Organization Partner

Last week, President Hamid Karzai announced dissolution of private security firms from Afghanistan by December 2010. Continued antagonistic and confrontational moves in the recent past by Karzai would derail the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. United States must address Karzai’s genuine concerns in order to get him aboard for the success of prevailing strategy in Afghanistan.

Disbanding private security contractors by an ambitious deadline of four months have created concerns in foreign militaries and aid organization operating in Afghanistan. Foreign troops and aid organizations depend on these private firms to ensure their incessant supply of fuel, ammunition, and other crucial supplies to their bases in Afghanistan. Reliance on these contractors has further increased with the arrival of additional U.S. troops. Fifty-three licensed along with several unlicensed security firms that employ approximately 260000 people are providing services to the U.S. and its allies. Karzai plans to accommodate these trained individuals in Afghanistan Army and police. However, at present security forces of Afghanistan do not have the capacity to guarantee secure supply line for foreign forces in the country. This decision will have drastic consequences and adversely impinge on the performance of foreign forces committed in war on terror.

Surviving his second term despite failed efforts of the west to find his substitute has considerably changed Karzai’s personality. Since his re-election, Karzai has repeatedly declared himself independent of the US and other “foreigners,” and even stated that he “would no longer be a puppet of the United States.” Karzai, a former consultant for UNOCAL Company was installed by the U.S. as the President of Afghanistan after fall of Taliban. Recently, Karzai had been denouncing his Washington puppeteer who has criticized incompetence of his regime, “They wanted to have a puppet and a servant government.” Karzai got infuriated when the west tried to replace him with Abdullah Abdullah. Karzai made sure that Mr. Abdullah is denied of any place in his new government. Karzai knew that he would continue to enjoy strong support from within the major non-Pashtun groups as long as his partnership with erstwhile mujahedeen leaders Mohammed Fahim, Karim Khalili, Ismail Khan, Rashid Dostum and Mohammed Mohaqiq remains intact. In his second term he came out much stronger than before and he expects to be treated accordingly.

To lessen western influence on his government and bring them to his terms, Karzai is exploring potential regional partners. Recent trilateral summit of the presidents of three Persian-speaking countries of Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan in Tehran indicates Karzai’s regional motives. With innumerable cultural, religious, social, and strategic commonalities, the three countries share has demonstrated their potentiality to build a strongest diplomatic partnership in the region. People of Afghanistan, whose country was part of the Greater Persia in ancient times, believe that the Iranian nation is the inheritor of their paternal legacy, the Persian civilization. Increased diplomatic ties and likely role of Iran in Afghanistan would complicate the issue for United States. Karzai also sought Russian help for his nation; two decades after Moscow ended a disastrous conflict.”Afghanistan will need the support of friends and from great countries like Russia,” Karzai told Dmitry Medvedev during his recent visit to Russia.

President Karzai’s intimidating actions against United Sates are aimed to restore his lost credibility and win over Afghan population. Recent announcement by Karzai that has called for an investigation into a US-backed anti-corruption taskforce following the arrest of several senior Afghan officials on graft charges speaks of his hostile intentions. The Crimes Task Force, in which United States and British officers oversee the work of Afghan officials, was set up with Karzai’s approval, last year. It played a key role in the arrest of Mohammad Zia Saleh, an official in the office of the National Security Adviser that triggered Karzai’s calling on to investigate the taskforce. Afghan government is alleging that the task force was involved in various unconstitutional activities. Karzai intends to bring taskforce under Afghan government and to establish a clear and favorable legal basis for how corruption cases will be investigated thus providing protection to his inner circle.

Continuation of confrontational policies by Karzai against United States would have detrimental impact on war in Afghanistan. United Sates diplomats and military commanders would be entangled in a difficult position. They can only pursue their strategy in Afghanistan at the cost of potentially damaging relations with Mr. Karzai. President Karzai is a very crucial player in success of Afghan strategy. To succeed in Afghanistan, U.S. should work together with the President of Afghanistan. Concerted efforts be made to effectively engage President Karzai by addressing his genuine concerns in order to earn his vital support for ongoing war against Taliban but not at the cost of disrupting current strategy in Afghanistan.

One of the subjects I am going to research in the near future is combining travel with volunteer opportunities all over the world. Volunteering is a great way of exploring different cultures while making a positive contribution to important causes.

