A German Viewpoint
Medical peace organisation calls for critical debate on military operations
In view of the current situation, "Swiss Standpoint" publishes a choice of analyses from various regions of the world on the developments in Afghanistan.
Advance of the Taliban in Afghanistan
Press release of IPPNW-Germany of 13 August 2021
(23 August 2021) The current developments in Afghanistan with the advance of the Taliban once again highlight the failure of the military mission. The medical peace organisation IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War) points out the enormous humanitarian consequences for the people in Afghanistan.
According to the "Costs of War Project", at least 238,000 people have died in Afghanistan and Pakistan as a direct result of acts of war. In its study "Body Count", the IPPNW assumes that the number of victims is probably five to eight times higher. 3,600 servicemen and women of the Western alliance have also lost their lives in Afghanistan, including almost 60 members of the German armed forces.
The IPPNW calls for critical reflection on this and other military missions and points out that all current foreign missions are problematic under international law and constitutional law. The medical experts appeal to the German government to abide by the Basic Law and international humanitarian law and, moreover, to punish violations legally. International law offers possibilities for conflict management: Germany must act within the framework of the UN and not within the framework of NATO or the "coalition of the willing".
Poverty in the cities and villages as well as in the refugee camps and the lack of economic foundations make it easier for terrorist groups to recruit. According to the German Agro Action, Afghanistan ranked 168th out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index ranking in 2017, people suffer from the consequences of droughts, 47 percent of the rural population has no access to "healthy drinking water", according to a report by the Afghan Ministry of Rural Development.
Economic foundations for an adequate life are the prerequisite for people to turn away from war and terror in the long term. Cooperation with warlords, as in Afghanistan, on the other hand, leads to the perpetuation of hostilities. Instead, the German government should work with civil society and support civilian peacekeeping.
Asymmetric warfare and drone operations traumatise people and destroy the trust of the population. IPPNW therefore appeals once again to the German government not to acquire and deploy armed drones. The only prevention of the traumatisation of servicemen and servicewomen [and the population] is to end foreign missions.
Contact: Angelika Wilmen, IPPNW, wilmen@ippnw.de
(Translation “Swiss Standpoint”)