ngu-Alison Broinowski, Amaparele nokuCasulwa, Agasti 27, 2021
I-Australia ibonakala ibamba imibuzo eminingi kunanoma iliphi elinye izwe. Sifuna konke, kusuka ekufeni kwabomdabu esitokisini, ukuhlukunyezwa ngokocansi kwezingane, kanye nomshado ofanayo wobulili kuya emaphutheni asebhange, ukusebenza kwekhasino, izimpendulo zesifo esiwumshayabhuqe, nezinsolo zobugebengu zempi. Kukhona okuhlukile ekuthambekeni kwethu ngokuzihlola: Izimpi zase-Australia.
In Izimpi ezingadingekile, isazi-mlando uHenry Reynolds uyakhumbula ukuthi ngemuva kwempi i-Australia ayikaze ibuze ukuthi kungani silwe, saba namuphi umphumela, noma ngasiphi izindleko. Sibuza kuphela Kanjani sasilwa, sengathi impi kwakuwumdlalo webhola.
Isikhumbuzo seMpi yase-Australia asisekho inhloso yaso yokuqala yokugubha, kanye nesixwayiso esibuhlungu esithi 'funa sikhohlwe'. Ukuxakeka kwe-AWM, uBrendan Nelson njengoMqondisi, kwaba wukugubha izimpi ezedlule, nokwenyuswa kwezikhali, ikakhulu ezazingeniswa ngemali enkulu ezinkampanini ezixhasa i-AWM. Ibhodi layo, eliphethwe nguKerry Stokes futhi lifaka uTony Abbott, alibandakanyi isazi-mlando esisodwa.
Uhulumeni uyayeka ukufundisa ngomlando emanyuvesi. Esikhundleni sokufunda lokho esikwaziyo ngomlando wethu, i-Australia iyakuphinda futhi ikwenze. Asikaze siyinqobe impi kusukela ngo-1945. E-Afghanistan, e-Iraq naseSyria, silahlekelwe ezinye ezintathu.
Abantu base-Australia bancenge ukuthi kwenziwe uphenyo ngempi yase-Iraq, efana naleyo yaseBrithani eyayiphethwe uSir James Chilcot, eyabika ngo-2016 ngamaphutha aholela kuleyo nhlekelele. ECanberra, noHulumeni noma nabaphikisi ngeke babe nomgoqo wayo. Esikhundleni salokho, bathumele umlando osemthethweni wezimpi e-East Timor, naseMpumalanga Ephakathi, okusamele zivele.
Ukuphika kwale nyanga e-Afghanistan kwakungabikezela ngokuphelele, futhi kwabikezelwa impela, kubandakanya nabaseMelika kwezempi, njengoba 'Amaphepha e-Afghanistan' akhombisa ngo-2019. Ngaphambi kwalokho, 'i-Afghan War Logs' eyashicilelwa yi-WikiLeaks yakhombisa ukuthi 'impi yaphakade 'kuzophela ekunqotshweni. UJulian Assange usavalelwe ingxenye yakhe ekwenzeni lokho.
Ngisho nalabo abancane kakhulu ukuthi bangazi iVietnam ekuqaleni bangayibona iphethini e-Afghanistan: isizathu esiyiphutha sempi, isitha esingaqondakali kahle, isu elikhulelwe kabi, uchungechunge lwezitokofela eziqhuba uhulumeni okhohlakele, ukwehlulwa. Kuzo zombili izimpi, omongameli base-US abalandelayo (kanye nongqongqoshe base-Australia) benqaba ukuvuma ukuthi umphumela uzoba yini.
I-CIA e-Afghanistan yaphindaphinda imisebenzi yokuhweba nge-opium eyayisebenza eVietnam naseCambodia. Ngenkathi i-Taliban MKI ithatha izintambo ngonyaka we-1996, zavala ukutshalwa kwe-poppy, kepha ngemuva kokufika kwe-NATO ngo-2001, ukuthunyelwa kwe-heroin emazweni angaphandle kwaba yibhizinisi njengokujwayelekile. Izingqapheli zaseMelika zithi iTaliban MKII ngonyaka ka-2021 ingadinga imali etholakala ezidakamizweni ukuphatha izwe labo elibhuqiwe, ikakhulukazi uma i-US kanye nabalingani bayo bebeka unswinyo lokujezisa, noma banqamule ukwesekwa kwe-World Bank ne-IMF e-Afghanistan.
