IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1769 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that in order to undermine the Taliban and their terrorist allies, the policy of the United 

States should support the recognition of Afghanistan’s ethnic diversity, 

promoting mutual respect between various communities and regions of 

the country and bringing democracy closer to the people of Afghanistan 

by supporting constitutional change that recognizes and enables a democratic, decentralized, federal structure to replace the present failed centralized system of government, providing a political structure that reflects 

the diversity of the country and that builds trust and goodwill among 

Afghanistan’s many communities. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 15, 2010 

Mr. ROHRABACHER (for himself and Mr. KING of Iowa) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

in order to undermine the Taliban and their terrorist 

allies, the policy of the United States should support 

the recognition of Afghanistan’s ethnic diversity, promoting mutual respect between various communities and 

regions of the country and bringing democracy closer 

to the people of Afghanistan by supporting constitutional 

change that recognizes and enables a democratic, decentralized, federal structure to replace the present failed 

centralized system of government, providing a political 

structure that reflects the diversity of the country and 


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•HRES 1769 IH 

that builds trust and goodwill among Afghanistan’s many 

communities. 

Whereas Afghanistan is a diverse country of minorities, including Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Hazaras, Turkmens, 

Aimaq, Baluch, and Nuristani; 

Whereas decades of civil war and more than a century of repression and discrimination in Afghanistan has resulted 

in distrust, fear, and extremism; 

Whereas supporting highly centralized political structures in 

Afghanistan has led to widespread abuse, discrimination, 

corruption, and lack of local participation and support; 

Whereas the Taliban, aligned with al Qaeda, during their 

reign of terror in Afghanistan intensified policies of ethnic retribution and discrimination particularly against the 

peoples of northern Afghanistan; 

Whereas the Taliban and their al Qaeda allies viewed ethnic 

diversity and political pluralism as the greatest threat to 

their political domination and extremist beliefs; 

Whereas the Taliban and their al Qaeda allies used highly 

centralized governmental structures in Kabul to collectively punish Afghanistan’s diverse ethnic communities, 

enforcing policies of ethnic discrimination and retribution; 

Whereas the Taliban and their al Qaeda allies, after having 

brutally repressed Afghanistan’s diverse cultures and peoples, particularly the non-Pashtun peoples, launched a 

global terrorist war aimed particularly at the United 

States, leading to the attacks on September 11, 2001; 

Whereas the Taliban and their al Qaeda allies were defeated 

by an alliance of the northern peoples of Afghanistan, 


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•HRES 1769 IH 

mostly Tajik, Uzbek, and Hazaras fighting for their freedom and supported by a small number of United States 

Special Forces and directed air attacks by the United 

States Air Force; 

Whereas the defeat of the Taliban and their al Qaeda allies 

in northern Afghanistan led to the collapse of the terrorist Taliban regime and the end to Taliban and al 

Qaeda repression and terrorism; 

Whereas in defeating the Taliban and their al Qaeda allies, 

thousands of brave fighters from northern Afghanistan 

were killed but only one United States citizen lost his life 

in the North, demonstrating that the people of Afghanistan were willing and able to fight the Taliban and al 

Qaeda when they were fighting for their families, homes, 

and freedom; 

Whereas the vital role of Afghanistan’s diverse ethnic communities in defeating extremism and establishing a stable 

Afghanistan free of ethnic prejudice was ignored by the 

international community, which instead insisted on a 

highly centralized and personalized form of government, 

repeating the mistakes of the past; 

Whereas western support for a flawed constitutional process 

which concentrated power in the hands of the President 

including the direct appointment without confirmation or 

consultation of all local, district, and provincial officials, 

including mayors, governors, and police chiefs, rejecting 

the basic democratic principle of local communities electing their own leaders; 

Whereas by supporting a highly centralized government in 

Kabul, the mistakes of the past have been repeated, including during the Communist and nationalist periods, 


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leading to massive corruption, abuse of power, ethnic discrimination, and the disconnection and alienation of the 

people of Afghanistan from their government; and 

Whereas nine years of efforts to build a national police force 

and national military to protect Afghanistan have fallen 

victim to a failed centralized political system and the 

widespread corruption and cronyism it engenders, resulting in involvement of ever more United States and North 

Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ground forces and 

financial resources, from no more than 5,000 troops eight 

years ago to 150,000 troops today: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) the United States Government should— 

4 (A) engage in broadening the regional dia5 logue on Afghanistan to include countries that 

6 have been supportive of the United States effort 

7 to defeat the Taliban such as India, Russia, 

8 Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan; 

9 (B) support and encourage a democratic 

10 decentralized federal political system in Afghan11 istan that shifts more power to regions, prov12 inces, and districts, recognizes Afghanistan’s 

13 ethnic regional and cultural diversity and pro14 motes mutual respect, trust, and goodwill be15 tween the various ethnic communities and re16 gions of the country; 


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1 (C) support urgent constitutional reform 

2 that will enable local, district, and provincial 

3 election of mayors, police chiefs, and governors 

4 which would bring democracy closer to the peo5 ple of Afghanistan and encourage trust between 

6 Afghanistan’s different ethnic groups; 

7 (D) support the establishment of trained 

8 and properly regulated regional militias as well 

9 as a national army to fight the Taliban insur10 gency, particularly utilizing the natural allies of 

11 the United States who helped defeat the 

12 Taliban in 2001 in order to enable the reduc13 tion of the number of United States troops; 

14 (E) undermine the extremism of the 

15 Taliban and their al Qaeda allies and their in16 surgency by drawing the people of Afghanistan 

17 back into the fight by supporting a government 

18 that truly represents them; and 

19 (F) actively oppose the inclusion of the 

20 Taliban in the Government of Afghanistan; and 

21 (2) the United States should abandon its sup22 port for the present failed centralized system of gov23 ernment that has led to enormous corruption, the 

24 abuse of power, the growing drug trade, ethnic 

25 domination which has enabled extremism, and a 


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1 growing insurgency to take root again and require 

2 enormous, decades more commitment in troops and 

3 treasure. 

Æ 


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