Radio New Zealand Interview

I had a very interesting time back in New Zealand in July this year where I spoke to the  Insurance Brokers Association of New Zealand (IBANZ), and met with staff and volunteers of the New Zealand Red Cross in Wellington and Christchurch, especially those working on the NZ Red Cross Christchurch earthquake recovery operation. I was deeply inspired by the work they were doing then.


Then I was interviewed by Deborah Nation, a superb radio interviewer. Her mother Fran Nation played a huge role in the New Zealand Red Cross for decades and was on the national executive for many years in the 70s to the 90s and inspired me as a young Red Cross delegate for the work she did at grass roots level in the Hawkes Bay, and further afield. So Deborah was brought up in a Red Cross family so had the knowledge and understanding to ask pertinent, if not difficult questions.


Here is the interview if you want to listen to it.



From Spectrum on Sunday 25 September 2011
International Red Cross Manager Bob McKerrow talks with Deborah Nation about his long career spent helping others. Bob is no stranger to disaster but it's a new experience to see the sufferings of his earthquake-hit home-town of Christchurch.

Delhi. People, places and passion

I arrived in New Delhi late last Tuesday and no sooner had I arrived in the hotel, Anuj (l) and Arun (centre) came to my room with a large bag of kebabs and onions, and a good supply of cold beer. That's friendship. Both are booksellers and publishers.

Wednesday morning I had breakfast with Jagan Chapagain (right) who is Director of Asia and Pacific for the IFRC. Over breakfast Veronica Pedrosa (ex CNN and now Al Jazeera) waltzed up to Jagan and I, and there followed a long conversation. She had come to the launch of the IFRC funded World Disasters Report. Photo: Bob McKerrow

Delhi has lots of colourful characters who carry on the city's culture and traditions. Photo: Bob McKerrow

Early on Thursday morning I walked to India Gate to watch the sunrise. Photo: Bob McKerrow

Khan market ( above) and Sarojini Nagar Bazaar where  I did most of my shopping after work.. Photo: Bob McKerrow

The government buildings near Rastrapathi Bhavan. Photo: Bob McKerrow

I always go to C Block Market in Vasant Vihar as it was my local market for 6 years when I lived in Delhi. I went to see my friends in Batra Pharmacy, Raj Store and Murli, who used to do a lot of electrical work for me. . Photo: Bob McKerrow






The bookseller/publishers shop in Khan market. Photo: Bob McKerrow



Bahrisons bookstore is special, is the feeling one gets from entering the book store. The bookshop begins in post-partition India - out of the struggle of one man, who - though destined to be a teacher, makes new beginnings in a new country … by opening his small bookstore in New Delhi's Khan Market, India.
Today, fifty years after its inception, the group is headed by Balraj Bahri and Anuj Bahri Malhotra who are assisted by an efficient and professional staff - running the most sought after bookshop in the country. Balraj has given 50 years and Anuj - a long 23 years experience to the Indian Book Industry. It is a privilege to know both and count them as close and valued friends. 



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Anuj Bahri hard at work. Mobile in one hand talking, laying out a book on computer screen and keeping an eye on the shop from his private perch.





What is it that grabs me about Delhi ? It was my home for six years, and my last son Mahdi was born here. I published two books in Delhi and from here coordinated various Red Cross operation in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, India, Sri lanka, Bangladesh and the Maldives for six years. Delhi drips with history from Alexander the Great, Timur, Chenghis Khan, Asok, Babur, Akbar and of course, more recently, the British.

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It was here I met Indira Gandhi in 1975, and her daughter-in-law Sonya in 2005, and Priyanka in 2008.. Sonya on the left, and a clean-shaven Bob on the right. Look at her amazing book collection in the background.  Photo: Simon Missiri










Another joy is taking in the contrasting styles of architecture from the old Moghul style to Lutyen;s modern New Delhi. Delhi has lost none of its charm, character, colours and smells. The Commonwealth Games  brought a fantastic metro system, new fly overs, improved roads and superb sporting facilities.

A canon outside Rastrapathi Bhawan. Photo: Bob McKerrow

I've drunk tea with Osama bin Laden, Sonya, Indira and Priyanka Gandhi, Bill Clinton, Pervez Musharraf and Ed Hillary

It is a warm Sunday morning on a lakeside 10 km south-east of Colombo. I have just completed my daily ritual of making a perfect cup of Sri Lankan tea. I take it to my desk, which overlooks the lake, and with one eye I am watching migratory birds landing, resting or taking flight.The other eye is watching the computer switching into a global world, many of who are tea drinkers.

 I once shared a stainless steel pot of tea with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan..

Friends often ask me what he was like.


He seemed a serious and likable man and he called me over to his table in a small, dirty tea shop to join him for tea. He asked me what I had been doing and I told him that I had been into the mountains of Nuristan with my Afghan Red Crescent colleagues where we were building a clinic, two days walk from the road. I said "women die in child birth because they don't even have basic facilities and now we have trained doctor and nurse." He congratulated us. I didn't know much about this man, but he left an impression on me. Little was I to know his future doings. 

Tea is a connector, a healer and a leveler. I am sure God made tea as a ritual and ceremony of peace. I also drank cups of tea with Ahmed Shah Massoud, President Karzai, Indira,Sonya and Priyanka Gandhi, Bill Clinton, Pervez Musharraf, Lakshmi Mittal, Mukesh Ambani, Ed Cotter, Martha Gellhorn and Ed Hillary, to name a few.

I've written about some people I have shared a cup of tea with, but what about tea itself ?  My closest colleague is Tissa Abeywickrama, Director General of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society. We have connected offices so we meet every day and drink lots of tea together. Tissa's family has owned a tea plantation for generations, and has taught me much about the Sri Lankan tea business.

Though tea is so important in Sri Lanka today, it will surprise many to learn that the Ceylon tea industry came into being almost by chance. It began in the 1860s when Sri Lanka (or Ceylon as it was then known), was still a British colony. At that time Ceylon was well known for coffee, but a pest attack destroyed the coffee industry and as a result the British were forced to experiment with growing tea. The first tea seeds and young plants were brought to the island from Calcutta in 1839. A Scottish planter, Sir James Taylor is regarded as the father of Ceylon Tea, since he was the first to plant a commercial plot in 1867, in his estate at Loolecondera in the central highlands of Sri Lanka. The first shipment of tea in 1872, consisted of only two small packs containing 23 pounds of tea, a far cry from the amount that is exported today. But that was a small start to something very important.

