Pashtun Awakening: Defeat the Taliban by Changing the Narrative

[JAMALUDEEN]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The New World Strategies Coalition, a think tank founded by native Afghans which creates nonmilitary solutions for Afghanistan, released its latest policy brief today entitled, Pashtun Awakening: Defeat the Taliban by Changing the Narrative.

The policy brief outlines a solution for resolving the situation in Afghanistan by exposing how Pakistan has systemically weakened Afghanistan’s sacred tribal structure via its Taliban proxy. Pakistan and the Taliban have conspired to keep the Pashtuns, the country’s largest ethnic group, in the dark ages in order to advance Islamabad’s age-old agenda of controlling Kabul, by replacing the Afghan ancient tribal code with the extremist ideology of the Taliban – a process we refer to as “de-Pashtunization.”
The objective of this brief is to provide U.S. policymakers with a snapshot of the ground truth in Afghanistan so they can make informed decisions on how to best address the de-Pashtunization of Afghan society. The key to setting the Afghans free is by setting the truth free, as the brief explains:
There is still hope if the Pashtuns can restore their sacred tribal structure and identify the Taliban movement for what it really is – a religious mafia concocted on white boards in Rawalpindi.
In order to accomplish this, NATO and ISAF should focus on unifying the Pashtuns through a grassroots information campaign – a path that will be much more effective than the military option:
If the crux of the problem is a lost narrative the solution is taking it back from the jihadists who hijacked it. This calls for identifying, confronting and defeating propaganda through public diplomacy counterstrikes and preemptive psychological tactics.

The Policy Brief is attached or can be downloaded by clickinghere.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzFwOF6pFuX7b3I4dlVwOVMwVkE/edit

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2012/09/14/pashtun-awakening-defeat-the-taliban-by-changing-the-narrative/

[Khostai]

so sudenly tribal society is good and de-tribalisation not. The problem is not de-tribalisation, that would have happen any way, because a lot of ethnic groups were tribal even the Europeans were once tribal. They de-tribalised becuase they developed new social system, that were better that of the ribal. So I don't understan how enforcing tribal custom back in Afghanistn will help solve the problems....

[JAMALUDEEN]

Pashtun Awakening

Defeat the Taliban by Changing the Narrative

Executive Summary
Pakistan has systemically weakened Afghanistan by undermining the sacred tribal
structure of the Pashtuns, the country’s largest ethnic group, by attempting to replace it
with the extremist ideology and practices of the Taliban – a process we refer to as “de-
Pashtunization”. The only way to stop this process is by changing the narrative via a
grassroots public relations campaign and through psychological operations aimed at
telling the truth about the Taliban’s origins and objectives.


Purpose
The objective of this brief is to provide U.S.
policymakers with a snapshot of the ground truth in
Afghanistan so they can make informed decisions
on how to best address the de-Pashtunization of
Afghan society. There are a number of cultural,
political, socioeconomic and security-related
reasons why the Taliban movement continues to
flourish in southern and eastern Afghanistan. This
policy brief will focus on the cultural aspect because
it’s foundational, as we shall demonstrate.

Background
After 34 years of incessant war the Afghan people
find themselves trapped in a violent nexus between
the Taliban insurgency, NATO’s occupying forces
and the predatory and corrupt Karzai regime. A
war-weary populace has been psychologically
numbed – trapped in a Hobbesian world of kill or
be killed and rendered powerless. Instead of being
governed by legitimate moral authorities who
derive their power from the will of the people,
Afghans of all ethnicities are ruled by strongmen
who derive their power from the barrel of a
Kalashnikov. These conditions have acted as a
cultural straight jacket that has enslaved the Afghan
mind, while denying the population their own
much deserved “Afghan Spring”.

The current crisis can be traced to the fall of
Afghanistan’s monarchy during the 1970s, which
was a unifying force that helped bind the disparate
ethnic and tribal groups together. Societal
fragmentation has been working in the Taliban’s
favor. With the death of the dynastic principle and

the absence of a well-respected national leader as
head of state, Afghan society now lacks a common
lineal thread with the past that could unify the
nation.

Polls have indicated that the Taliban are even more
unpopular than the reprobate U.S.-backed Karzai
government. However, Taliban popularity seems to
be on the rise as more and more Afghans are
alienated by corruption, civilian casualties, Koran
burnings and mass murders. Thomas Rutting of
the Afghanistan Analysts Network described the
lack of options the Pashtuns have available: "In
today's violent atmosphere, between the anvil of the
Karzai government and the hammer of the Taliban,
there are no viable political alternatives for
Pashtuns."

