Asharq Al-Awsat talks with US Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker

London, Asharq Al-Awsat- Ryan Crocker, US Ambassador to Afghanistan, recently spoke to Asharq al-Awsat via telephone interview. He said that he was travelling by air to New York on the morning of September 11th 2001, the date of the infamous terrorist attacks, and witnessed firsthand the collapse of the World Trade Center. He returned to open the US Embassy in Kabul in 2002, before going on to serve as the US Ambassador to Iraq. Now, having retired from that post, he has returned to being Washington’s man in Kabul once again.

On the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, Ryan Crocker said that the US presence in Afghanistan has prevented al-Qaeda from re-establishing itself in the country. Crocker also defended the continuing mission of the international forces in Afghanistan, alluding to the growing voices within the United States demanding the reason behind international forces staying in the country. Crocker explained that the reason for their mission continuing is “simply that al-Qaeda is no longer active in Afghanistan, and this is because we are here”.

These comments come as opinion polls show a deep sense of disappointment within the United States, especially with the long and costly campaign, and the beginning of the withdrawal of reinforcements that Barack Obama had ordered to be sent to Afghanistan two years ago. Despite the fact that Hamid Karzai’s Afghan forces will take responsibility for security at the national level by the end of 2014, they are still expected to need a great deal of support, training and money to raise their efficiency after that. Kabul and Washington are currently negotiating the number of soldiers and advisors who will remain, and the amount of funding that will be provided by America after the deadline in 2014.

The most recent opinion polls show that most Americans now oppose the war in Afghanistan, and want their troops to return home quickly. America has currently around 95,000 troops in Afghanistan, and has sustained 1766 casualties over the past ten years, according to the “iCasualties.org” website.

The following is the full text from the interview:

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you recall where you were on 9/11?  What do you remember of that fateful day?

[Crocker] I can remember 9/11 as if it were yesterday.  I was on the 9 am US AIR shuttle from Regan airport in Washington DC going to New York’s LaGuardia. We were making our descent into LaGuardia as the first tower was hit.  We could see the smoke coming out of the tower and just as we landed we received the news that the second tower had been struck. I was stuck in traffic on the Queensboro Bridge going into Manhattan, and from the bridge I watched those towers collapse. I was present at the scene.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] In your opinion, did Al Qaeda die with Bin Laden?

[Crocker] Al Qaeda was clearly weakened by the death of Bin Laden, but it is still very much a functioning organisation. Even after we were able to kill the new Al Qaeda number two [Atiyah Abd Al-Rahman], we’ve seen reports yesterday and today of credible threats against the US put together by the new [Al Qaeda] leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.  Anyone that believes that because Bin Laden is gone so is Al Qaeda is making a very grave mistake; as the threats we are seeing today indicate.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you think the world is a safer place following the death of Osama Bin Laden?

[Crocker] I do think it is a safer place, but safer is a relative term. As long as Al Qaeda is out there, whether in their headquarters in the Pakistan/Afghanistan border area, in North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, or Iraq, they will pose a threat to the rest of us.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] How do you view US – Pakistani relations following the death of Bin Laden, particularly with regards to Bin Laden’s presence in the country in the first place, and the US carrying out a clandestine mission inside Pakistan’s borders to kill him?

[Crocker] Clearly we are going through a difficult period; it is a very complicated relationship. It is now, and it was when I was ambassador there between 2004 and 2007; however it is also an important relationship. I was very encouraged by the reports several days ago of effective US-Pakistani cooperation in apprehending three members of Al Qaeda, including the fairly senior Al Qaeda figure, [Younis] al-Mauritani.  I think that both Islamabad and Washington appreciate that we are important to each other, and that we must find ways to overcome our differences and move forward.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] How does it feel – as US Ambassador to Afghanistan – to head the largest foreign diplomatic mission in the world?

[Crocker] Sometimes is a fairly frightening prospect, particularly when I get up in the morning and think of all of the people that I am responsible for, but every single person out here is an individual volunteer. They didn’t have to come here, they could have gone to much easier places like London, but they chose to come here because they thought they could make a difference and were willing to put up with the danger and the hardship, so I look at my colleagues with great admiration and respect.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] This is not your first stint as a US ambassador in the region, how is life as US Ambassador to Kabul different from serving in Iraq or Pakistan, for example?

[Crocker] This is the sixth time that I have been an ambassador. Each country in the region is very different. Syria is not Egypt. Egypt is not Lebanon.  Afghanistan is not Iraq or Pakistan. I think it is very important for an ambassador to understand each country on its own terms. To understand how the region, how the world, how America looks to that country and not impose prior experience on current circumstance. Afghanistan is unique; just like every other country that I have served in. Obviously there are certain points in common, but I am doing my best to see and to understand Afghanistan in its own unique terms.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Many observers fear the forthcoming US withdrawal from Afghanistan, scheduled for 2014.  Do you think there is a chance of a repeat of the 1990 scenario which resulted in the rise of the Taliban?