Ukudlala ikhadi lamalungelo abantu kuhlala kuyindlela yokugcina yabantu baseNtshonalanga abahluliwe. Sizwe ngokuhlukumeza amaTaliban okunyathela amalungelo abesifazane namantombazane noma nini lapho intshiseko yokuhlangana yempi e-Afghanistan yehla. Ngemuva kwalokho kuzoba nokuqhuma kwamabutho, umphumela wawo bekungukubulala izinkulungwane zabantu, kubandakanya nabesifazane namantombazane.
Manje, uma sigoqa izandla zethu futhi, kungahle kube nokudideka: ingabe abesifazane abaningi base-Afghanistan basacindezelwe yiTaliban efanayo enonya, nezingane eziningi ezihlushwa ukungondleki nokukhula okumile? Noma ingabe abesifazane abaningi base-Afghanistan bayazuza eminyakeni engu-20 yokufinyelela emfundweni, emisebenzini, nasekunakekelweni kwezempilo? Uma lezo bekuzizinto ezibaluleke kangako, kungani uTrump anqamule imali yaseMelika yezinsizakalo zokuhlela umndeni? (UBiden, ngesikweletu sakhe, wasibuyisa ngoFebhuwari).
Njengoba bebaningi kangaka abashonile nabalimele, amakhono abo bonke abesifazane nabesilisa azodingeka, njengoba kusho abaholi bamaTaliban. Ukuthi imigomo yamaSulumane izosebenza ngezinga elingakanani akusithathi thina, amazwe ahlulwe yimpi, ukunquma. Ngakho-ke kungani i-US icabanga unswinyo, oluzoqhubeka luphuce izwe? Vele, njengakuzo zonke izimpi zaseMelika ezedlule, akukaze kukhulunywa ngokuhlawulwa, okungasiza i-Afghanistan ukuthi izakhele isizwe ngendlela yayo. Lokho kungakulindela kakhulu kulabo abalahlekelwe kakhulu, kufaka ne-Australia.
I-Afghanistan sekungamakhulu eminyaka isesikhungweni samasu 'womdlalo omkhulu' phakathi kweMpumalanga neNtshonalanga. Njengoba impi yakamuva isilahlekile, ibhalansi yamandla iya ngokuya ngaseMpumalanga Asia - into uKishore Mahbubani waseSingapore abekade eyiqagela isikhathi esingaphezu kwamashumi amabili eminyaka. I-China iqasha amazwe anqamula i-Asia Ephakathi, hhayi ukuthi alwe izimpi, kodwa ukuze ahlomule kwi-Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, i-Central and Eastern Europe Community, kanye ne-Belt and Road Initiative. I-Iran nePakistan manje sebethembisene, futhi kulindeleke ukuthi ne-Afghanistan ilandele. I-China ithola ithonya esifundeni sonke ngokuthula nentuthuko, hhayi impi nokubhujiswa.
Uma abantu base-Australia bengalunaki ushintsho kubhalansi yamandla omhlaba eyenzeka phambi kwamehlo ethu, sizohlushwa imiphumela. Uma singehlulwa amaTaliban, sizonqoba kanjani empini esiyilwa neChina? Ukulahlekelwa kwethu kuzoba kukhulu ngokungenakuqhathaniswa. Mhlawumbe lapho behlangana eWashington ngoSepthemba, uNdunankulu angafisa ukubuza ukuthi ngabe uMongameli Biden usakholelwa yini ukuthi iMelika ibuyile, futhi ufuna impi neChina. Kepha uBiden akazange azihluphe ngokushayela uMorrison ukuze axoxe ngomzila waseKabul. Kuningi kakhulu ekutshalweni kwethu empini yase-Afghanistan, obekufanele isithengele ukufinyelela eWashington.
Izifundo zomlando wethu zicacile. Ngaphambi kokuba siphinde futhi ngokuthatha iChina futhi simeme inhlekelele embi kakhulu, i-ANZUS eneminyaka engama-70 idinga ukubuyekezwa ngokuphelele, kanti i-Australia idinga olunye uphenyo oluzimele, lomphakathi - kulokhu kube sezimpini e-Afghanistan, Iraq naseSyria.
