Coalition confirms Taliban seized towns

[ProSense]

Coalition confirms Taliban seized towns

By AMIR SHAH, Associated Press Writer 8 minutes ago

KABUL, Afghanistan - The U.S.-led military in
Afghanistan confirmed Tuesday that the Taliban have captured two southern Afghan towns. Coalition forces vowed "decisive action" to reclaim the towns.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060718/ap_on_re_as/afghanistan

July 13, 2006Op-Ed Contributor

Even in Iraq, All Politics Is Local

By RORY STEWART

Kabul, Afghanistan

A GREAT many of the failures in Afghanistan and Iraq arise from a single problem: the American-led coalitions’ lack of trust in local politicians. Repeatedly the Western powers, irritated by a lack of progress, have overruled local leaders, rejected compromises and tried to force through their own strategies. But the Westerners’ capacity is limited: they have little understanding of Afghan or Iraqi politics and rely too heavily on troops and money to solve what are fundamentally political and religious problems.

The coalitions cannot achieve political change in the absence of strong local support. And when they try to do so, they undermine their local allies. Iraqi and Afghan national and regional leaders have a far better understanding of the limits and possibilities of the local political scenes; they are more flexible and creative in finding compromises; and unlike the coalition officials, they are elected. They must be given real power and authority. This may seem an obvious prescription — but in fact the coalitions are not allowing it to happen.

I walked for several weeks across northern Afghanistan shortly after the coalition invasion, and I was struck by the strength and vibrancy of local politics. For four days I walked through blackened villages of ethnic Hazaras that had been torched by Taliban fighters in a last bid to impose central control. Yet within a few weeks of the Taliban retreat in these remote areas — some a 10-day walk from the nearest road in the winter snow — political councils had re-emerged to balance the demands of the community and the realities of local power.

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But the Westerners’ political strategies are too often based more on moral ideals than real information — very few coalition officials serve in these countries for more than a year, even fewer are specialists in the region, and security restrictions prevent them from living in the community. Many have too much faith in their ability to create a society in their own image and a mistaken belief that they can find clean, technocratic, powerful and liberal alternatives to these local leaders. They prefer to rely on constitutions and abstract economic theories than to engage with local personalities.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/opinion/13stewart.html

[Oversea Visitor]

1. Bush foolish war

Da moron war president, what beautiful future he created for all.