[Crocker] I want to be very clear on this point because it’s an important question. As Secretary [of State] Clinton said a few weeks ago, the United States is committed to Afghanistan and to the region; we will be here. The fact that we are transitioning to full Afghan responsibility for security by the end of 2014 does not mean that we are disengaging or withdrawing. On the contrary, we are negotiating the strategic partnership document [with Afghanistan] that will define our relationship in strategic terms well beyond 2014. One thing that we Americans will do is admit our mistakes. We made a very serious mistake in 1990 when we disengaged from both Afghanistan and Pakistan, but we also learn from our mistakes, and we will not make that one again. We will be a reliable partner in Afghanistan and in the region far into the future.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] You are the sixth US ambassador to Afghanistan following the war and collapse of the Taliban regime.  Do you think that you can have a greater effect on the Taliban that your predecessors?

[Crocker] My predecessors have been extraordinary diplomats and ambassadors who have accomplished a great deal in extremely difficult circumstances. It is my hope that with the progress that we are making through the surge of international forces and the growth in both members and capabilities of the Afghan national security forces, that over the next few years we are going to see increasing security ability that will allow the Afghans to define their own future in a way that has been denied to them over the last thirty years.  If things do move in that direction – and I am cautiously optimistic that they will – I won’t be taking very much credit for it; I’ll just consider myself lucky.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] How much money do you think America and the rest of the international community have pumped into Afghanistan since 2001?

[Crocker] I can really only speak authoritatively for the United States. I can tell you that we have spent more on foreign assistance in Afghanistan than in any other country. Over the past ten years we have spent over $20 billion in civilian assistance, and that doesn’t include our military spending.  $12 billion of that amount has been spent since 2006, and it has made a difference. We have concentrated on health and education.  We have trained more than 20,000 healthcare workers which has led to an extraordinary 22 percent drop in infant mortality.  We have seen overall life expectancy in Afghanistan increase by 16 years since the fall of the Taliban, and our health programs have had a lot to do with that. As for education, there are approximately seven million children now in [Afghan] primary and secondary school. We have had a lot to do with that through school construction and training teachers. When I arrived here in the beginning of 2002 to re-open the [US] embassy [in Afghanistan], there were only 9,000 students in schools, so we’ve seen well over a seven-fold increase in that area.  [In 2002] none of the students were girls, whilst today 27 percent are.  We have provided 24 hour a day power to the city of Kabul, as well as other parts of Afghanistan.   This is all part of the US being a committed partner, and our assistance will continue in the future.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] There is a lot of talk about corruption in Afghanistan.  What is your view of this problem?  How can we solve the problem of corruption in Afghanistan?

[Crocker] It is a problem, just as it was a problem in Iraq. I think that in any country in which you experience a complete revolution, – by that I mean not just a change in leadership but a complete need to develop new institutions – then opportunities for corruption will present themselves more rapidly than the development of the rule of law and institutions to control corruption.  This is something that would happen in any country, not just in Iraq or Afghanistan.  We in American need to remember that we had some terrible problems with corruption in the early days of our country, and that took some time to get under control.  The good news in both Iraq and Afghanistan is that the leadership is aware that corruption is a problem. The leadership acknowledges this, and in both countries they have started to take steps to bring corruption under control, including the prosecution of corrupt officials. Afghanistan still has a long way to go to fully deal with this problem, but I am encouraged by the honesty of Afghan officials in acknowledging the problem of corruption, as well as some agreed steps that they have taken to start improving the situation.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Has your previous experience in the Islamic world, not to mention your command of the Arabic language, helped in your diplomatic mission, whether this is in Iraq or Afghanistan?   Do you believe it is an advantage for a diplomat to speak another language?

[Crocker] I think that language is essential for diplomats overseas in whatever country he or she represents. I certainly found it to be an advantage in Iraq, where I could deal directly in Arabic with Iraqi officials, including the prime minister.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] In certain diplomatic circles in the Arab world, you have been compared to Lawrence of Arabia.  Do you find this nickname flattering?

[Crocker] I know that name has been used about me, and I hope that it was only in diplomatic circles and not by my many Arab friends!  Lawrence of Arabia is of course a legend, but he also represented an imperial collar.  It has been very important for me – representing America – that I never be seen as carrying out that legacy.  We deal with sovereign states and sovereign people, and we need to show respect for that sovereignty and to act anti-imperially.  If I am regarded at all within the Arab world, I hope it is thus.