What can you say? It was old everything and repeat everything and all about Reza. No one could make out what was the purpose of it all, there were no captions on the photos.

Several weeks ago Reza asked me “to do the publicity” for this exhibit which he had promised to Amir Sahib many years ago. Further we could do fundraising for both Parvaz and the Library at that occasion.

Well, in true Reza fashion, nothing came out of it of course – no fundraising – at least not for the Library – and certainly no involvement of my unimportant self. I was not even briefed of the inauguration event taking place on Friday 21st May. When I got there at about 13.00 all the chairs were being cleared away.

Hey – another lesson, and a final tick off my list.

Corruption is the fundamental evil which stands in the way of a reliable and effective governance in the name of the people. Instead it has become an executive often working for its own benefit only. As a result the people do not experience this government as beneficial and support for it is withdrawn. Lacking a viable alternative the shortcomings created by such an inefficient government are filled by undesirable, backward-looking but solution-promising forces like the Talilban.

A corruption free government and civil service is also an essential precursor for the implementation of the rule of law which is otherwise consistently undermined

It is therefore of fundamental importance that corruption be eradicated.

A widely corruption-free society starts with the government institutions setting a stellar example of incorruptibility. This is currently not the case:

The ordinary Afghan experiences corruption at  most contact points with the civil service and government institutions and employment in it is distributed by criteria of nepotism rather than meritocracy.

Over twenty years of lawless existence have instilled a mind-set of shortsighted advantage-taking in Afghan society and the absence of an effective rule of law compounds this. I am concerning myself with the latter in another blog entry.

Due to this engrained thinking it is vital to tackle the problem from two angles:

1.        engaging those who ask for and take bribes

2.        engaging those who are forced to pay bribes and who thereby fuel the system

1. This step requires radical civil service reform and a mighty heart to see it through.

A civil service reform requires:

• Streamlining of all government and civil service organizations. Streamlining is required to ensure efficient work processes and yet ensure enough division of labour and responsibilities so as to minimise direct contact with the public which means minimising corruption opportunities. This streamlining needs to be visible and swift
• Re-training and re-education of the civil servants. - This needs to accompany the streamlining exercise. It is likely  to succeed best with younger personnel. A major retrenchment exercise is therefore necessary to both eliminate excess workforce as well inflexible minds. In order to avoid social hardship this measure needs to be accompanied by a sufficiently stocked pension fund which may have to run for no less than 20 years. The donor communmity should be address for funding this pension program.
• Increment of civil servant salaries and introduction of fringe benefits. - A lean civil service will allow the salaries, pensions and other fringe benefits of the remaining staff to be raised significantly and will eliminate a major cause for corruption: an insufficient livelihood. Subsequent increments and additional benefits should be performance-based.
• Introduction of a strict civil service and anti-corruption code accompanied by an equally strict sanction system, implemented by a reformed special force of the police integrated into a anti-corruption task force. In this regard the government of Singapore should be consulted who has demonstrated with extraordinary success in the 1960 / 70s how to rid a country of corruption.

2. This step tackles the culture of corruption from its other angle. It includes both discouraging offering bribes as well as encouraging legal behaviour.

In order to achieve that the first must meet the full force of the above suggested anti-corruption law and in order to achieve the second legal behaviour must be actively rewarded.

The anti-corruption law must not hesitate to punish those who offer bribes together with those who take them; they should be exempted, however, if they assist in uncovering a corruption plot.

Post-conflict countries attract the most eclectic bunch of people:

The tree-huggers, the humanitarians, the economists, the pioneers (those that have no other choice and those who dare to come), the returnees and the carpetbaggers. The latter feed on other peoples misfortunes, treat the poor as servants and slaves, nurture corruption and tend to be trouble makers by and large.

The carpetbaggers can never be avoided in such post-conflict countries and times. But it must be the goal of any political leadership to eliminate them from influence and make those people's personal attitudes and mind-sets the bar by which they are judged and employed, not their family name or relatives' influence. Unfortunately the current Afghan government has been less than successful at that.

Contrary to the current administration I would like to call on the upcoming Afghan President to select a team of upright Afghans who do exist - I know some of them personally - and start putting the political and societal framework of this country right.

Above and beyond that there are a number of essential reform projects which need to be tackled swiftly in order to put this country onto sound foundations. I will be adding a post on each  topic to this space.

• Eradication of corruption
• Rule of law

As the reader might notice "security" is not one of them. The reason for this is that if the above can be achieved security will come as the support for the insurgency will drop automatically as they are deprived of oxygen. It is essential for the central government to win the trust of the people - then the Talibs will solve themselves.

Today is a drizzly grey day, with temperatures just above freezing. The town turns into a mud-puddle at such occasions with the unpaved side roads slowly becoming lakes. This winter has not been very cold so far, compared to 2007 and 2006 when temperatures regularly dipped to –20C at night

For some reason I remembered today the clear skies we had only two days ago and a picture I felt compelled to take.

