CANADA'SREFUGE PERIODICAL ON REFUGEES Vol. 9, No. 1 SPECIALISSUE October 1989 Afghan Refugees When Duke University Professor and Afghan scholar Louis Dupree was asked a year ago to edit a.specia1issue of Refuge on Afghanistan, he immediately set to to work on this project with the help of his wife, Nancy Hatch Dupe. The issue was beginning to take shape when Louis Dupedied of lung cancer in March of this year. Now that the project has been completed, we are dedicating the mdtsto his memory. Louis Dupree: In Memoriam by Anders Fange There is a story about Louis Dupree. He said the same thing on numerous dare to hope any more; even then he never Once, in the early eighties, during a dis- lectures around the world, in articles and expressed a single doubt that the Afghan cussion about Afghanistan in the State intenriews, in every possible fora where people would reach victory in the end. Department, an expert on the Soviet he could make his voice heard. Even dur- Of course, there were a lot of people Union said that the Afghans will lose this ing the worst years, between 1984 and who said that Louis certainly knew a lot war because there has so far never been a 1986, when the Soviets tried to bomb about Afghanistan, but his analysis case in history where the Soviets have left Afghanistan back to the Stone Age, when emanated more from feelings than from a country once they have put their hands they attacked furiously in a last desperate facts. I was one of them, and I was wrong. on it. His argument was simple. The attempt to crush the Afghan spirit of resis- Louis was right, because he had, above all, Soviet Union was a superpower with all tance, when many of us who supported its resources and the biggest war machine and believed in the Afghan cause did not Continued on page 2 the world had ever seen; Afghanistan was a backward country, one of the poorest, IN THIS ISSUE: with no army, a divided resistance, little organization, and so on. Louis was there Louis Dupree: A lkibute by M. Nazif Shahrani Page a and he objected. He told the man: The Canadian Response to Afghanistan by Jane Thomas Page 4 "Perhaps you know the Soviet Union, but Aid in Afghanistan: Limitations and Possibilities by Andus Fdnge Page 8 it is obvious that you don't know the Problems and Prospects of Repatriation by Peter Rees page 11 Afghans. If you did, you would also know that they will not give up, that Prospects for Afgan Women After Repatriation by Nancy Hatch Dupree page 14 they'll go on fighting whatever the odds, Refigees and International Relations reviewed by Lisa Gilad page 17 they will continue to resist until the From the Jews to the Tamils reviewed by lndhu Rajagopal page 18 Soviets are forced out of their country." one thing in common with the Afghans, came a long way. He saw the Soviets a pig, to the satisfaction of many and to which was crucial in his vrofound and leaving, but he did not reach his own per- the dismay of those who deserved it. unique understanding of them; just like sonal victory, which would have been to The& are too few Louis Duprees in them he was not a quitter. Just like the see his beloved Kabul once again. The this world and now there is one less; the Afghans he was a fighter. Afghan people, and we who are working world is a poorer place. Now he has left us, attacked from to help them, have lost one of our best Anders ~an~estarted as a reporter in within by that dreadful disease. But I friends and staunchest supporters. We Afghanistan in 1981. He has been the refuse to believe that he gave up. I am will miss his deep knowledge and good Director of the Swedish Committee for convinced that he fought until that stage advice, his stories and pkes, the spirit he Afghanistan - one of the oldest and today where no fights are possible any more, created around him. But, above all, we the biggest crossbord& humanitarian agency where you are left alone with your aeator. will miss his straight-forwardness and working in Afghanistan - since 1983. He He died the same way he had lived. He honesty, his habit of calling things for was also one-if the founders of the Agency what they are; because Louis Dupree Co-ordinating Body for Afghan Relief never hesitated to call a cat a cat and a pig (ACBAR) and is now its Vice-chairman. CANADA'S PERIODICAL ON REFUGEES The Current Situation REFUGE Most Members of the Citizens swept dusty plain. Many of the tents had Cemrefor Refugee Studies. York Univenily. Commission on Afghan Refugees who vis- been blown down by strong winds, and Suite 234. AdmlnbtrallveStudies BuHdlng. 