A Death in Kandahar

Things have been relatively uneventful here in Bamyan the past few weeks. Even winter has not had the bite we have been led to expect. Sure, there have been days with temps below -20 (that's about 0 F), but surprisingly, the weather has been milder than predicted. The mountain passes are, well, passable, by and large (you've got to be a hoss with your 4WD though --my cousin Willy would be in heaven navigating the snow and ice on some of these narrow mountain passes), and to this point, even planes are largely on schedule. Snowfalls have been so light to this point that experts are worried there may not be enough water for crop production in 2006 (It's always something -- either we get too much, and there are massive floods, like last year, or it is a question of drought, as was the case the previous six years. Nothing is ever easy for people in Afghanistan.)

Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing about the situation in the southern part of the country, especially in Kandahar, the center of all things Pashtun and the symbolic center for anti-Western elements in the country (the Taliban began in Kandahar). Even with the Taliban having fled to the four winds (or, what is more likely, hiding out in sympathetic households along both sides of the Afghan - Paki border), there are still plenty of people who find reasons to resent the Western, foreign influence in their country.

I tend to view globalization as a net positive influence for everyone. It connects the world in ways unimagineable even 50 years ago. Globalization and market forces have given plenty of countries a leg up to better themselves and their countries (South Korea is an excellent example). Not everybody has benefited -- Sub-saharan Africa largely is way behind the curve, even after all this time, but in general, we are more connected, more interdependent, than every before, and most of us benefit from those connections.

This connectivity has downsides, however. The ease of moving goods, people, and ideas across borders is not limited just to good ideas and information. Bad ideas, bad people, dangerous goods (from AK-47s to missile technology to toxic waste) can also move rapidly from place to place. What we are seeing in southern Afghanistan, in Kandahar, is partially a result of the darker side of that connectivity, especially the new emphasis on suicide bombings.

If I understand correctly (notice that "if"), suicide bombings used to be anathema to the Afghans. They viewed it as an affront to their culture and to Islam, even those Afghans who sport the most conservative views about Islam (the Taliban did not invent burkhas, after all). Unfortunately, the local bad guys, whether Taliban, Al Qaeda sympathizers, followers of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, or whoever, through global media and communications, have plenty of opportunity to see the impact (in terms of shock value, publicity, etc.) that insurgents and other bad guys in Iraq have had using suicide bombers, and are beginning to incorporate such tactics into their own efforts.

On Sunday, Senior Canadian Diplomat Glyn Berry, the Political Advisor at the Kandahar PRT, ended up on the receiving end of these new tactics, as a truck laden with explosives blew up close to his convoy. The resultant explosion killed Berry, and wounded three other Canadian soldiers.

Afghanistan is a tough country -- let's not beat around the bush. Death is an all too common occurrence here. At a certain stage, you develop defensive mechanisms to the steady stream of depressing news. I reacted, but not very much, when we visited a local village where 4 children had died in the last week from some undisclosed illness. Sounds heartless, I know, but it's the truth. Mr. Berry's death is a lot closer to home (we both have/had similar jobs and responsibilities here, although his is in a more dangerous part of the country), though, making me sit up and take notice.

I cannot say that I knew Glyn Berry. I wish I had, though. Based on what I've read in news articles, Berry sounds like the type of diplomat I hope I am, or at least will be at some point -- one dedicated to promoting the foreign policy of his country, to promoting peace. He worked in Pakistan, in New York at the UN, and of course, here in Afghanistan, because he believed that his work mattered.

Just for the record, let me make it clear -- his work does matter. All our efforts matter -- civilian, military, government, UN, non-governmental organization (NGOs), all of us. Our job is to make sure that the Afghan people see and experience the positives of globalization (which most people here truly want), rather than the negatives, such as this cowardly act, this suicide attack.

I have tried to come up with something eloquent and stirring, some words that might help assuage Mr. Berry's family, who now have to cope with a horrible loss, words that could give comfort to any of the families who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan, Iraq, wherever, as they try to find meaning in a senseless tragedy. The words did not come.

All I can say to Mr. Berry and his family, that I will strive in my time here, and after, to conduct myself and my work in a way that will forward his own work and his own goals in Afghanistan. That's the best way I can think of to honor his memory.

Via con dios, Glyn Berry.