It was a clear January morning in Kabul. The sun was just starting to peek over the mountains. I was rushing to get ready to go to the office as I made my way to the kitchen, crossing my roof terrace. But this breathtaking view stopped me in my steps: the snow covered mountains surrounding Kabul were tinged in a light orange-pink hue. Picture perfect winter weather.

It has been proven very difficult to eliminate the insurgency in Afghanistan.

Large military involvement has failed and political efforts to stem the flow of trained Al-Qaida and Taliban fighters out of Pakistan have not yielded any results either.

Implementing a political system which installs good governance has failed so far as well because of the shortsighted and culturally tainted decisions made on behalf of Afghanistan by politicians with "cut and paste" solutions.

If, on the other hand, good governance were to be established in Afghanistan, the largest majority of Afghans would be supporting this government in the name of sustained peace and development. Whether they can make a cross on a piece of paper every four years or not will become at least secondary. So, as a first step, a political system which suits the country's level of development needs to be introduced to curb the influence which the Taliban exercise  over wide parts of the population - especially in the south.

But with their arrogance and heavily tilted world-view such a regime change will never be entertained much less supported by the foreign powers who pull the strings behind the scenes and thereby will stand in their own way of curing this country's ailments. I have eluded to that in more detail in my previous entry.

In their desperation the same foreign powers have now been considering for a while to arm local villagers so that those can "defend" themselves against the Taliban. Two issues need to be considered in connection with this:

• Arming the villagers - even if that were managed by the local shuras - is an admission of the central government's weakness and thus does not exactly support keeping the current regime in power.
• I refuse to believe the fact that the villagers in the south are actual victims who require assistance to resist the Taliban. I believe that this is a fundamental misconception of those suggesting this "solution". Much rather one should consider the fact that for some strange reason the Taliban has never run into much resistance in the southern Pashtun areas of the country while they found and are finding it much harder to gain ground in the non-Pashtun areas. While this is a politically incorrect question to ask, one needs to pose it: why?

Do the internationals, who are now suggesting arming the southern villages in defense against the Taliban, really believe that the people there need foreigners to arm them if they really wanted to fight an enemy? I believe not.

It has been said that re-arming of the villages would result in a resurgence of local uncontrolled militias like in the 1990s with local power holders fighting each other. This, too, I believe is a grave misconception which also assumes that arming themselves is dependant on foreigners or a defunct central government allowing them to.

By contrast it is hard to believe that whoever wants to arm himself and his following can would have difficulties to do so in Afghanistan. The borders to the neighbouring countries are wide open and any type of weapon suitable for an effective resistance can be smuggled in - with our without the support of the border police.

What is my point? My point is that if the residents of areas controlled by the Taliban wanted to resist they could resist out of their own efforts. This has been done before - just not in the south. In those days, too, in the first round of a Taliban take-over of Afghanistan, they ran into open doors down south. They could take the south easily, finding no resistance among their Pashtun brothers. And it's the same thing happening today: the bottom line is that the residents of the south are not ready to confront their brothers in language and culture against what they perceive to be a "Kafir" supported, corrupt central government.

The point is not that we have poor suffering southern villagers begging for grassroots assistance in the fight against the Taliban - there is no resistance to begin with. Much rather are the people sitting on the fence - waiting for who wins the conflict in order to them. And anyway: supporting Muslims is always preferred over supporting Kafirs - even if that means prolonged suffering and poverty.

And this leads to another misconception among the donor community: if the south is given the majority of the donor support, by i.e. building roads, airports etc the residents will sway their opinion with regards to poppy cultivation and support for the Taliban. I believe, they won't - for the same reason they don't source their own guns to fight the Taliban.

So, as a result the donor community will not only be ineffective in the south they will also lose support in the rest of the country by withdrawing funds from those areas which have not engaged with the Taliban much or at all. This will make the situation worse as the insurgency will not be able to be confined to certain parts of the country but will spread.

The conclusion, hence, is that only the building of stable good governance which reaches into all corners of the country can suck oxygen from the Taliban insurgence and eventually suffocate them. And for this we need a different political system which over a generation phases in democratic structures and does not super-impose them on an uneducated populace unable to handle the freedoms which come with it. If the yearning for law and order is not fulfilled by this government there will always be others promising to fill it - and that is why the Taliban is still around - not because of the poppies, not because of their human-right neglecting suppressing rule in areas they control. It's because of the lack of law and order which a people has been suffering from for over 20 years and which it has enough of.

This I have felt keenly myself for a long time. Is it because of that that Ahmad Shah Massoud has drawn me so much to him? Because he exudes culture and humanity?