Doctors Without Borders first caught my attention during the Tsunami Crisis. It is an organization that provides important medical relief to people in disaster-stricken areas. I felt compelled to find out more about this organization, about its philosophies and its recent missions. Here is my interview with Isabelle Jeanson, National Press Officer Toronto with Doctors Without Borders.

1. Please tell us about M?d?cins Sans Fronti?res / Doctors without Borders. What type of organization is it? What philosophy is it based on?

We are the world’s leading independent international medical relief organization.
M?decins Sans Fronti?res offers assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters and to victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation. We also observe neutrality and impartiality in the name of universal medical ethics and the right to humanitarian assistance.

2. Please tell us about the history of Doctors with Borders. Who founded the organization? How has it evolved since its inception?

MSF was originally founded in France in 1971 by a group of doctors and medical journalists who were concerned with the plight of populations in emergency situations. Since 1971, MSF has grown into 5 European operational sections, and 13 partner sections around the world. The Canadian office was founded in 1991, by a few Canadian doctors who came back to Canada from mission, and realized there was a need for an MSF presence in Canada.

3. How is your organization funded?

We are mostly funded by donations from the public (80%) and the rest from governments and foundations (20%).

4. Who can volunteer with Doctors without Borders? How many volunteers are there world-wide? Please tell us about the volunteer recruitment process.

Doctors, nurses, midwives, logisticians, project coordinators, financial coordinators, mental health specialists, social workers, and many other professionals can volunteer with Doctors without Borders. There are over 2000 volunteers working for MSF in the field, and hundreds more who work in offices around the world.

People who are interested should first visit our website: http://www.msf.ca, that explains in detail what we look for in our candidates. Once an interested candidate has applied (either on-line or by mail), their application is revised by a recruitment officer. If their application is relevant to what we look for, they will be invited to an interview. If the interview is successful, the candidate will be offered pre-departure training prior to going on mission. The selection of their mission is based on the candidate’s skills which are matched to the needs of the field. The time needed to find the right mission for the right person can happen anywhere from a few weeks to several months.

5. Please comment on some of the risks and dangers that the volunteers face.

Security is of the outmost concern for MSF, for all of its volunteers and national staff. A security briefing is given to the volunteer prior to going on mission, and once they arrive at their mission. A volunteer is never forced to go on mission if they are concerned about their security. The volunteer is ultimately responsible for his or her security once they are on mission, however MSF provides excellent security protocols and systems to minimize the risk. If a volunteer is in a mission which becomes too insecure, he/she will be evacuated with his or her team to a secure environment.

6. What are the living conditions for the volunteers?

Volunteers will often live in a house shared by other international MSF volunteers. Housing, food, transportation and all other amenities are covered by MSF. Volunteers also receive a stipend as pocket money.

7. What critical missions has your organization been involved in recently?

Currently we are involved in a famine crisis in Niger; in the conflict in Darfur, West Sudan; in conflict areas in Democratic Republic of Congo; in mental health projects in Asia; in the tsunami relief in South-East Asia; and we offer AIDS treatment projects in dozens of countries around the world, to name only a few. MSF is currently working in over 70 countries around the world and manages hundreds of projects.

8. MSF also speaks out to end suffering and provides public education and informational events. Please tell us more about that.

Other than providing medical relief to populations in distress, MSF also has a mandate to speak-out or do “t?moignage”. This basically means that we speak out against the atrocities or injustices that we witness in the field, to raise international public awareness about an issue that is otherwise forgotten or unknown by the world. We do this by speaking at public events, or giving interviews in the media or by publishing reports.

9. Please comment specifically on the situation now in South Asia, more than 6 months after the Tsunami Disaster.

We are currently still active in India and Indonesia, providing mental health counseling to the victims of the tsunami and basic health care.

10. Please tell us about the different ways of making a contribution to Doctors without Borders.

People can give to MSF through a variety of venues:

Through Partners Without Borders, our monthly giving program ;
By internet through our secure online giving form ;
By fax or mail, in response to our annual campaign, or our special or emergency appeals ;
By phone – we may call you, or you can contact us toll-free at 1-800-982-7903 ;
Through donations of publicly traded securities ;
By leaving a contribution to MSF in your will ;
By hosting or organizing a special event to benefit MSF ;
By making a gift in honour of a birthday, anniversary, marriage or graduation of a friend or family member ;
By making a gift in memory of a loved one who has passed on ;
At work through matching gift programs

Thank you, Isabelle, for providing further information about your organization and the important missions and activities you are involved in. We wish you the best of luck in your humanitarian efforts.