AFGHAN LESSONS

Culture, Diplomacy, and Counterinsurgency

By FERNANDO GENTILINI, Angela Arnone

Brookings Institution Press

Copyright © 2013 THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8157-2423-0

Contents

Foreword by Robert Cooper..................................................ixPreface....................................................................xi1 How I Ended Up in Afghanistan, February–July 2008........................12 Signals, 1968, 1979, 2001, 2007..........................................53 Dubai, Terminal 2, July 13, 2008.........................................84 Kabul....................................................................135 A Small Travel Library, I................................................186 The First Steps..........................................................237 "What? They've Surrounded Kabul?"........................................308 Winning..................................................................339 The Neo-Taliban..........................................................3610 A Word of Advice from a Princess........................................4111 "The Insubstantial State"...............................................4412 Arg.....................................................................4913 Civilian Casualties, I..................................................5314 What There Was, What There Should Have Been.............................5815 To Coordinate—or to Be Coordinated......................................6216 A Small Travel Library, II..............................................6917 ISAF....................................................................7218 Khyber, 1842, 1878, 1919, 1928..........................................7819 Indian Holiday..........................................................8220 Snow....................................................................8421 Clear, Hold, and Build..................................................8822 Civilian Casualties, II.................................................9023 Obama and Af-Pak, March 29, 2009........................................9324 Awkward Neighbors.......................................................9725 A Small Travel Library, III.............................................10326 A Dream.................................................................10727 Karzai..................................................................11028 Bird's-Eye Views........................................................11429 Kandahar................................................................11730 COIN—The Counterinsurgency Manual.......................................12131 Civilian Casualties, III................................................12632 Shia Family Law.........................................................12833 Women...................................................................13134 A Small Travel Library, IV..............................................13835 Death in August.........................................................14136 The Presidential Elections..............................................14537 A Way to Reconciliation.................................................15038 The Future of Af-Pak....................................................15339 Leaving Kabul, February 2010............................................158Epilogue...................................................................161Bibliography...............................................................165Index......................................................................169

CHAPTER 1

HOW I ENDED UP INAFGHANISTANFEBRUARY–JULY 2008

I was appointed NATO's senior civilian representativefor Afghanistan in early May 2008. It was sheer chance really,a combination of events. With the fall of the Prodi administration in February,I had to look for another job after two years as deputy diplomaticadviser to the prime minister. At the same time, NATO's secretary generalwas looking for a new personal representative in Kabul, and the ItalianForeign Ministry had decided to put forward one of its diplomats for theposition, so that secured me a place on the list of candidates. I was keen;I was looking for a new challenge to sink my teeth into, and I lookedforward to the interview.

Afghanistan had always fascinated me and, more than ever, it wasnow at the center of the international stage. Moreover, the role of civilianrepresentative of the leading organization (even if it was military innature) present in the country promised to be interesting, especially sincethe international community was relentlessly demanding a political solutionto the crisis.

My father encouraged me and this was of fundamental importance; inthe past we had never discussed my choice of overseas postings, and I hadsimply informed him when it was all decided. This time, however, leavingItaly would be different because he had just been diagnosed with a formof stomach cancer and had been given a very poor prognosis.

In some aspects, my father was like my grandfather, and in turn mygrandfather was like all those who had experienced a war and its aftermath.Work for my father and generations before was virtually the be-alland end-all, and when a big opportunity came your way, you grabbedit with both hands without giving it too much thought. My father mademe understand this while we were having dinner together, the eveningafter he'd started his chemotherapy. We were talking about skiing, as wealways did, when out of the blue he told me he was sure they'd offer methe job, and that I'd be doing the right thing if I accepted it.

IN EARLY APRIL I was selected for an interview with Jaap de HoopScheffer, secretary general of NATO. We spoke for half an hour; I wasvery frank and to the point, mainly because I felt the "right chemistry"was there. I told him I knew very little about Afghanistan, but I did havegood multilateral experience and I knew the mechanisms used by theinternational community in crisis situations. I also told him that a fewyears earlier, in the Balkans, I'd already met Kai Eide, the Norwegiandiplomat who had begun to coordinate international civilian activities onbehalf of the United Nations and with which NATO would be workingin Kabul.

De Hoop Scheffer knew that I'd had a similar assignment in the Balkansa few years before, working for Javier Solana, high...