4700 Keel8 Street. North York. Ontario. Canada M3J 1P3. ited Pakistan previously accepted the could not be reconstituted because of Telephone: (416) 736-5863. Fax: (416) 738-5687. widely held view of gov&menk and the defective poles. Safe water and food had Eledronic Mall Via Binet Address: REFUGE@YORKVMl. general population that: "the regime in to be brought in by truck. The provision Kabul will probably fall soon after the of basic health care was inadequate. I Guest Editor: Soviet withdrawal". was told that ten children had died the Nancy Hatch Dupree Obviously, the conventional wisdom previous day and was shown several fresh was wrong and it now appears that the graves. Throughout my visit the refugee Editor: fighting will continue on for an indetermi- elders pleaded with me for additional Howard Adelrnan nate time that some speculate will last for help. An obvious point to be made is that years unless there is-a negotiated settle- programmes for refugees in Pakistan must Executive Editor: ment between the government in Kabul not yet be de-escalated. To the contrary, Alex Zisman and the Interim Government based in additional support services are urgently Peshawar. Here it should be pointed out requited by the new arrivals. Illustrations: that one member of the Commission, The above comments have been excerpted Herminio Ord6iiez Robert Cranborne, did not concur with from James C. Strickler's "Report of Visit this assumption. In an article in the (5122-5128189) to Peshawar and Hangu Circulation Manager: Spectator (August 6, 19881, he points out Pakistan ",dated June 16, 1989. The author Helen Gross that the Geneva accords provided an is is a Member of the Citizens Commission on agreement for the Soviet withdrawal from Afghan ~efu~'. Assisfant to the Circulation Manager: Afghanistan, but did not contain provi- Ching Man (C.M.) Wong sions that would guarantee peace. He dis- cusses the "fiendishly complicated politi- Canadian Aid RqScgc is dedicated to the encouragement of assistance to refugees by providing a forum for cal situation" and opines that the existing According to Government of Canada sharing information and opinion on Canadian and parties are not likely to become more sources, about $300 million has been international issues pertaining to refugees. It is effective and that the West should encour- provided to Afghan refugees between published four times a year by the Centre for Refugee Studies. It is a non-pfit, independent age the commanders "to take power into 1980 and 1988 through the United Fodical supported by private donations and by their own hands". Nations and the Government of subscriptions. It is a forum for discussion, and the As a consequence of the continued Pakistan. It is mostly in the form of views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of fighting, substantial numbers of Afghan its fundem or staff. food commodities. While this may All materials in Refuge may be reproduced refugees, largely from the Jalalabad area, sound like a lot of money, given the without permission unless copyrighted or other- continue to flee to Pakistan. During my magnitude and duration of this refugee wise indicated. Credit should be given to the stay, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, crisis, it is not. It works out to far less author or source, if named. Subscription rates for one year are $20.00 in Benazir Bhutto, announced that 800-1,000 than one cent per day per refugee. Canada and US $25.00 overseas. Please enclose new refugees are now arriving daily in Government-to-government aid was payment with your order. Pakistan. Others have cited a figure of also withdrawn in 1980. That is still in 70,000-75,000 new refugees since effect. In 1988, however, Canada Logo design: Dreadnaught Co-operative Inc., Toronto November 15, 1988. I visited one of the restored aid through NGOs to refugee camps for new arrivals, the Afghanistan. Only about $2 million has Layout: PAGES Q\a5 Shindand Camp near Hangu. There were been provided (through NGOs) inside an estimated 8,000-10,000 refugees living Afghanistan during the whole war thus Second CkrMail Registntbn N. 5512 IS6N 0229-5113 in tents, under a glaring sun, on a wind- far. Louis Dupree: A Tribute by M. Nazif Shahrani Afghanistan's natural and human on Afghanistan spanned some forty years, and outspoken advocates in the interna- resources have been devastated by the beginning in 1949, when he participated in tional arena. The fact that just a few weeks more than a decade-long direct and indi- an archaeological excavation in before Louis's death the defeated Red rect military aggression by the Soviet Southwestern Afghanistan as a Harvard Army was in the last phase of its final Union against her small, traditionally non- graduate student, until his death, due to departure from Afghanistan must have aligned, Muslim neighbouring state in lung cancer, on March 21, 1989.