Initially all the tea manufactured in Ceylon was sent to the London tea market. During the time of British rule, Sri Lanka acted as a raw material supplier for the London auction and value addition, packaging and blending with other teas were done in the United Kingdom. The commencement of tea auctions in Sri Lanka however dates back to 1883 with the first public sale taking place in the office of Sommerville & Co comprising of a mere five lots of tea invoices. Today with 95 percent of an annual production of 300 million kilos sold through the Colombo auction an average of 9,000 lots of separate invoices are processed each week. Incidentally it was in 1959 that a packaged tea shipment was sent directly to Libya from Colombo marking the beginning of Sri Lanka's value addition industry. With packaging of tea and the advent of tea bag machines, export entrepreneurs of Sri Lanka began nurturing brands in the mid 1980s. Thus the value addition rose from strength to strength and today 45 percent of Sri Lankan tea exports is in value added form.

The plucking of the tea leaf in Sri Lanka is done mainly by hand. Using machines in highland areas is hindered due to its sloping terrain and therefore manual plucking is preferred which also ensures the precise selection of tender-most leaves and a bud. Tea pluckers, as they are called, are a common sight in the highland areas where tea plantations are plentiful. The tender terminal shoots are plucked and thrown into large baskets slung behind their shoulders. A practised tea plucker can pick around 25 kilograms of fresh leaves a day. In low lying areas pluckers may also use a shear or scissor to cut the leaves. Visitors who are interested in the tea production process and the history of Ceylon Tea can visit the Tea Museum in Hantane, Kandy for a glimpse into the past where one may find some of the pioneering machinery on display.

A Healthful Brew

Discovered 5000 years ago by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung, tea was originally consumed for its medicinal properties. In the present day with an increasingly health conscious society, the health benefits of tea have been brought to light once more. Here are just a few of many benefits:

Antioxidants, a term widely associated with maintaining good health, are in abundance in tea. Known to stave off harmful molecules they are present both in black and green tea in quantities greater than in fruits and vegetables.

Tea possesses a unique compound (Theanine), which has a relaxing effect making it a stress reliever and additionally boosts the immune system response to infection.

Tea is a good source of fluoride which translates to good oral health. Incidentally four to five cups provide 50percent of daily fluoride requirement protecting teeth from decay, in addition to inhibiting the growth of harmful microorganisms.

The moderate caffeine content in up to five cups of tea can increase concentration and in turn performance while devoid of any harmful effects.

One of the most interesting discoveries made by the early tea planters in Ceylon, was the effect of diverse climates on tea production. This resulted in the production of a range of teas, which are unique to each agro climatic area. Seven agro climatic regions exist in Sri Lanka. Four of the regions produce high grown teas at an elevation of about 4000 feet above sea level, in the areas of Nuwara Eliya, Uva, Dimbula and Udapussallawa. Mid grown teas, the medium range, are grown at elevations of between 2000 feet to 4000 feet above sea level in the areas of Kandy. Low grown teas are grown at elevations of 2000 feet in the agro climatic regions of Ruhuna and Sabaragamuwa. In total Sri Lanka grows approximately 222,000 hectares of tea with 60 percent of it low grown. Interestingly, the majority of tea produced in Sri Lanka is of a particular type called Orthodox tea (the other being CTC tea - Crush, Tear and Curl) - a manufacturing process where big leaf particles result. In this respect Sri Lanka finds its specialty and incidentally is the market leader for Orthodox tea.

The tea produced in those seven regions each have unique characteristics. The colour, flavour, aroma and strength of the tea all vary from region to region. As a result the Sri Lankan tea industry holds a unique position of being able to cater to the tastes of different markets; this is one reason for its success. Thereby Ceylon Tea is exported worldwide, with the Russian Federation being the largest market, followed by Iran, Syria and Iraq. As an exporter of tea, Sri Lanka is second in the world, after Kenya and also has the distinction of being the largest revenue earner for tea, compared to any other producer country.

With the success of the industry stringent quality measures have been adopted where sampling is carried out even at the supermarket shelves overseas and certified with the Lion Logo - the trademark of the Sri Lankan Tea Board. Ceylon Tea also has the distinction of being 'ozone friendly'. The chemical methyl bromide often used in the tea industry has an ozone depleting effect. However the Sri Lankan Tea Research Institute discovered alternative methods and eliminated its use. As a result the Sri Lankan tea industry was granted ozone friendly status in 2007.

The story of Ceylon Tea is a fascinating one; it is an industry that started by chance and flourished to the extent where it now supplies the world and provides employment to thousands. So the next time you prepare to take your 'tea break', take a moment to reflect on the long journey that went into making that 'simple' cup of tea, and the far away country from which it came.

The Tea Market and Russia


I have collected Samovars over the years and tea, Russia and Samovars are connected.
Hot teas are a popular beverage among Russians and its consumption takes a seasonal character with maximum demand in the winter months. While Sri Lanka was the market leader during the year 2009, Russia continues to be the single largest consumer of Ceylon tea, that is 15 percent of the total exports to the world. Russia also shows preference to low grown teas due to its higher strength and thus black tea maintains the leading position in the market.

Two of my favourite Samovars are a beautiful brass one with the Royal Seal of the Czar and Czarina of Russia and dated 1895 (below in front of me on the right) and a home-made silver one I found in a bazaar in Afghanistan (in front of Satya Tripathi) on the left below).


You can observe that tea is an important ritual in my life and over a pot or two, I can ramble, rove and roam for hours.


Thanks to Chiranthi Rajapakse and Prasadini Nanayakkara permission to quote from some of their writings in this article.

Rabbani's death is a tragedy for Afghanistan

The assassination of Burhanuddin Rabbani, the leader of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council and a former president, underscored the fierce opposition of those who want to shatter the country’s tenuous stability and thwart its tentative steps toward peace.

During the period 1993-96 I met Rabbani a few times, and his commander of military matters Ahmed Shah Massoud. Rabbani and Massoud played a key role in bringing some stability at a time when anarchy and war-lordism was rife. It is a tragedy that will set back Afghanistan's peace process many years. I feel sad that Massoud and Rabbani are both dead, both assassinated. I am in new Delhi a city they new well, and I have said a prayer for the future of Afghanistan, a country continuously penalised by its geographic location. I saw this article in the Hindustan Times this morning, which they reproduced from the NY Times: It is worth a read.

Without the 71-year-old Rabbani, it will be exceedingly difficult to move the peace process forward. A complex figure, he was nonetheless one of the few with the stature to persuade the Taliban’s enemies, the former Northern Alliance, to embark on reconciliation discussions.

Western diplomats said that recently Rabbani had begun discussions with some Taliban members who might have the power to engage in real negotiations. A number of previous contacts had proved to be with impostors or figures who had little authority.