De-Pashtunization
Since the 1990s via its Taliban proxy, the
intelligence and military instruments of the
Pakistani state have transformed Afghanistan into
an epicenter of global terrorism. Through a gradual
process of destroying Pashtun tribal culture the
Pakistani state has attempted to de-Pashtunize and
Arabicize the Pashtuns by subjugating them to the
Taliban’s ultraorthodox Islamic belief system,
which is an affront to traditional Afghan
sensibilities. Taliban assassination campaigns
against tribal elders clearly betray the group’s
maniacal designs. Pakistan and the Taliban have
conspired to keep the Pashtuns in the dark ages by
blowing up schools in an effort to deprive future
generations of a modicum of secular education.

the absence of a well-respected national leader as
head of state, Afghan society now lacks a common
lineal thread with the past that could unify the
nation.

Polls have indicated that the Taliban are even more
unpopular than the reprobate U.S.-backed Karzai
government. However, Taliban popularity seems to
be on the rise as more and more Afghans are
alienated by corruption, civilian casualties, Koran
burnings and mass murders. Thomas Rutting of
the Afghanistan Analysts Network described the
lack of options the Pashtuns have available: "In
today's violent atmosphere, between the anvil of the
Karzai government and the hammer of the Taliban,
there are no viable political alternatives for
Pashtuns."

De-Pashtunization
Since the 1990s via its Taliban proxy, the
intelligence and military instruments of the
Pakistani state have transformed Afghanistan into
an epicenter of global terrorism. Through a gradual
process of destroying Pashtun tribal culture the
Pakistani state has attempted to de-Pashtunize and
Arabicize the Pashtuns by subjugating them to the
Taliban’s ultraorthodox Islamic belief system,
which is an affront to traditional Afghan
sensibilities. Taliban assassination campaigns
against tribal elders clearly betray the group’s
maniacal designs. Pakistan and the Taliban have
conspired to keep the Pashtuns in the dark ages by
blowing up schools in an effort to deprive future
generations of a modicum of secular education.

The Taliban movement has burgeoned over the past
five years due to a number of factors summarized in
the following figure as four layers:

Socioeconomic Conditions
-Lack of Jobs
-Poverty
-Lack of Services

1.
2.
3.

Political Instability
-Lack of Legitimacy
-Corruption
-Impunity

4.
5.
6.

Security Issues
-Pakistan Sanctuaries
-Occupation/Broken COIN
-Night Raids/Civilian Casualties

7.
8.
9.

Cultural Regression
-Taliban Indoctrination
-De-Pashtunization
-Psychological Enslavement

Unless the cultural aspect is made the foundation of
any proposed remedy, the next generation will be
indoctrinated and there will never be a legitimate
political solution. Hearts and minds are indeed the
key to neutralizing an insurgency, but the U.S. has
gone about winning them in a contraindicative and
self-defeating manner.

Without a cultural awakening and some semblance
of security, political stability is impossible. And
without political stability there will never be
economic improvements.

The problem with the political solution is that the
Karzai family has a death grip on the legislative
process and has “bought out” most of parliament.
So it will be difficult to trigger the Loya Jirga option
in the constitution to unseat the Karzais. Hence, the
Afghans may have to “work within the system” and
establish a pan-Afghan political party. But this isn’t
possible if the mindset of the Pashtuns is
continually exploited and molded by Pakistan and
the Taliban.

Change the Narrative
There is still hope if the Pashtuns can restore their
sacred tribal structure and identify the Taliban
movement for what it really is – a religious mafia

concocted on white boards in Rawalpindi. It needs
to be clearly communicated to the Pashtuns that
Pakistan via its Taliban proxy is using Islam as a
strategic weapon. The Pashtuns must be made
aware that they are being de-Pashtunized.
As the U.S. heads towards the exit doors and
reduces its footprint in line with Biden’s “counter-
terror lite” option, it can at least modify its policies
to deal with the Pakistani/Taliban threat.
If the crux of the problem is a lost narrative the
solution is taking it back from the jihadists that
hijacked it. This calls for identifying, confronting
and defeating propaganda through public
diplomacy counterstrikes and preemptive
psychological tactics.

Instead of brokering an unholy alliance, the U.S.
State Department and ISAF public relations
personnel should be working with educated
Pashtun facilitators on a mass communications
program to make the Pashtuns aware of what is

really happening. This would include facilitators
working on the ground with the tribes,
communicating orally, organizing shuras and
disseminating information via local press. The U.S.
should leverage media, press, radio, the internet,
social media and other information technology
tools to spread the word in both Pashto and
English. It will also encompass monitoring
Pakistani and Taliban websites and producing
rebuttals to misinformation.

This path will be much more effective than the
military option. Pashtun unification is the key to a
truly independent Afghanistan.

Grassroots information campaigns, public
diplomacy and psychology operations can go a long
way in educating the tribes, changing the narrative
and combating misperceptions, including the
misperception that the Taliban are an indigenous
movement.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzFwOF6pFuX7b3I4dlVwOVMwVkE/edit

[ډګروال]

Confused neo con stooge Nouri on pay roll of neo cons is hell bent on giving service for the money he is paid.

no when they failed militarily they think to attack pashtuns with psyops.