I have somehow always looked for someone I can truly look up to, someone I can lean against, who takes and gives at the same time - without him crumbling, without him building protective barriers. Emotional honesty takes strength. And finding a truly strong man is hard to do - especially if you are a strong woman. There are few people who impress me.

Cultivated people for whom their outlook is neither narrow nor just skin-deep, who judge this world with humanity and wisdom are indeed in short supply these days. How I wish to be close to someone like this - in order to grow and gather strength.

I was lying on my Afghan bed on the roof terrace of our house the other day and as I closed my eyes I noticed the different sounds around me. The late autumn sun was warming my clothes. It was generally quiet, so I could distinguish the more intricate sounds. 

The generator humming in the back of the house.

Children chattering in the street.

A flog of pigeons flying back and forth below the blue sky between the bare Kabul mountains Their wings make a particular sound as they carve the air and there is one bird which must have a ring attached to its legs. It jingles when it passes.

A kite fluttering overhead. A boy in the street was flying the paper specimen on a long string.

And then the two-o'clock Azan set in. We have a couple of mosques in the vicinity and they all call at the same time.

Kabul in sounds - peaceful. If this only can be sustained

The weather has been beautiful, like most years in this continental, high-altitude climate.

We have moved to a new house as our staff strength is increasing due to the World Bank sponsored industrial park near Jalalabad.

I moved to the top floor together with my housemate. There we have a big terrace and no praying eyes from male guards or visitors. First I had moved into the ground floor but then the guards were assigned to the next door room which made for little privacy. And my boyfriend felt uncomfortable, too, as the guards and their many daily visitors would watch him like monkeys when he visited.

It's a nice neighbourhood  and from our top-floor we can observe the whole area and have a view onto the mountains.

Personally things are fine - even though last week my boyfriend and I had a bad fight over him assuming that I am seeing other men. We made up after three days - but the hurt and panic which besieged me was terrible. My fear to lose him over a misunderstanding took over these three days. In such times you can't think and work - your thoughts about the impending loss are too strong.

There have been a number of kidnappings and murders in town. - Again I had to delete another phone number. This time it was Jason Bresler's the GM of the DHL office here. He was part of our biking group and had been shot by one of his guards when returning back to the office with his deputy. Both men died later. - One British aid-worker was killed by the Talibs accused of preaching Christianity. - One French aid-worker was abducted the other day for ransom. - A Canadian journalist was also abducted at Lake Qagar. Nothing has been heard of here since. It was said that her fixer was in on the deal.

These cases throw up the questions whether it is better to have protection or whether it is increasingly those who are supposed to protect you who will turn on you as soon as they have the opportunity.

I have personally always wondered whether or not the "guards" will not side with attackers just to save their own lives if push comes to shove?

I am against all these gun-slingers being hired to tell you what you can and can't do. As I have stated in the past - low profile is your best protection. Not to go in local taxis is ludicrous - in all the abduction cases there was none done by a taxi driver.

Overall security seems to be decreasing - not so much from insurgency side it seems but through lawlessness caused by impunity. And the culprit is this western-supported government which is incapable of removing corruption and implementing the rule of law. The jails should be full by now, but instead most criminals - especially the high-profile ones - bribe themselves out of jail or out of police custody.

Without wanting to repeat the points of my previous blog entry - I am calling again for a different system for Afghanistan. A liberal, overly democratic approach can not clean up the deep mud which threatens to engulf this country. Only after it has been cleaned up and after the clean stage can be maintained - in about 30 years - can we think of transiting to a full parliamentary democracy where people have a qualified opinion for the benefit of the country - and not only for themselves.

It has been two weeks of contrast indeed, but that's what I meant it to be.

A trip to Lake Shiwa

First I set out with a group of friends to Badakhshan, to the entrance of the Wakhan corridor , in the north east of Afghansitan. Our destination was the mountain lake Shiwa. After fiveteen hours of driving we reached Faizabad, a small dusty mountain town with a sizable bazaar, however.

The road from Kabul to Kishim is very good these days, but right after Kishim it's rubble again all the way to Faizabad. Now, however, USAid is building the road on this stretch and in a couple of years all this will be paved as well. For now, however, we were held up several times because of road works and explosions being condcuted to widen the road.

We spent the night in Faizabad in a small hotel where we were also able to rent tents for our days at the lake. The hotel is basic yet comparatively clean. It doesn't have the advertised 24h electricity and no airconditioning which would have certailnly come in handy given the rather sizzling temperatures outside which much exceeded Kabul's. But we had to make due with fans only, a fridge which didn't work and only cold water in the shower. 40US$ for that were a bit steep.

