Afghanistan 'sliding into chaos' -- Analyst says NATO mission doomed

As Canadian soldiers traded fire with Taliban insurgents west of Kandahar yesterday, an article in the prestigious international journal Foreign Affairs warned Afghanistan is "sliding into chaos" and that the NATO-led coalition is doomed to fail without a dramatic change in strategy. --- In a bleak assessment of the situation, Rubin writes: -- "High unemployment is fuelling conflict ... effective economic aid is vital to addressing the pervasive poverty that debilitates the government and facilitates the recruitment of unemployed youths into militias or the insurgency." --- "The lack of electricity continues to be a major problem. No new power projects have been completed, and Kabulis today have less electricity than they did five years ago." --- "Rising crime, especially the kidnapping of businessmen for ransom, is also leading to capital flight. ... People throughout the country report that crime is increasing - and complain that the police are the main criminals." --- "Opium poppy production in the country reached a record 6,100 metric tonnes last year, surpassing the 2005 total by 49 per cent. ... The massive illicit economy is booming, while the licit economy slows." --- Rubin says coalition donors must not only increase their economic aid to Afghanistan but co-ordinate its effective delivery.