It was George Marshall, architect of the Marshall Plan which rebuilt Europe after World War II, who observed that "democratic principles do not flourish on empty stomachs." Marshall's words ring true today as a lesson for the fledgling democracy of Afghanistan, where over 8 million people are at risk from hunger and malnutrition.
The George W. Bush administration would be wise to heed Marshall's warning and rally the international community in increasing food aid to the Afghan government.
Following World War II, food shipments were an integral aspect of the Marshall Plan. By helping Europe get back on its feet, the United States was strengthening an area of strategic interest during the Cold War struggle against the Soviet Union.
Today, Afghanistan is the center of the global struggle against terrorism. Osama Bin Laden and remnants of Al Qaeda are likely hiding in Afghanistan or across the border in Pakistan.
Members of the former Taliban regime, which supported Al Qaeda, are still offering resistance to the new government. But insurgent forces are not the only challenge threatening democracy in Afghanistan.
A severe drought has placed millions of Afghans in danger of hunger. In July, the United Nations and the Afghan government made a drought appeal for international food donations. To date, this appeal has not been fully answered by the international community.
Another tragedy is unfolding in the isolated, mountainous regions of Afghanistan where people are in need of food stocks to make it through the winter. The strategic placement of food supplies has to occur before the massive snowfalls hit since it then becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible, to reach these remote Afghan communities.
In 2006, a shortfall in donations to the United Nations World Food Program has put this life-saving program in jeopardy.
The United Nations warns of the dire consequences of food shortages in Afghanistan. Taliban and other resistance forces will benefit from any failure of the Afghan government to provide for its people.
More Afghans will turn to cultivating narcotics for their livelihood. With the opium drug trade booming in Afghanistan, this is already occurring at a startling rate. Money from this opium trade ends up in the Taliban's hands and supports their insurgency.
There is also the challenge of heading off future humanitarian emergencies by establishing food reserves within Afghanistan. This is a strategy that the Bush administration has failed to aggressively promote despite rich examples from prior administrations.
A case in point is an historic food aid agreement with India that was forged during the Eisenhower presidency.
In 1960, the United States agreed to send India wheat and rice under a Food for Peace program. A portion of this shipment was dedicated to building a food reserve within India to cope with future emergencies.
The Indian minister of agriculture stated that such a reserve was of "paramount importance" given India's massive population and frequent food shortages.
Presently, the building of a strategic grain reserve is a goal of the Afghan government. A grain reserve would offer Afghanistan some protection against future food shortages brought on by its age-old enemy of drought.
With the food security from a strategic reserve, Afghanistan can focus more energy on developing stronger institutions and infrastructure. But none of this will happen without robust US and international aid.
It may be difficult for the United States and others to increase aid to Afghanistan in light of other ongoing humanitarian catastrophes and wars. But consider the alternative. Hunger and malnutrition put democracy at risk in a nation at the frontline of fighting terrorism.
It would be wise to plant the seeds today for an investment that will provide major yields in the twenty-first century struggle against terrorism.
William Lambers is a writer for the History News Service and the author of The Road to Peace: From the Disarming of the Great Lakes to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. He contributed this article to the Middle East Times
Commentary: Food vital for Afghanistan democracy
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