Within hours of the killing, Northern Alliance leaders, most of whom are ethnic Tajiks and Hazaras, were on television, denouncing the peace process and saying that the Taliban could not be trusted. The Taliban are predominantly ethnic Pashtuns.

Dr Abdullah Abdullah, a former presidential candidate and Northern Alliance leader, summed up the sentiments heard from many Northern Alliance figures in the wake of the assassination: “This is a lesson for all of us that we shouldn’t fool ourselves that this group, who has carried out so many crimes against the people of Afghanistan, are willing to make peace.”

He added: “We have to be realistic about what we are up against. We are up against people who don’t believe in any humanity. They kill people on the streets, they assassinate those trying to achieve peace.

Global launch of World Disasters Report in New Delhi - 22 September 2011

Had an unplanned breakfast with Jagan Chapagain, Director of Asia and Pacific Zone for IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) in New Delhi this morning and after an hour, we met by chance also taking breakfast, Veronica Pedrosa, the former CNN and Al Jazeera front woman who is here in Delhi for the World Disasters report global launch tomorrow which focuses on hunger and malnutrition. Veronica and I have met in many disaster and war zones, the most recent West Sumatra earthquake so it was a pleasure to catch up again. Jagan and I spoke to her about the importance of the theme of hunger and malnutrition and highlighted how disasters and conflicts get all the coverage, but insidious situations such as the 925 million people who do not have enough to eat, while 1.5 billion people world wide, including myself, are classified as obese.. These are huge challenges facing us.

Veronica Pedrosa and Jagan Chapagain, in New Delhi for the global launch of the World Disasters report. Photo: Bob McKerrow

Earlier this morning, I was up at 6 a.m and walked down to Khan Market and watched the flower seller making up bouquets, then to Parsi and Christian cemeteries, walked down Shah Jahan Road past the Complaints Appellant Tribunal, Indian Naval establishment looking like a 5 star hotel, past the Union State Services Commission premises topped with Mogul turrets. Then down Man Singh Road to look at all those magnificent Lutyen’s era buildings reminding me of a bygone era. I love Delhi with oozing with millenniums of history, culture and architecture. And, I am really excited that with the launch of the WDR tomorrow, we can draw attention to the 15% of the world's population that go to bed hungry every night.

World Disasters Report 2011 launch

I am leaving in a few hours for the global launch of the World Disasters Report plus other meetings in New Delhi. It is very much about 'HUNGER AMID PLENTY.'
Have a look at this video. It struck a chord with me and the WDR will be highlighting the plight of so many millions of people going to bed hungry every night.

Pune District is situated in Maharashtra state of India. Pune city is the district headquarters. In the last census on 2001, the total population of the district was 7,232,555. Urban population comprises 58.08% of the total population. The current population of Pune urban agglomerate is over 4 million. (Source Wikipedia)

Selling sex to feed your children

Rajnandgaon is the primary town in the Rajnandgaon District, in the state of Chhattisgarh, India. The population of the city is 143,727 (2001 census). It came into existence on 26th Jan' 1973, by way of division of district Durg. The District headquarters of Rajnandgaon is on the Bombay - Howrah line of southeastern railways. The town is surrounded by ponds and rivers and is known for its small-scale industries and traders. Another name used for the city is Shanskardhani.

I am going to Delhi next week for the global launch of the  IFRC produced World Disasters Report and I am pleased it is focussing on one of the biggest scourges of our time. Bekele Gelata, our secretary general puts his finger on the problem. "Now, in 2011, I find it perplexing and dismaying that when there is more food available than ever before, when agricultural yields have increased hugely, when there are 1.5 billion people worldwide classified as obese, 925 million people simply don’t have enough to eat.

A world of hunger amid plenty


Among the ever-widening range of critical issues facing us today, few keep me awake at night more than one of the oldest and most persistent: hunger. As an Ethiopian I saw first-hand my country’s terrible famine in the mid-1980s. I know what it means for people to starve.

Now, in 2011, I find it perplexing and dismaying that when there is more food available than ever before, when agricultural yields have increased hugely, when there are 1.5 billion people worldwide classified as obese, 925 million people simply don’t have enough to eat.

Fifteen per cent of the world’s population goes to bed at night hungry. Most live in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly on the Indian subcontinent and in sub-Saharan Africa. Each year three million children tragically die before their fifth birthday from under nutrition, a condition arising from a serious lack of one or more key nutrients. It is staggering that this can still be happening in this age of plenty and modern technology.

And yet, against this backdrop of severe hunger and misery, over a billion people are tackling the opposite problem of obesity and, perhaps surprisingly, malnutrition. In contrast to undernutrition, malnutrition can arise from the over-consumption of poor quality and unhealthy food and is becoming a serious health problem for those living in societies where food is plentiful. Poor and rich alike are at serious risk from an epidemic of malnutrition.

Indeed rich countries are no longer immune from hunger. The US Department of Agriculture reports that in 2010 nearly US$70 billion was spent on food stamps for just over 40 million people. Some 240 organizations are now part of the European Federation of Food Banks, which rescues excess food from industry and restaurants for distribution to the poor; they operate in no fewer than 18 European countries.

And how scandalous is it that an estimated 30 per cent of all food crops worldwide are wasted? A figure that is sure to shock children who were taught by mum and dad to clear their plates because “it’s a crime to waste food.”

Furthermore, in any discussion about the quality and accessibility of food, we need to factor in the increasing prices of basic foodstuffs. Wherever you live, you have probably noticed an increase in the cost of your weekly shop. In fact, as our World Disasters Report 2011 highlights, in 2011 global food prices reached the same levels as during the 2008 economic crisis. For most, but not all, people in wealthy nations, this may not be much more than an inconvenience, requiring just a minor tightening of the purse strings. But for others, this price hike has pushed tens of millions of people in poor countries to the very edge of survival.

As our report details, the factors behind this new inflation of food prices are many and difficult to pinpoint. They certainly include a general reduction in global food stocks, the impact of climate change on agriculture, and increasing use of land for ‘eco-friendly’ bio fuels. There is also a growing consensus about the role of financial speculation in causing the volatility of food markets: when the US property bubble burst, investors apparently found new, safer opportunities for profit in the food-commodity futures.

They do not, as often thought, seem to include ballooning demand for more and better food from the new economic powerhouses of the world like India and China, which remain net exporters of cereals. The EU, by contrast, remained the largest importer of oil seeds and the fifth largest importer of cereals in 2007–8.

But for all these complex reasons, the volatility of global food prices is here to stay. The era of cheap food appears to be over.

