As much as it is important to know your history, it is important to not allow your past to determine the future. This is an insight which becomes even more important if the past is marked by triumph and tragedy alike. Afghanistan’s past is a long succession of strife and havoc. Afghan people can therefore be forgiven for not being willing or able to let the past rest. And, surely, there is every justification to take it into account when it comes to building a future.

Nonetheless, now is the time to imagine a 21st-century Strategy for a new Afghanistan. It is the time to think about, to debate and discuss, how the country can develop from a hotbed of conflict to a successful example of state and nation building in the region.

Now is the time to imagine it as a society determined by a set of principles and values which every individual can subscribe to and which may underpin Young Afghanistan’s future leaders’ attempts to bring the country’s people and peoples together, without ignoring or denying their sacrifices in the past.

Let Afghanistan become a society appreciating its diversity characterised by the great variety of different cultures, traditions and customs, languages, creeds, beliefs, and histories. Let Afghanistan become a nation celebrating its ancient, colourful, and deep roots, which transcend its much shorter history as a political entity.

Let Afghanistan become a society of equal individuals, regardless of gender, age, ethnic origins, social status, religious beliefs, and bloodlines. Only if the principle of equality can be widely implemented, will it be reflected on all levels of society, leading to justice and fairness for all.

Let Afghanistan become a society exercising solidarity and unity. The peoples of Afghanistan have always united against their foes from beyond their borders, against the conquerors and colonisers, but once this danger abated, they turned on themselves instead of celebrating their victories and triumphs. If these traditions of division and dissent are overcome, a unified and united Afghanistan will be able to exist and thrive in the future.

Diversity, equality, solidarity and unity: Let's make these the decisive principles when thinking about the country's trajectory into the 21st century.

Debating the 21st-century Strategy requires free and independent thought and debate, leaving behind the fragmentations of the past and the memories of discord and injustice. It needs Young Afghanistan, the leaders of tomorrow, who have every right but also a profound obligation to mobilize their co-nationals in the mission to build a better future.

With the Afghanistan Samizdat, Stratigicon.info provides a secure platform to give people in Afghanistan back their voices and make sure that they are heard by a wider, a global audience.

Palomino, 2023