Yet Another Lost Generation in Afghanistan
The 19 years’ war in Afghanistan is over, “We want to bring our people back home.” These were the words of President Trump marking the extraordinary declaration for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan. This day will likely be a footnote in American history; however, what this day means to the future of Afghanistan is more than a footnote, it is the beginning of yet another lost generation. What this day will do to the children and youth of Afghanistan, I am not sure, and I am scared.
This year marks four decades of war in Afghanistan. During this time, Afghanistan has witnessed a Soviet invasion, civil wars, the Taliban regime, and, finally, the U.S.-led invasion beginning in 2001 and ostensibly ending late this year. It is not an overstatement to say that the country has been a violent place to live, and it continues to be violent. My generation has lived through this violence. We are lost and spread across the globe. Now, with President Trump’s “peace plan,” we are condemning yet another generation to suffer the sins of their conquerors.
The question that comes to mind is, what does the four decades of constant violence do to the young population? I am not sure because the US-Taliban peace agreement, although not carried out in consultation with the people of Afghanistan, has created tremendous negative and positive momentums. Some people are optimistic that at least something is happening, and many are worried about the consequences of this agreement. The political stakeholders are worried about their roles in the new form of political regime, while women think tanks, advocacy groups are using every resource to push their voices to the mainstream power brokers in Afghanistan and Washington. Women in Afghanistan have been political pawns for men in Washington and around the world to justify their actions in the region. The injustice, inequity, and repression that justified the occupation is seemingly no longer a factor now that “we want to bring our people back home.” What I am scared for is the Afghan youth.
Afghan youth, Millennials and Generation Z, were born into a war zone. However, their circumstances and exposure to the world have been significantly different. For example, Millennials (1981 to 1996) were born during the Soviet Union occupation; they experienced bloody civil wars, forced migration; the Taliban, and the American occupation. Generation Z (1997–2012), on the other hand, was raised during the Western occupation. While suicide attacks; kidnapping, and street crime have been part of daily living since 2005, so have Facebook, the iPhone and social media been integrated into the culture. Together, these two generations account for nearly 70% of the Afghan population.
The young population has never been prioritized in Afghanistan. During the Soviet Union invasion, young people were expected/forced to be communists and socialists, or mujahidin and guerrilla warriors who fought against each other. In their youth, Millennials witnessed rape, murder, and forced migration. The Taliban forced them to wear burqas or black turbans, took their rights, their education, and their dignity and told them there was no world outside the dark realities of the Afghan border.
What worries me the most are the effects this Trump-Taliban deal will have on Generation Z, who has no recollection of the Taliban era. They are more familiar with Game of Thrones and overcrowd café culture. Today, in Kabul girls argue over whether they should go bowling or cycle racing over the weekend. Some, at the Afghan National Institute of Music, dream of becoming musicians or orchestra players while others, like the Robotic Girls, dream of studying Artificial Intelligence and having their own labs. Today, children’s creativity is directed towards research on resources, and scientific experiments, poetry, and literature in Charmaghz, the mobile libraries. I am scared of this Trump-Taliban deal because our youth’s potentials will be narrowed back to the discussion over their women’s clothing and head scarfs.
For the last 19 years, the international community opened doors of opportunity for Afghan youth, such as education, travel, access to the Internet, and a sense of belonging in a larger world. With the Trump-Taliban deal, these unsuspecting kids, much like those across America, will be transported back to the 7th century where their Fade-Taper haircuts and Spiky Quiff fashion will not only be frowned upon but will be criminal. What will be done to those who have tattoos, and will young girls overcrowd shops looking for trendy clothes? The music upon which they were raised will be forbidden and cell phones, and computers will be confiscated. What will happen to the Afghan Star (A singing competition show), and those who are preparing to participate for next year?
Millennials and Generation Z will have three clear choices: migrate (adding to the World’s massive migration problem); join the radicalized Taliban; or fight (launching Afghanistan into another series of civil wars). For women, the choices will be even more stark: do I get raped in an internment camp, raped by a husband, not of my choosing, or take up arms. These are the stark realities under a Taliban-controlled government. The most important question among all is, where is the agency of Afghan youth? For four decades, old people in Kabul, Islamabad, Moscow, and now in Washington decide for them. As Donald Trump and Zalmay Khalilzad designed the Joint Declaration, they carefully planned for military requirements and economic cooperation but there is not one word about human rights, gender equality, education, or freedom of religion. Do men in Washington know how it feels to be children and young people in refugee camps? Do the Taliban’s leaders in Doha understand how it feels to have your first menstrual cycle as a kid at the refugee camp without access to any sanitary pads and water? Do all warlords and power brokers in Kabul know what Afghan youth have learned over the last 19 years, which could not be unlearned easily? How could youth be expected to unlearn having a democratically elected government, and having the first lady? Why is the youth of Afghanistan expected to forget the loss of their friends, family members to the terrorism of the Taliban and rejoice the celebration of old men in Washington and Kabul that do everything for reelection and regaining of power?
How many times will they be forced to learn and unlearn, and be called resilient, extremists, Westernized, and not let alone to live up to their potentials? Youth in Afghanistan has suffered all kinds of forced learning and unlearning; I wonder what is next for Afghan youth?
I am sure anyone of you old men reading these questions will brush them under the rug and say these are not real concerns, peace is the real concern. I dare to ask all of you, how do you know what peace is for this 70% population whose lives never matter in your decision making.