When food insecurity (as it’s called in the humanitarian world) reaches crisis proportions, we will respond to the fullest extent of our capacity. And in practice that means within the capacity afforded to us by our donors. An example: In 2010, drought once again pushed some of Africa’s Sahel region and especially Niger, a country whose people depend largely on rain-fed agriculture, to the brink of mass starvation. Our appeal for 4.4 million US dollars to assist nearly 400,000 people with cash, food and seeds was only just over 50 per cent covered.

Food aid, of course, is not an ‘answer’ to anything. What can be done in the long term?

Specialist opinion is divided between targeting much-needed agricultural investment at smallholders and encouraging capital-intensive, industrial-scale farming. Both have a role. But we believe more must be done as a matter of urgency to assist the smallholders who supply food for half the world, and for 90 per cent of Africa. Smallholder farming is a success story waiting to happen.

Proportionate yields on small farms can actually be higher than on more capital-intensive ones. But small farmers need seeds and fertilizers, and help with marketing. In 2002, good weather and the introduction of new seeds and fertilizers produced a bumper maize crop in Ethiopia, but the result was a glut that saw prices crash. Our report also argues that if targeted investment is made in women farmers, yields can be improved by up to about 30 per cent.

Yet foreign investors, backed by giant hedge funds, are now reportedly engaged in a new, 21st-century scramble for Africa, highlighting one of the major challenges to developing smallholder agriculture: land rights. An Oakland Institute report earlier this year found that ‘largely unregulated land purchases are […] forcing millions of small farmers off ancestral lands and small, local farms in order to make room for export commodities, including bio fuels and cut flowers.’

This must stop. The international community must speak with one voice: Africa needs to produce food and not just cut flowers for first world dining tables.

More attention, meanwhile, could be paid to the treatment of less severe malnutrition, addressing micronutrient (vitamin) deficiencies. But generally, until governments, donors, humanitarian agencies and civil society agree to link their responses on food to the underlying (and admittedly complex) technological, environmental and institutional issues, food insecurity is likely to remain a serious problem. Even as things stand, the first of the Millennium Development Goals –halving the proportion of people experiencing extreme poverty and hunger – is unlikely to be met in many countries.

The time may be right for a fundamental review of how we all get food onto our plates.

We must wean ourselves off ‘identi-kit fruit’

In the rich word, the whole issue of where food comes from, and from whom it comes, is hugely topical, and has been for a surprisingly long time. The fair trade movement, for example, actually dates back to the 1940s. Consider also the recent controversy surrounding over-cautious “sell-by” dates that lead to much edible food being wasted. Or supermarkets’ ridiculous insistence on fruit and vegetables being the same size, shape and colour – a marketing tactic that excludes smallholders whose perfectly acceptable produce may not look like identi-kit fruit.

Mainly as a result of the 2008 crisis, aid donors have now refocused much attention on agriculture. Most have withdrawn their blanket opposition to input-subsidy schemes, for example. Commitments to agricultural aid by both donor governments and multilateral agencies bottomed out at a dismal 3.4 per cent of the total, but have recently begun to recover.

At the same time as many donor governments untied their food aid, enabling greater local procurement, the idea of distributing cash in humanitarian operations – rather than imported food aid or relief goods manufactured in the North – is gaining ground. This too will help smallholders, stimulating local demand and creating jobs.

Increasingly private companies are embracing corporate social responsibility (CSR) not just because they want to look good, but because it’s better for business, helping to create the export markets of the future. In one CSR success-story among many, Unilever has teamed up with the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Ghanaian health service to develop affordable iodine-fortified salt.

Running through the entire issue of the global food system, there is surely a point to be made about equality. If the free interplay of market forces has produced an outcome where 15 per cent of humanity is hungry while a fifth is overweight, something has gone wrong. Economics exists for people, not vice versa. If this lamentable situation is to be corrected, in this arena at least we must find ways to govern the laws of supply and demand. Maybe: If this lamentable situation is to be tackled, we must find ways to regulate the laws of supply and demand and promote a more equitable distribution of food between those who have too little to eat, and those with too much.


Beleke Geleta is secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, whose World Disasters Report 2011 focuses on the crisis in world food.

Imagine not being able to feed your children?

Approximately one billion people go to bed hungry every night. Imagine not being able to feed your children ? Scarey isn't it?

Silchar, is the headquarters of Cachar district in the state of Assam in India. It is the economic gateway to the state of Mizoram and part of Manipur. It is situated 420 kilometres (261 mi) south east of Guwahati. (Source Wikipedia) For more information, click here  

We stand together "As One." (Christchurch Earthquake Tribute)

I was back in Christchurch, my home town in New Zealand in July, and I was amazed at the resilience of the people. Rebuilding their lives in an uncomplaining manner. This song is a tribute to the people of christchurch.

Restoration Band Prime Minister JOHN KEY: A tibute song to the city of Christchurch in wake of the September 2010 tragedy. The message is simple - We stand together "AS ONE"

Prediction for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand

Yes, the waiting is over, the hour has come round again, but will it be our hour? Will we finally put to rest 24 years of disappointment?  I am off to join fellow Otago rugby rep, Graeme Spence, in a few hours at the Cricket Club in Colombo to watch Tonga play New Zealand.

Captain Richie McCaw and Coach Graham Henry

I remember the atmosphere in New Zealand during the 1987 Rugby World and I have great memories of travelling with the Scottish team on the inter island ferry between Picton and Wellington, and having quite a few pints of beer with them. Then the euphoria of winning the Rugby World Cup. Ah, that was sweet.

Since then I have written a lot about rugby and one of the articles that I got a lot of feedback on was about what rugby means to a New Zealander?

In July last year I wrote :
It's on the lips of most New Zealanders`. "Will NZ win the 2011 Rugby World Cup ?" To find the answer, I spent last Saturday at Pareora, a small farming community in South Canterbury seeing if I could come up with an accurate prediction.

At Pareora I observed how strong 'grassroots' NZ rugby is and through a constant stream of talented players coming from small communituies like Pareora which has contributed hugely to our current strength at many levels of national rugby. The rules have allowed the All Blacks to play exciting, well constructed and fast running rugby which is our natural game. We've beaten South Africa twice in 3 weeks and Australia beat the Boks on Saturday night which that proves the dour Springbok and English kicking game does not win rugby in 2010.

Rugby is strong at grass roots in rural New Zealand and it was from small communities like this that Richie McCaw and Daniel Carter came. This is in Pareora, a small farming community in South Canterbury, New Zealand. Photo: Bob McKerrow 

The NZ Maoris have beaten Wales, Ireland and England this year and the NZ under 20s recently won the world cup. Never before a year out from the Rugby World Cup have we had this depth.But the depth is from north to south. Southland took the coveted Ranfurly Shield from Canterbury last year and has pumped new life into provincial rugby.

