Whole-of-Afghan Approach
Pan-Afghanism
Distance, Boldness, Initiative
About OFA
OFA was founded in 2022 by grassroots activists to stop the erosion of the hard won gains and to provide a return for a pluralistic republic in Afghanistan. We are democratic and oppose all forms of violence, repression, and discrimination. We are organized to build alliances across the Afghan grassroots, the Afghan diaspora communities, and the civil societies. Our struggle is for dignity and the right to self-determination.
Mission
OFA, as a broad net-work of Pan-Afghan visionaries, connects and organizes Afghan thinkers to promote the cause of Pan-Afghanism— which we call a Whole-of-Afghan Approach—in order to stop the erosion of our hard-won gains; transform the practice of national sovereignty; and provide a return for a pluralistic republic.
Vision
OFA promotes an economically vibrant, politically pluralistic, which is aligned with the Afghan mentality, spiritual, and cultural values, and nationally resilient Afghanistan—while she enjoys close ties to the region and beyond.
● Economically Vibrant
Afghanistan with organizational, industrial, and technological proficiency and a market-oriented mobilized private sector to provide employment, create multiplier effects, and reduce dependence on donors while realizing its role as trade, transit, and economic integration roundabout in the Heart of Asia, linking energy-rich Central Asia with energy-deprived South Asia
● Politically Pluralistic
Afghanistan with a republic architecture/ civil constitution resilient to make her own sovereign choices, consistent with her obligations under the international law, and capable of solving the problem of moral autonomy, individualism, and social order—by democratic means—to reinvigorate social contract between the Afghan people and their government while ensuring there is no space for judicial tyranny, elite orientation toward self-aggrandizement, parochialism, and brinkmanship that weakens the state effectiveness.
● Nationally Resilient
Afghanistan with domestic tranquility, defense of national unity behind secure frontier, secure strategic advantage immunity from intimidation, freedom from subversion or intervention in the internal affairs by other states while enjoying a reputation for shrewd decision making by government and national elites and strong constellation of allies and partners to ensure its survival and continued independent existence.
Theory of Success
1. OFA is principled, long-term, and strategic. OFA will promote and leverage principled Whole-of Afghan Approach/ Pan-Afghanism, which will be complemented by a dense amount of information exchange and services to our fellow Afghans. OFA will strategically frame issues to make them comprehensible and appealing to the hearts and minds of the Afghan people to mobilize the Will, the Strength, and the Potential of Afghans for Afghanistan while introducing new ideas, norms, and discourse (e.g., cultivate and cherish Afghan patriotism by instilling civic identification and loyalty to a pluralistic republic) into the Afghan policy debates.
2. OFA will think and act in novel, bold, and strategic ways to conduct public diplomacy campaigns. A crucial aspect of this campaign will seek to build links among actors in civil societies, like-minded nations, and international organizations; encourage sanctions and employ shame and fame; and generate politically credible and usable information and move it to where it may have the most impact among the Afghan grassroots. OFA will leverage hyperconnectivity to counter messages/ propaganda and narrative-shaping which the regional hegemons employ to advance their malign objectives. OFA will employ lawfare to bring territorial aggrandizements, whenever it threatens the Afghan territorial integrity, to the attention of international bodies.
3.OFA will educate and bring together as many Afghan visionaries as possible who can creatively think, share, discuss, and refine big ideas about Afghanistan’s future. OFA’s visionaries will collectively pursue a future from a clean sheet of possibility rather than reverting to the siloed approaches and failing paradigm that held Afghanistan back. The entire OFA family will understand what it will bring to the future of Afghanistan. Everything OFA does will emphasize Pan-Afghanism.
