Afghanistan should not be allowed to destabilize Pakistan: Kerry

Describing Pakistans stability as a vital U.S. national interest, top American Senator, John Kerry has advocated that Afghanistan should not be allowed to destabilize its neighbor and the region.Chairing a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on strategy for Afghanistan, Kerry called for setting realistic goals in the insurgency-hit country.The purpose of our mission should be to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for Al Qaeda and a destabilizing force in the region, especially Pakistan, the Democratic lawmaker said in his opening statement at the hearing, held to explore various scenarios for U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. We also need to consider our mission in Afghanistan in the context of a highly volatile and strategically vital region, where permeable borders are straddled by clans, ethnic groups, and militants, where what happens in one country can have profound implications for the security of its neighbors. The continued stability of Pakistan, a nuclear armed nation in an existential struggle with extremists and insurgents, remains a vital national interest, he added. Kerry said he did not believe that the United States was in Afghanistan to create a carbon-copy of American-style democracy, or impose a strong central government in a nation that has never had one. We must also understand Afghan realities and recognize the decentralized nature of Afghan society. That requires us to be flexible. Afghanistan is a very diverse place, and we need to understand that what works in Mazar-e Sharif, a predominantly Uzbek city that fought the Taliban tooth and nail in the 1990s, is very different from what works in Kandahar, a Pashtun city that welcomed the Taliban with open arms. It also requires us to be humble about our ability to bring large-scale change to other societies. That was true in Iraq, and it is even more true in Afghanistan. We have to weigh our choices against what is possible.