That was over a year ago, and although we have been beaten recently by South Africa and Australia, these are factors which makes coaches and players dig deep, to strive for perfection. This is the full details of this posting.

I am quietly confident New Zealand will win, but it is not going to be easy. England, Australia and France are all in with a chance, and South Africa, Ireland and Samoa lurking round the edges.. Rather than go in to fine detail on my prediction, I would like to quote David Kirk, Captain of the winning rugby world Cup All Black team in 1987.

It seemed so easy in 1987. We went into the tournament with an inexperienced team after a difficult time. We had a squad of 26 players, two hookers were all we could afford, and before the tournament even started we were down to one.

Three of the 15 that would play and win the final had not played a single test match before the tournament started. Six more had played no more than five tests.

It seems incredible now but two-thirds of the players in the only All Blacks team ever to win the Rugby World Cup had played less than six tests each before the tournament started. Our preparation was ordinary. And yet it seemed so easy back then.

It wasn't easy of course but it was rare. A quirk of timing. The old stagers, who had served New Zealand so well since the late 1970s, finally gave way and onto the stage strode some of the best players that the best rugby-playing nation in the world has ever produced.

We may have made it look easy but it wasn't. All we really did was the basics well but we did them so well and for so long that we were irresistible.

The chemistry of 1987 was rare indeed, as we were to learn. In 1991 we hoped the glories of the past would be enough. They weren't. In 1995 we were good enough to win, but we didn't. In 1999 we fell foul of freakish rugby. In 2003 we learned that good, unlike brilliant teams, can't afford to make any mistakes. In 2007 we showed that enough mistakes will stop any team.

For the first time ever in the history of New Zealand rugby the captain and coach of a team that failed at a World Cup are back. If we, the supporters, have been on a long journey, picking ourselves up and going on after every unexpected defeat, cursing the useless buggers for a week and cheering them on again as the years roll by, think what the journey has been like for Richie and Ted. The waiting is over, the hour has come round again, but will it be our hour? Will we finally put to rest 24 years of disappointment?

It seemed so easy in 1987. We went into the tournament with an inexperienced team after a difficult time. We had a squad of 26 players, two hookers were all we could afford, and before the tournament even started we were down to one.

Three of the 15 that would play and win the final had not played a single test match before the tournament started. Six more had played no more than five tests.

It seems incredible now but two-thirds of the players in the only All Blacks team ever to win the Rugby World Cup had played less than six tests each before the tournament started. Our preparation was ordinary. And yet it seemed so easy back then.

It wasn't easy of course but it was rare. A quirk of timing. The old stagers, who had served New Zealand so well since the late 1970s, finally gave way and onto the stage strode some of the best players that the best rugby-playing nation in the world has ever produced.

We may have made it look easy but it wasn't. All we really did was the basics well but we did them so well and for so long that we were irresistible.

The chemistry of 1987 was rare indeed, as we were to learn. In 1991 we hoped the glories of the past would be enough. They weren't. In 1995 we were good enough to win, but we didn't. In 1999 we fell foul of freakish rugby. In 2003 we learned that good, unlike brilliant teams, can't afford to make any mistakes. In 2007 we showed that enough mistakes will stop any team.

For the first time ever in the history of New Zealand rugby the captain and coach of a team that failed at a World Cup are back. If we, the supporters, have been on a long journey, picking ourselves up and going on after every unexpected defeat, cursing the useless buggers for a week and cheering them on again as the years roll by, think what the journey has been like for Richie and Ted.

Three months ago I interviewed Graham Henry on stage at a rugby lunch. I chipped him about his upside-down smile. He replied: ''It's all right for you Kirky, you've got peace."

Richie never says much about it, but it has to be burning away inside of him too. He knows this is it; he has to take his chance.

I think they will. This All Blacks team is talented and balanced. It has depth and tactical nous and, importantly, it is playing at home.

After all the preparation, all that remains now is the tournament and this is the final test for this All Blacks team.

Can they play tournament rugby? Playing well in a tournament is about building and learning. Every match is important as an opportunity to play creative, clinical rugby, honing combinations, feeling powerful and relaxed and building, building. Building towards a final and the game of your lives.

Ad Feedback Most teams that have won the World Cup have had to dig themselves out of a hole. Some time, in some match the world champions-to-be have found themselves on the ropes but they know they are good enough to win.

This may well be the fate of Richie McCaw's men and this time, unlike every All Blacks team since 1987, they have to find a way to dig themselves out of the hole. They have to find a way to win. Calmness under pressure, precision and trusting your team-mates to do their bit so all you have to worry about is doing your bit, are what it will take.

And so, as the curtain comes up on the 2011 Rugby World Cup and we set out to fill the void created by 24 long, lonely years, the best thing we can say to Graham Henry and Richie McCaw is this: "Good luck guys, we hope you don't need it."

Three months ago I interviewed Graham Henry on stage at a rugby lunch. I chipped him about his upside-down smile. He replied: ''It's all right for you Kirky, you've got peace."

Richie never says much about it, but it has to be burning away inside of him too. He knows this is it; he has to take his chance.

I think they will. This All Blacks team is talented and balanced. It has depth and tactical nous and, importantly, it is playing at home.

After all the preparation, all that remains now is the tournament and this is the final test for this All Blacks team.

Can they play tournament rugby? Playing well in a tournament is about building and learning. Every match is important as an opportunity to play creative, clinical rugby, honing combinations, feeling powerful and relaxed and building, building. Building towards a final and the game of your lives.

Ad Feedback Most teams that have won the World Cup have had to dig themselves out of a hole. Some time, in some match the world champions-to-be have found themselves on the ropes but they know they are good enough to win.

This may well be the fate of Richie McCaw's men and this time, unlike every All Blacks team since 1987, they have to find a way to dig themselves out of the hole. They have to find a way to win. Calmness under pressure, precision and trusting your team-mates to do their bit so all you have to worry about is doing your bit, are what it will take.

And so, as the curtain comes up on the 2011 Rugby World Cup and we set out to fill the void created by 24 long, lonely years, the best thing we can say to Graham Henry and Richie McCaw is this: "Good luck guys, we hope you don't need it."

Thanks to Stuff.co.nz for permission to run some extracts from David Kirk's article.

Dispatches from Gujarat - Communal violence 2002

Communal violence in India - Gujarat Riots 2002

The skyline of Ahmedabad filled with smoke as buildings and shops are set on fire by rioting mobs.

From my diary in early March 2002.

Last Thursday I was in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, where serious communal violence between Hindu and Moslem broke out on 27 February. Over 800 people have been killed; or more bluntly, hacked to death or burned , and up to 100,000, predominantly Moslem's have been seeking refuge in camps. Sporadic out bursts of violence continues.

