|
November 21, 2001
Indifferent Genocide
by @jay Shenoy
In the 1940s, the world reeled in shock after learning of the millions of people killed in the Holocaust. Today, the year 2001, a new massacre of similar proportions is about to begin. Startling numbers of people are at risk of death in Afghanistan, the stage of the US government’s latest act of hypocrisy. In its war on terrorism, the US military is apathetically committing one of the worst acts of terrorism to date. Through its cold lack of humanity, the government has put many Afghanistani civilians, all innocent as any who perished on 9-11, in danger of starvation. As time passes, the situation only grows more and more grim. Unless something is done immediately to rectify the situation, numbers of people comparable to those lost in the Holocaust will be again lost over the next few months.
The situation in Afghanistan is nothing short of despicable. The biggest problem is the incredible number of people who will be dependent on foreign aid for survival. Countless refugees have escaped the country and fled to neighboring nations. Reports indicate 2 million currently in Pakistan and 1.5 million in Iran (Kriner). In even greater peril are those who remain stranded inside the country, numbering over 6 million (Kriner). All of these people need a wide variety of supplies for survival, food being only one, if the most urgent. Shelter in the form of tents, clean water, and medicine are all nearly as vital (Kriner). As if all other things considered are not enough, the gravity of the situation if not exactly pleasant. Since months before 9-11, Afghanistan has been facing a crippling drought so long before the foreign military action, millions had been scheduled for aid (REGIONAL EMERGENCY OPERATION). Afghanistan’s labor markets have all collapsed, leaving unemployment rampant (REGIONAL EMERGENCY OPERATION). Productive assets are all depleted, and distress sale of livestock occurred (REGIONAL EMERGENCY OPERATION). In short, Afghanistan is a disaster in the process of happening.
The circumstances in Afghanistan could normally be changed from calamity to consternation with effort from foreign powers and organizations. However, considering current events and the time of year, saving the Afghanistani people has become nearly impossible. The war has made Afghanistan even more volatile and insecure than usual (REGIONAL EMERGENCY OPERATION). The bombings and ground war have almost made entering the country an act of suicide. The political upheaval associated with the overthrow of a government has rocked Afghanistan like a giant earthquake. Last, but not least, the ever-present landmines continue to make leaving well-traversed roads to wander the countryside a toss of the dice. As the situation worsens due to the continuing war, UN personnel will be forced to evacuate their posts to avoid being blown to bits by inaptly named smart weapons or ground units. Even without the current instability of the region, aid organizations will run into problems with basic logistics. A mission of this scale would require over 650 trucks to carry supplies to the regions where they are needed (REGIONAL EMERGENCY OPERATION). Storage facilities in Afghanistan are not up to par with what is necessary. Warehouses would have to be expanded in order to hold the amounts of food needed to feed the massive amounts of people in need (REGIONAL EMERGENCY OPERATION). Luckily, the news is not all bad. The World Food Program has estimated around 2,000 commercial vehicles all working to transport food, and is building up its own fleet of 850 trucks (DELIVERING FOOD AID...). Barges packed with supplies are making use of Afghanistan’s rivers (DELIVERING FOOD AID...). Performing “logistical miracles to work out ways to reach the hungry,” the WFP has managed to meet its standard monthly quota of 52,000 metric tons of food (DELIVERING FOOD AID...). Sadly, even miraculous performance is not enough to solve the problem. In order to survive for 1 day, 1 person needs 530 g of wheat flour, 50 g of pulses, 25 g of vegetable oil, and 12 g of iodized salt (REGIONAL EMERGENCY OPERATION). Thanks to the massive increase of people in need of aid because of 9-11, the people trapped in Afghanistan will need a total of 111,060 tons of food to survive one month. Afghanistan’s harsh winter assures that transporting food after winter begins will be far more difficult than it is now. Therefore, Afghanistan will probably need about 333,180 metric tons of food stockpiled to last them through the 3 harsh winter months. Unfortunately, the situation is even worse than that. During Afghanistan’s winter, the mountain passes of the Panisher Valley will be hit far harder by perilous weather than the rest of the country. The WFP estimates that approximately 2 million of Afghanistan’s needy live in these passes (WFP AFGHAN EMERGENCY...). Once winter truly begins, land and water routes to this part of Afghanistan will be blocked for 5 months (WFP AFGHAN EMERGENCY...). The people living here will need a total 185,100 tons of food over the 5 months of winter, either stockpiled or delivered as needed over time. After the ways in are blocked, the only way the WFP and other aid organizations will be able to transport food in is by airdrop (WFP AFGHAN EMERGENCY...). Airdrop is practically worthless in the task of distributing food. Not only is it more or less likely that a package of food dropped will land in the middle of one of Afghanistan’s infamous minefields, but finding a package of food in the midst of icy blizzards, biting cold, and gnawing hunger is nearly impossible. The US government proved this with its blatantly fronted and ineffective humanitarian aid campaign. Truth be told, there is no simple solution to the catastrophe in Afghanistan.
As time passes, the situation in Afghanistan only worsens, making evident that without determined action, the world will bear witness to yet another massacre of innocent lives. Instability, logistical problems, and the upcoming winter will soon seal the fate of many Afghanistanis. Aid organizations like the WFP and Red Cross will not be able to save their lives single-handedly. People around the world must unite to force their governments to cooperate and facilitate. US citizens must convince their government to end or at least pause its military interloping until the needs of the Afghanistani people are met. Only through the dedicated assistance of people and governments worldwide can the situation be rectified, the cataclysm averted. Unless drastic action is taken now, history will record another great genocide, the first to be caused primarily by ignorance and indifference.
Works Cited
Kriner, Stephanie. "As Temperatures Drop, Afghans Await Aid." American Red Cross. November 2, 2001. The American Red Cross. November 19, 2001. <http://www.redcross.org/news/ds/0109wtc/011102afghanrefugees4.html>.
"WFP AFGHAN EMERGENCY OPERATION: REGIONAL OVERVIEW." World Food Programme. November 5, 2001. The World Food Program. November 19, 2001. <http://www.wfp.org/newsroom/in_depth/afghanistan-10_16_01.html#>.
"DELIVERING FOOD AID TO AFGHANISTAN: BEATING THE CLOCK." World Food Programme. November 21, 2001. The World Food Program. November 19, 2001. <http://www.wfp.org/newsroom/in_depth/afghanistan-11_9_01.html#>.
"REGIONAL EMERGENCY OPERATION." World Food Programme. The World Food Program. November 19, 2001. <http://www.wfp.org/country_brief/asia/afghanistan/projects/101260_AFGHANISTAN.pdf>.
|