Pashtuns indeed need to wake up to these psyops and propaganda.

[khushal]

About the biggest BS I have ever heard. The article is contradictory.

The afghan governments purpose is to bring central authority to all of afghansitan. The tribes nature is independent, they refuse central authority so they rebel against any institution that comes from Kabul. The Taliban understand this so they work within the tribal structure and aid the tribes in repelling the central authority that Kabul is trying to impose on them. That is one of the reason why Kabul has failed aside from being corrupt.
The tribes would welcome Kabul if its intention was sincere. If you see stability in Afghanistan, that is a sign that Kabuls intention is sincere, as long as you see instability, then that shows Kabuls intention is not sincere towards the common afghan.

[RevolutionThroughReason]

About the biggest BS I have ever heard. The article is contradictory.

The afghan governments purpose is to bring central authority to all of afghansitan. The tribes nature is independent, they refuse central authority so they rebel against any institution that comes from Kabul. The Taliban understand this so they work within the tribal structure and aid the tribes in repelling the central authority that Kabul is trying to impose on them. That is one of the reason why Kabul has failed aside from being corrupt.
The tribes would welcome Kabul if its intention was sincere. If you see stability in Afghanistan, that is a sign that Kabuls intention is sincere, as long as you see instability, then that shows Kabuls intention is not sincere towards the common afghan.

The only people "rebelling" are people funded by proxy funding by Pakistan

The people who resist are against corrupt foreign invasion on Central Authority

[faye]

not all afghans are rebeling against a central government. many are sending their children to school, joining the army or police force, etc and wanting to vote.
you have muslims who want to live like in the 6th century and you have muslims who want to modernise and improve their lives and country, from the poverty, lack of education and lack of healthcare.

[khushal]

not all afghans are rebeling against a central government. many are sending their children to school, joining the army or police force, etc and wanting to vote.
.

The afghan governmnet has mostly failed in the south and eastern part of the country, mostly in pashtun areas, the tribal areas. Joining the army and police force is for money only, it is not genuine. PAshtuns are not nationalistic, the idea of nation is foreign to them.

[Afghanistan2010]

faye your comments remind me of the indirect insults i read somewhere in newspapers,

they say some want the rulings of the 6th centuray,backward,cruel,...other insults...the laws of Quran.

how can one understand this beside it is actually insulting the Quran and the Sunnah.

[khushal]

faye your comments remind me of the indirect insults i read somewhere in newspapers,

they say some want the rulings of the 6th centuray,backward,cruel,...other insults...the laws of Quran.

how can one understand this beside it is actually insulting the Quran and the Sunnah.

thats propaganda to make the middle east seem barbaric and irrational. To tell their own adience that the middle east is irrational and want barabarity vs modernity.

[faye]

faye your comments remind me of the indirect insults i read somewhere in newspapers,

they say some want the rulings of the 6th centuray,backward,cruel,...other insults...the laws of Quran.

how can one understand this beside it is actually insulting the Quran and the Sunnah.

don't try to pretend that some muslims don't want to live exactly how they interpret the qua'ran and sharia, which has blasphemy laws for dhimmi. if they didn't, why were muslims, including small children, holding signs that said "behead those who insult mohammad/islam"?
why does an imam tell a kuwaiti woman that it is still ok to have sex slaves?
why did the taliban have so many restrictions on women and mens beard length? stoning and beheading is happening in muslim lands. fear of education and new knowledge. why is that?

[faye]

The afghan governmnet has mostly failed in the south and eastern part of the country, mostly in pashtun areas, the tribal areas. Joining the army and police force is for money only, it is not genuine. PAshtuns are not nationalistic, the idea of nation is foreign to them.

i love the way you are able to psychically see into the minds of all afghans.

[khushal]

don't try to pretend that some muslims don't want to live exactly how they interpret the qua'ran and sharia, which has blasphemy laws for dhimmi. if they didn't, why were muslims, including small children, holding signs that said "behead those who insult mohammad/islam"?
why does an imam tell a kuwaiti woman that it is still ok to have sex slaves?
why did the taliban have so many restrictions on women and mens beard length? stoning and beheading is happening in muslim lands. fear of education and new knowledge. why is that?

Thats a minority FAye like the Quaran burning preachers and child molesting priests.

[faye]

so? whether it is the minority or not, it is fact that they exist and can often be, the most aggressive.

[khushal]

so? whether it is the minority or not, it is fact that they exist and can often be, the most aggressive.

In reality, that stupidity exists because of the respective regimes, let the people topple ther regimes, and that stupidity will eventually subside like it has in the west. But things like this does not help.
http://www.pashtunforums.com/showthread.php?t=32195