When this broke out we immediately gave the Indian Red Cross US$50,000 to start a major relief operation. Foreigners have been kept out of the rioting areas and I was probably one of the first foreigners to go in last Thursday, with the secretary general of the Indian Red Cross, Vimala Ramalingam.

It was quite moving and so sad to move amongst people who had many of their family members butchered by home made knives and swords. One mother told me of watching someone cut her son's head off with a sword and another woman told me of how she watched her pregnant neighour killed as an attacker ran a sword through her pregnant belly killing the baby and her. Others told of how Hindi activists set fire to their homes and of the many family members incinerated alive. Walking amongst these people with fear etched on their faces and clutching at us for security makes you dig deep as to how Red Cross can solve these problems. The next day by colleague Mauricio Castano came in with a large Indian Red Cross relief convoy of mediacl and relief supplies.

The Godhra train fire killed 60 Hindu pilgrims and activists in February 2002 and triggered some of the worst communal violence in India in decades.

Fortunately we have learnt from a Red Cross initiated programme in Bangladesh between tribal and non-tribal people in the Chittagong Hill tracts who had been at war and killing each other for 25 years. This community peace programme aims at reducing community tensions through working with opposing communities and identifying connectors and dividers and working on strengthening the things which positively connect communities.

I have been reading Erich Fromm the German-born psychologist and psycho-analytical theorist in an attempt to understand why people hate and kill each other.. He said the first step in understanding our destructive disposition is to recognise the two kinds of hate inherent in humanity. The first kind of hate is rational hate. It is expressed in reaction to a threat to one's own freedom, life or ideas. It has a biological self-protecting function. It comes as a reaction to a threat and dissipates when the threat is removed. It is not against life but for life. This type of hate manifested in the cry of a baby who is hungry.

The second type of hate is irrational hate.. Rather than reaction to a specific threat, it is a character trait in some people. It is marked by readiness to be hostile to others. This is a passion to cripple life, a strong impulse to cruelty or a pathological aggressiveness. People with this kind of hate seek a target to attack. They do not wait for an incident to occur, they create it. Such people are found among the leaders of racists mobs and organisations and sometimes among the ideological 'theorists' of hate movements.

This destructive potential is proportionate to the individual's inability to express his capacities - sensory, emotional, physical, intellectual and productive.

When you work in these storehouses of sorrow and see so much killing and destructions, searching for answers helps one to design appropriate reconcilliation programme.   For more information read Joe Prewitt's article a psychologist who worked for the american red Cross at that time: Link here

Here is the press release we issues\d at that time.

Red Cross aids victims of communal violence in India
Published: 6 March 2002

Tens of thousands of people who have sought refuge from communal violence between Hindus and Muslims in the Indian state of Gujarat, are still in need of help, says the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The Indian Red Cross, the first and only humanitarian organisation to provide medical and food assistance to victims of the violence that broke out last week, has distributed relief supplies in two refuge shelters in Ahmedabad. Further distributions are taking place today in three other temporary shelters.

Nearly 5,400 people taking refuge in a hall and a school in the northeast of the city, most of whom had received no outside help, were given blankets and basic medical supplies by Indian Red Cross volunteers on March 5. The medical supplies were badly needed due to a high number of burns victims.

"We found the people at the school living in basic conditions and the sanitation situation due to the overcrowding, was worrying. People wanted to find out what happened to their homes but are still frightened of leaving the compound," says Mauricio Castano of the International Federation, who accompanied Indian Red Cross workers.

So far, the Indian Red Cross has identified 11 temporary refuges in the city and is working with local authorities to locate others. Shelters have been set up on an ad hoc basis in schools, shopping centres and open spaces by local communities. The commercial capital of Gujarat, Ahmedabad has suffered the worst of the violence.

Meanwhile, assessments in both Ahmedabad and other areas in Gujarat severely affected by disturbances, such as Himmatnagar, 80 kms north of the city, are on-going. Outstanding needs are for medical supplies, food, water and clothes which will be met by the Indian Red Cross. It will also provide medical supplies while the Ahmedabad branch has already sent a team of two doctors and nurses and an ambulance to three sites today. In addition, it will provide the homeless with food baskets containing rice, dhal and milk.

Indian Red Cross staff and volunteers have been working since the beginning of the crisis when 58 people were killed in an attack on a train by providing first aid to those injured, blood supplies to four main hospitals in Ahmedabad and in helping to identify those killed. Red Cross ambulances also helped the authorities to evacuate the injured when clashes first began.

For the past eight days, the Red Cross has been virtually the only organisation to move freely to provide assistance to both Muslim and Hindu communities. "Our work has been possible because people know and understand the Red Cross emblem and realise that we are here to help anyone regardless of their religion. Neutrality and impartiality are core principles for us, enabling the Red Cross to work where others cannot," says S.K. Sharma, Organising Secretary of the Gujarat State Branch

SriLankan Pro-2011 international surfing competition

Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

The SriLankan Pro-2011 international surfing competition finished successfully yesterday, establishing Arugam Bay as a top international surfing venue. Apart from being a great surfing beach, it is in a beautiful part of Sri lanka with very hospitable people.

Courtney Conlouge (USA), the ASP women’s world ranking number one riding on a wave at the women’s short board event finals at Arugam Bay on Sunday. Pictures by Sulochana Gamage

Courtney Conlouge (USA), the ASP women’s world ranking number one

The 19 year old Californian Courtney Conlouge walked away with the women’s short board championship crown in the SriLankan Pro-2011 international surfing competition finals on the superb waves of Arugam Bay yesterda, 5 September 2011.

Men’s Long Board Champion Duan Desoto carried by his friends






There were plenty of surfing tricks exchanged between the men’s finalists where Duan prospected with some superb back hand turns. “I am so exited to win the title and we got some first class steady waves here in this beautiful beach and I am very happy,” said the men’s champion just after he completed the final. He appreciated the Sri Lankan hospitality and said that he will be back for the next year’s contest too. Courtney with overwhelming joy said that it’s great to win the event after having a tough battle with Lakey who was in good form.

Duan beat Australian Harley Ingleby in the semi-final while the runner up Taylor Jensen (USA) qualified for the finals by defeating his Brazilian rival Rodrigo Sphaier in the semis. In the women’s semi-finals Courtney performed with an excellent 9.9 to beat the French surfer Paulinc Ado and Lakey booked her place in the final after beating New Zealander Sarah Mason in the other semi final.

Arugam Bay greeted with excellent waves on the final day of competition and the beach was filled with a dense crowd who came to witness the event. SriLankan Air lines and ASP along with the Lanka Sportsreisen with the support of Sri Lanka Tourist Board conducted the championships.

