issue: US – Afghanistan Bilateral Security Agreement.

Lunes 14 Octubre 2013
 Immunity issue: US – Afghanistan Bilateral Security Agreement.

Zaira Coral Delgado de Ita
140022
Tesis I

New York Times “Talks Clear Path for U.S.-Afghan Deal on Troops”


After an intense week of strong and firm posturing by both US and Afghan State authorities, the negotiations concerning the prevalence of The US army in Afghanistan has reached a breaking point. Having all other issues and differences settled, attention has now focused towards one single point that remains unsolved; the immunity for the American troops remaining after 2014, once the NATO´s security program finalizes.

Afghanistan, converted in a NATO´s ally, has been part of a security program since 2003, for which´s objective is to provide security across the country and create a well militarized structure able to defeat terrorism. The program, conducted by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) consists in training and developing the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and providing anti- terrorism intelligence.

It is evident that for both sides, the issue of sovereignty (regarding Afghanistan) and   the immunity of American troops (concerning the USA), represents a mayor national interest for each independent State. Now that United States has expressed the issue as a vital requirement for the deal; there is nothing left but to wait for Afghanistan´s resolution.

The fact that the matter has been defined by Afghanistan’s authorities as a nation´s  decision,  that concerns the Afghan people and them only, reflects one out of two possibilities.  The first, in a highly political utopia, is that democratization has finally reached Afghanistan´s politics, to the point that civilian participation is encouraged for mayor engagement in State´s issues.  Or second, much more likely, the Afghan State fears


the implications of an image of country´s betrayal, an image such as “selling the country to the West” and “succumbing to American´s dominion”. Furthermore, the fact that the Afghan State has empowered the decision- making process for the issue in matter to be through a “loya jirga”- traditional gathering of elders and other powerful people- organized for upcoming week, shows the domestic impact that an unfavorable decision from the people´s perspective could cause.

It is important to remember that the political stability in Afghanistan is not even close to its brightest moment, the State is still militarily weak to engage in a direct confrontation with the terrorism organization such as the Taliban, and will only continue to be protected in ally of NATO; and furthermore, the economic dependency in NATO´s financial support represents almost 80 percent of the country´s subsisting resources, which would mean a devastating crush in Afghanistan´s economy.  

However, although Afghanistan is still in power of its sovereignty, the risk of it being deeply compromised with the American troop’s immunity approval is latent.  Not only given the fact that US forces would not succumb under the Afghan Law, but that the State´s power or approval might be minimized for anti- terrorism operatives. The immunity subvention has not even been completely discussed and the US has already exemplified a violation of Afghan  State´s   sovereignty,  by conducting the seizure of Pakistani Taliban leader, Latif Mehsud, who is believed to be under American custody somewhere within  Afghan territory. 

Situation has reached a decision point, where in one side, political integrity and sovereignty remain intact lying over country´s security and stability sacrifice; or on the other side, and economy keeps its continuity and the State its possibility to develop further away, giving away part of its sovereignty. For so, unless the State of Afghanistan can manage to achieve a new agreement or a renegotiation of this final point, it will be forced to succumb into Western power, that is if it wishes to preserve its country´s integrity.






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