The next day we were enlightened that we had to pay 7US$ at the police station for receiving a police clearance for going to the lake. Going to the Wakhan itself would have cost 50$ per foreigner, mind you - locals go free. Interesting. My personal opinion is this: like most things attached to offical dealings in Afghansitan this is bull shit. There was a police check further up the road outside of Faizabad but they didn't even ask about this letter and thereafter we didn't need it either.

So after wasting two hours at the police station we finally set off towards Lake Shiwa. After 1 hour past Faizabad the road soon turns into the mountains and one begins to climb. Soon one reaches the tree line and then there is nothing but rough, boulder-filled mountains. While it sounds dull, it actually isn't at all. The mountains are dramatic and the drops are steep. One shouldn't attempt this drive with anything less than a well-serviced solid 4-wheel drive.

After some 3 hours we reached the Shiwa plateau which is comparatively green with water coming down from the surrounding mountains everywhere. It soaks the plateau and little ravines can be seen everywhere. As a result there are herds of sheep spread out all over.

It took us another three hours to reach the lake but the view which presented us there certainly made the trip worthwhile.- As I got out from the care to take a photo of the lake peeking around a corner I suddenly noticed that it had turned fairly chilly and instantly regretted that I hadn't brought a winter jacket. My small cardigan wasn't going to do the job. It was quite incredible compared to the heat of Faizabad.

Some half an hour later we found our camping spot. Close to the entrance of the lake there were a few stone walls erected to herd animals. The "rooms" they formed made ideal spots to erect our tents and at the same time protect us from the wind which always started blowing in the afternoon. Three sleeping tents and one for cooking. We had stocked up on drinks, pasta, fruits and meat - generally easy things to cook on a bunsen burner. We had brought cooking gear, too.

So after settling in we cooked our first dinner and then enjoyed it under a full moon but slightly chilly wind which made us retire to our tends fairly soon.

The next morning I woke up at 5.30. The sun was already on the horizon and started to peek over the mountains. The lake was dead quiet, not the slightest wind - no sound of civilisation. I couldn't help but sit in my tent for several minutes just enjoying this beauty.

After breakfast we took a long hike around the lake with one more spectacular views around each turn. The calm lake was like a mirror reflecting the surrounding mountains. The walkway winds up and down, sometimes touching the beach of the lake, sometimes meeting a rock cliff fifty meters above the lake.

After we returned we were ready for a nap. When we all gathered back together it was late afternoon - coffee, wine and cooking time.

Beforet that, however, I walked down to the lake to simply dangle my feed into the water. But at a water temperature of no more than 10C the dangling didn't take long. The wind had picked up again in the afternoon and the mirror of the lake had disappeared. But with the temperatures still quite high during the day, the wind made for a welcome refreshment.

The next day we had to head back already as one of my fellow travelers had urgent matters to attend to in Kabul. We decided to drive all the way to Kunduz the first day so we called it an early night in order to be able to get up early the next morning.

We arrived in Kunduz at about 8pm and checked into the Kunduz Hotel. While the prices had remained the same compared to two years prior the service had decreased even further. There was a dirty towel in my room, the fan was plugged in with two lose wires and there was no key for my rooms front door. Only my bedroom could be locked, while the access to the bathroom remained open ... There was no food service and when we asked for some hot water the next morning for our instant coffee they said it would take half an hour to prepare. Not something we were prepared to wait for in return! 60US$ for that is unacceptable. Problem is - there is not much more choice in Kunduz if it comes to accomodation.

Off to Dubai for some R & R

Two days after my arrival back in Kabul I set off to Dubai for some shopping and 5 star therapy. This time I had chosen the Samaya Hotel near the Dubai Creek. A very new hotel, this place is really great - modern 5 star luxary. While a spa is missing they do have a gym and a very nicely designed - albeit small - pool on the roof.

I don't come to Dubai for anything else but shopping, spa and nail treatment. Anyway at this time of the year it is too hot to leave a mall or hotel during the day. 45C is simply a killer.

And then my man came to join me there one day after my arrival. We spent two more beautiful days together, just enjoying the ease, comfort and privacy of a break like this

I have  been working on a Nation Branding strategy with an expert from the US for a couple of months - and the other day we had an appointment with Ahmad Zia, the First Vice President of Afghanistan to get high-level endorsement for this project.

Curiously I had met the VP before - three times in fact. To me it is meaningful each time despite that he doesn't even come close to his brother. And yet - it means something. Each time I can't help but wonder how it would have been if I'd be sitting in front of Amir Sahib instead, how nervous I'd be if he'd shake my hand. How I'd be "si emue sou votre regard".

Instead there are only photographs looking down on me. Each time it brings the tears to my eyes that he is not the one exercising some power in this country.

Still it passed like a regular meeting. Luckily we got to take photos, as the American wanted to remember this moment as much as I did. I could be a historic one indeed, if we really manage to set a re-branding process in motion.

But then, historic moments never seem so historic at the time ...