Early surfers checking out the waves at Arugam Bay. Photo: Bob McKerrow

Results

Women’s Short board final:

Courtney Conlouge (USA) beat Lakey Peterson (USA)

Men’s Long Board final:

Duan Destoto (Hawai) beat Harley Ingleby (Australia)

Arugam Bay (photo above by Bob McKerrow) is a surfing beach with great international potential and after the very successful  SriLankan Pro-2011 international surfing competition, I am sure we are going to see more international events here. 

9/11 ten years on. My memories of that day.

9/11- 2001, Ferney Voltaire, France

10 September 2001 (9/10)

I had just come back from a walk past soft yellow corn fields, caressed by the early morning sun, with the Jura mountains as a backdrop on my right, and Mont Blanc on the other side of the path.

On my return to my hotel I got a message from a close friend of mine in Kabul informing me that Ahmed Shah Massoud (pictured right with Bob McKerrow) is either dead or dying. He is one of Afghanistan’s greatest leaders of the last century. Some news reports say it could be the work of Osama bin Laden.

My friend Azem was also killed and Massood Khalili badly injured, the Ambassador to India and son of the great Afghan poet.

I thought at the time that something sinister was unfolding.

I think of the times I met Massoud during my stay in Afghanistan between 1993 and 96, and the hour interview I had with him before I left in August 1996. I wrote in my diary that night. “My heart bleeds for you Afghanistan; the pain and hurt you've been through. Penalised by your geographic location and the pawn of superpowers for so long.”

Flight 175 crashes at about 590 mph into the south face of the South Tower of the World Trade Centre, hitting the building between floors 77 and 85. All 65 people on board are killed. Parts of the plane leave the building from its east and north sides, falling to the ground as far as six blocks away.

I was in Ferny Voltaire France, for a Red Cross training course when this drama began unfolding..

The next day, 11 September (9/11) my mind kept going back to Ahmed Shah Massoud and his senseless killing by hired killers posing as Arab TV cameramen. Just before 4 pm, we broke for afternoon tea. As I picked up a cup of tea, the manager came running and shouting in French, something about a disaster in America. A group formed at the TV in the bar and watched an interviewer talking about a plane hitting the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York, then seconds later we saw the most spine-chilling metal and human bomb plough into the second tower Later the full story was told, Two planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York. A third was flown into the Pentagon in the state of Virginia. A fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.

In my diary that night I wrote in capitals A DAY WHICH MAY CHANGE THE FACE OF THE EARTH AND THE NATURE OF TERRORISM.

I wrote on 9/11, "Massoud gone, many thousands of lives lost in the four plane hijacks......"

The scenarios began to build up in my mind; retaliations on Afghanistan yet again. Alexander the Great, The Arabs, The Turks, Chengis Khan, Timur, Persians, The British x 3, Soviet Union and now a US led westerncoalition is there.

TERROR ATTACK: The first World Trade Centre tower begins to implode in New York on September 11, 2001.

One week later (18 September) I am in Pakistan appointed to lead the International Red Cross operation as refugees from Afghanistan were beginning to come across the border. Predictions were that at least a million were expected to cross.

It was a very busy time working with the Pakistan Red Crescent getting relief supplies out to border camps, setting up reception camps and putting in water and sanitation facilities, reinforcing existing medical clincs.. I recall having outstanding colleagues like Naoki Kokawa, Patrick Fuller, Dr. Moin, Dr. Burki, Fred Grimm and John LaPointe.   I remember interviews with Lyse Doucet from the BBC, John Burns LA Times and hordes of others. Here is a press release dated 21 September, 2001.

Pakistan Red Crescent gear up to respond to Afghan refugee crisis

As uncertainty continues to prevail in Afghanistan, thousands of Afghans are evacuating the country's major cities such as Kabul and Kandahar. Many are heading for the safety of mountainous areas in the interior of the country whilst tens of thousands have reportedly crossed into Pakistan despite the border remaining officially closed.

As anticipation of ever increasing numbers of Afghan refugees crossing into Pakistan grows, the Pakistan Red Crescent has already taken measures to respond to the crisis. An initial plan of action has been drawn up in consultation with the Federation and the ICRC and the first relief stocks have already left the Pakistan Red Crescent warehouses in Islamabad destined for the Baluchistan provincial branch headquarters in Quetta.

"Pakistan shares a border with Afghanistan that is over 2,000 kms long and it is relatively porous in some areas particularly the stretch adjacent to Baluchistan," says Bob McKerrow, Federations Head of delegation for South Asia. "We know that there are thousands of people waiting on the other side of the border for the chance to cross. Our immediate priority is to help those who have already crossed as well as monitoring relief supplies in the event of a major exodus."

This week the Red Crescent sent 1,000 tents, 10,000 blankets and 3,000 plastic water containers from Islamabad to Quetta. A further 2,000 blankets were also sent to Quetta from the Sind provincial branch headquarters in Karachi.

"At this point we plan to assist 120,000 refugees through our branches in North West Frontier Province and Baluchistan. It will be a major logistical challenge but we have already set up an operations room in our headquarters in Islamabad and we are identifying new warehousing space in Quetta," explains Dr. A. R Burki, Secretary General of the Pakistan Red Crescent.

The Pakistan Red Crescent is also planning to provide medical support to the refugees. Discussions are underway with government authorities in Quetta where a vacant hospital facility could be utilised by the Red Crescent. The Baluchistan branch already have four mobile health teams on standby. These teams were established with support from ECHO as part of the Red Crescent's response to the chronic drought which has affected the province for the past three years.In Peshawar the PRCS is considering utilising the Hayatabad paraplegic centre which was originally established in 1973 by the ICRC to rehabilitate war-wounded patients who had been evacuated from the conflict in neighbouring Afghanistan. The centre was handed over to the Pakistan Red CS in 1996 and has a range of facilities including ultrasound and x-ray, two fully functional operating theatres a physiotherapy unit and a workshop which produces items such as calipers, crutches and artificial limbs.

To support their work and that of other Red Cross Red Crescent Societies, the Federation has launched an appeal for nearly 8.8 million Swiss francs (5.5 million US dollars) to beef up its state of readiness to respond to the needs of large population movements following the recent attacks in the United States.

The primary focus of the appeal is to provide shelter, health care, clean water and food for up to 300,000 people both in the five countries bordering Afghanistan (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Pakistan) and elsewhere if the need arises.

Finish of Press release

There were many of us who had worked in Afghanistan, written extensively on Afghanistan, and we were deeply worried about the current course of the war and the lack of credible scenarios for the future.

