Rory Stewart is a British politician, Harvard professor, former diplomat, and renown author. As the director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, he is tasked with overseeing the training of future leaders for careers in public service as well as research of solutions to public policy problems. The center is currently focused on human rights and state-building in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Stewart states in the posted interview that "if we can do less than we pretend, we can do much more than we fear." He is alluding to the idea that, as global powers, Western nations often have good intentions but also maintain exceedingly ambitious goals to match those intentions. The problem with this, according to Stewart, is their failure to consider what they actually can do. He believes that we must work within the realm of practicality to continue local, pragmatic human rights missions and projects that will eventually lead to widespread improvement. Stewart upholds that grand expectations are impossible, but is optimistic and affirms that grassroots undertakings are returning positive results.
In the second video linked to this post, Stewart introduces several critical challenges that those seeking to improve Afghanistan face. Firstly, he addresses the stereotype that the Taliban is the only criminal organization plaguing the country. There are, in fact, many criminal groups disassociated with the Taliban that are guilty of killings, kidnappings and organized crime. Tied directly to his warnings of organized crime, Stewart reminds us of the four billion dollar drug trade industry in Afghanistan; ninety-three percent of the world's heroin is directly linked to Afghanistan's poppy cultivation. Political and government corruption arises because of this drug money, and despite constitutional changes and elections over the course of modern Afghani history, many corrupt leaders still maintain power of some form or another.
Rory Stewart's claims are worth directing our ears to; he has ground experience in diplomacy in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is known for his scholarship. I plan to read his book, The Places In Between, which details his experiences during a two year trek across Afghanistan.
Rory Stewart is a British politician, Harvard professor, former diplomat, and renown author. As the director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, he is tasked with overseeing the training of future leaders for careers in public service as well as research of solutions to public policy problems. The center is currently focused on human rights and state-building in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Stewart states in the posted interview that "if we can do less than we pretend, we can do much more than we fear." He is alluding to the idea that, as global powers, Western nations often have good intentions but also maintain exceedingly ambitious goals to match those intentions. The problem with this, according to Stewart, is their failure to consider what they actually can do. He believes that we must work within the realm of practicality to continue local, pragmatic human rights missions and projects that will eventually lead to widespread improvement. Stewart upholds that grand expectations are impossible, but is optimistic and affirms that grassroots undertakings are returning positive results.
In the second video linked to this post, Stewart introduces several critical challenges that those seeking to improve Afghanistan face. Firstly, he addresses the stereotype that the Taliban is the only criminal organization plaguing the country. There are, in fact, many criminal groups disassociated with the Taliban that are guilty of killings, kidnappings and organized crime. Tied directly to his warnings of organized crime, Stewart reminds us of the four billion dollar drug trade industry in Afghanistan; ninety-three percent of the world's heroin is directly linked to Afghanistan's poppy cultivation. Political and government corruption arises because of this drug money, and despite constitutional changes and elections over the course of modern Afghani history, many corrupt leaders still maintain power of some form or another.
Rory Stewart's claims are worth directing our ears to; he has ground experience in diplomacy in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is known for his scholarship. I plan to read his book, The Places In Between, which details his experiences during a two year trek across Afghanistan.