New NATO Member’s Perspective on Afghanistan
A roundtable was held on January 13, 2009 to discuss perspective of new NATO members on Afghanistan. Dr. Janos Tranyi, Director General of Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, was the main speaker while a select group of distinguished Pakistani scholars, security analysts, foreign policy experts and academician participated in the discussion. Former Secretary General of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, and Member National Academic Council (NAC) of IPS, Mr. Akram Zaki, chaired the meeting.
A roundtable was held on January 13, 2009 to discuss perspective of new NATO members on Afghanistan. Dr. Janos Tranyi, Director General of Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, was the main speaker while a select group of distinguished Pakistani scholars, security analysts, foreign policy experts and academician participated in the discussion. Former Secretary General of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, and Member National Academic Council (NAC) of IPS, Mr. Akram Zaki, chaired the meeting.
Following the opening remarks of Director General IPS, Dr. Janos Tranyi said the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and European Union (EU) are important for the countries like Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic.
“EU and US provided the window of opportunity for security and economic development of these States,” Mr. Tranyi maintained, noting that “Cold war was, in my view, a relatively more stable period” because of the deterrence available to every state against threats of adversaries.
Terrorist incident at one place had its consequences and effects somewhere else, Dr. Tranyi stressed. However, “listening to those who are directly affected by the problems and to understand the phenomenon from their perspective” would be the best response to terrorist activities, he concluded.
Terrorist incident at one place had its consequences and effects somewhere else, Dr. Tranyi stressed. However, “listening to those who are directly affected by the problems and to understand the phenomenon from their perspective” would be the best response to terrorist activities, he concluded.
Dr. Tranyi stressed. However, “listening to those who are directly affected by the problems and to understand the phenomenon from their perspective” would be the best response to terrorist activities, he concluded.
In open discussion,the experts thoroughly analyzed the causes as well as consequences of NATO operation in Afghanistan, highlighting that the policy of taking operation operations in Pakistan was against the norms of international politics and sovereignty of the country.
Participants underscored that “current terrorism is a cumulative result of lopsided policies of United States and unfortunately NATO seems to have become a tool or war machine in the hands of US warriors.”
Participants underscored that “current terrorism is a cumulative result of lopsided policies of United States and unfortunately NATO seems to have become a tool or war machine in the hands of US warriors.”
Discussants almost unanimously advised an early but systematic exit of all foreign forces, maintaining that “occupying forces in Afghanistan had imposed a ‘martial law’ in Afghanistan; it instead needed an ‘economic Martial Plan’.”
Concluding the meeting, coordinated by Naseer Ahmad Nawidi, Mr. Akram Zaki said that the world needed to understand that “security can only be ensured through peaceful cooperation and mutual trust. Afghans have never surrendered to guns and they never would,” he concluded.