So on on December 17, 2010, I was one of a number of writers who wrote an open letter to President Obama 

To the President of the United States:

Mr. President,

We have been engaged and working inside Afghanistan, some of us for decades, as academics, experts and members of non-governmental organisations. Today we are deeply worried about the current course of the war and the lack of credible scenarios for the future. The cost of the war is now over $120 billion per year for the United States alone.

This is unsustainable in the long run. In addition, human losses are increasing. Over 680 soldiers from the international coalition – along with hundreds of Afghans – have died this year in Afghanistan, and the year is not yet over. We appeal to you to use the unparalleled resources and influence which the United States now brings to bear in Afghanistan to achieve that longed-for peace.

Despite these huge costs, the situation on the ground is much worse than a year ago because the Taliban insurgency has made progress across the country. It is now very difficult to work outside the cities or even move around Afghanistan by road. The insurgents have built momentum, exploiting the shortcomings of the Afghan government and the mistakes of the coalition. The Taliban today are now a national movement with a serious presence in the north and the west of the country. Foreign bases are completely isolated from their local environment and unable to protect the population. Foreign forces have by now been in Afghanistan longer than the Soviet Red Army.

Politically, the settlement resulting from the 2001 intervention is unsustainable because the constituencies of whom the Taliban are the most violent expression are not represented, and because the highly centralised constitution goes against the grain of Afghan tradition, for example in specifying national elections in fourteen of the next twenty years.

The operations in the south of Afghanistan, in Kandahar and in Helmand provinces are not going well. What was supposed to be a population-centred strategy is now a full-scale military campaign causing civilian casualties and destruction of property. Night raids have become the main weapon to eliminate suspected Taliban, but much of the Afghan population sees these methods as illegitimate. Due to the violence of the military operations, we are losing the battle for hearts and minds in the Pashtun countryside, with a direct effect on the sustainability of the war. These measures, beyond their debatable military results, foster grievance. With Pakistan’s active support for the Taliban, it is not realistic to bet on a military solution. Drone strikes in Pakistan have a marginal effect on the insurgency but are destabilising Pakistan. The losses of the insurgency are compensated by new recruits who are often more radical than their predecessors.

The military campaign is suppressing, locally and temporarily, the symptoms of the disease, but fails to offer a cure. Military action may produce local and temporary improvements in security, but those improvements are neither going to last nor be replicable in the vast areas not garrisoned by Western forces without a political settlement.

The 2014 deadline to put the Afghan National Army in command of security is not realistic. Considering the quick disappearance of the state structure at a district level, it is difficult to envision a strong army standing alone without any other state institutions around. Like it or not, the Taliban are a long-term part of the Afghan political landscape, and we need to try and negotiate with them in order to reach a diplomatic settlement. The Taliban’s leadership has indicated its willingness to negotiate, and it is in our interests to talk to them. In fact, the Taliban are primarily concerned about the future of Afghanistan and not – contrary to what some may think – a broader global Islamic jihad. Their links with al-Qaeda – which is not, in any case, in Afghanistan any more – are weak. We need to at least try to seriously explore the possibility of a political settlement in which the Taliban are part of the Afghan political system. The negotiations with the insurgents could be extended to all groups in Afghanistan and regional powers.

The current contacts between the Karzai government and the Taliban are not enough. The United States must take the initiative to start negotiations with the insurgents and frame the discussion in such a way that American security interests are taken into account. In addition, from the point of view of Afghanistan’s most vulnerable populations – women and ethnic minorities, for instance – as well as with respect to the limited but real gains made since 2001, it is better to negotiate now rather than later, since the Taliban will likely be stronger next year. This is why we ask you to sanction and support a direct dialogue and negotiation with the Afghan Taliban leadership residing in Pakistan. A ceasefire and the return of the insurgency leadership in Afghanistan could be part of a de-escalation process leading to a coalition government. Without any chance for a military victory, the current policy will put the United States in a very difficult position.

For a process of political negotiation to have a chance of addressing the significant core grievances and political inequalities it must occur on multiple levels – among the countries that neighbour Afghanistan as well as down to the provincial and subdistrict. These various tables around which negotiations need to be held are important to reinforce the message – and the reality – that discussions about Afghanistan’s political future must include all parties and not just be a quick-fix deal with members of the insurgency.

We believe that mediation can help achieve a settlement which brings peace to Afghanistan, enables the Taliban to become a responsible actor in the Afghan political order, ensures that Afghanistan cannot be used as a base for international terrorism, protects the Afghan people’s hard-won freedoms, helps stabilise the region, renders the large scale presence of international troops in Afghanistan unnecessary and provides the basis of an enduring relationship between Afghanistan and the international community. All the political and diplomatic ingenuity that the United States can muster will be required to achieve this positive outcome. It is time to implement an alternative strategy that would allow the United States to exit Afghanistan while safeguarding its legitimate security interests.

Respectfully,

Matthieu Aikins Journalist

Scott Atran Anthropologist (University of Michigan) and author of Talking to the Enemy

Rupert Talbot Chetwynd Author of Yesterday’s Enemy – Freedom Fighters or Terrorists?

Robert Abdul Hayy Darr Author of The Spy of the Heart and humanitarian aid worker in Afghanistan during the 1980s and early 1990s.

Gilles Dorronsoro Visiting Scholar (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) and author of Revolution Unending

David B. Edwards Anthropologist (Williams College) and author of Before Taliban Jason Elliot Author of An Unexpected Light

Antonio Giustozzi Author of Koran, Kalashnikov and Laptop and editor of Decoding the New Taliban

Shah Mahmoud Hanifi Associate Professor, James Madison University

Daniel Korski Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations

Felix Kuehn Kandahar-based writer/researcher, co-editor of My Life With the Taliban

Minna Jarvenpaa Former Head of Analysis and Policy Planning, UNAMA

Anatol Lieven Professor, War Studies Department of King’s College London and author of Pakistan: A Hard Country

Bob McKerrow Author of Mountains of our Minds – Afghanistan

Alessandro Monsutti Research Director, Transnational Studies/Development Studies at The Graduate Institute, Geneva

Ahmed Rashid Journalist and author of Taliban and Descent into Chaos

Nir Rosen Fellow, New York University Center on Law and Security

Gerard Russell Research Fellow, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Harvard University

Alex Strick van Linschoten Kandahar-based writer/researcher, co-editor of My Life With the Taliban

Astri Surkhe Senior Researcher, Chr. Michelsen Institute, Norway

Yama Torabi Co-Director, Integrity Watch Afghanistan

Jere van Dyk Author of In Afghanistan and Captive

Matt Waldman Afghanistan Analyst

Here is a link to the BBC website that gives another take on 9/11 by a man who lives close to the world Trade Centre and how it changed his life.