Afghaniscrewed . . . or, The Problem With Afghanistan: It's Full of Afghans.

[bigtree]

from P.J. Tobia at Village Voice: http://www.villagevoice.com/content/printVersion/970903



The road leading to Bagram Air Base is a mess. Car-sized craters dot the lane, interspersed with ruts deep enough to get lost in. For stretches, it's hard even to know where the road is as it peters out into expanses of dusty scrubland stretching for miles.

Every few hundred yards, a half-built structure rises from uneven ground. It's impossible to tell whether these buildings are in the middle of construction or demolition.

{snip}

Like many Americans, I never questioned the justness of our Afghan adventure. Basic logic: We invaded central Asia because of the horrors of 9/11. The Taliban sheltered bin Laden. They let Al Qaeda plot in safety. We had to kick their ass.

But eight years later, we're still there, and I had no idea why. Conversations with smart people in the U.S. got me nowhere. They talked of "geopolitical ramifications" and "bookending Pakistan." What the hell does that mean?

So I decided to go to Afghanistan and see for myself . . .

read more: http://www.villagevoice.com/content/printVersion/970903

[pscot]

1. Their numbers are expected to triple

by 2050. Won't that be fun.

[Orrex]

2. A little ol' Prima Nocta will sort that out

Wait, what?

[Truth2Tell]

3. Recommended. Thanks bigtree! nt

[msongs]

4. V I E T N A M nt

[bigtree]

5. kick

:kick:

[ConsAreLiars]

6. I was hoping for better, but it's still useful reading.

Written some guy who was never really in Afghanistan, just in US bases talking to the invading foreigners. Even so, the comments are instructive. The bigoted and ignorant intelligence officer got one essential aspect of Afghanistan about half right, which is far better than the usual complete ignorance, when he said: "This country is ruled valley to valley," he says. "Each valley is, in many ways, its own state. Most people who live in these valleys spend their whole lives there, sometimes never leaving. I've had our guys tell me that when they first got here back in '02, some of these people thought we were Russians. They didn't know that Ivan was gone, and they didn't know that we'd showed up."

This is the core reason why the nonsense about following the orthodoxy of "counter-insurgency" domination of the country by having large enough numbers of Afghan Military and National Police and Occupation Forces to control the population is a bizarroworld fantasy. That counterinsurgency strategy worked reasonably for the Germans in Vichy France, but not for the US in its attempt to establish permanent control over the southern part of Vietnam, and certainly is just plain nonsense in Afghanistan.

[bigtree]

7. Afghaniscrewed Photo Outtakes

from Nashville Scene: http://www.nashvillescene.com/slideshow/view/295218/1



American soldiers from 101st Airborne Division, 506th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Delta Company, 4th Platoon meet with villagers to discuss security issues along the Khost-Gardez Pass in Shamal district, Khost province, Afghanistan, June 4, 2008. The Khost-Gardez Pass serves as the most vital route between Khost and Kabul.



American soldiers from 101st Airborne Division, 506th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Delta Company, 3rd Platoon make their way for cover after taking contact July 20, 2008, in Qalandar district, Khost province, Afghanistan.



A man argues with American soldiers from 101st Airborne Division, 506th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Delta Company, 4th Platoon and Afghan National Police officers as they try to search his home during Operation Pirates Cove in Shamal district, Khost province, Afghanistan, February 1, 2009.



A housing unit hit during a rocket on American forces Forward Operating Base Clark in Khost province, Afghanistan, March 3, 2009.



Afghan National Police officers smokes hashish during a late night shift, July 4, 2008, in Shamal District, Khost Province, Afghanistan.

[Orwellian_Ghost]

8. K&R

Have you seen Pratap Chatterjee's most recent pice on Afghanistan?

[bigtree]

9. I did

It's excellent. In fact, this one attracted me because its depth and color of writing resembled Chatterjee's.

[Soylent Brice]

10. here's what i see as the big disconnect:

"So goes the philosophical stand-off: Soldiers view the populace as lazy and uninterested in their own salvation from theocratic-authoritarian rule. Afghans, meanwhile, see little connection to NATO's presence and any measurable increase in security."

maybe they should, i don't know, maybe have more dialogue. find out exactly what the afghan people want out of all this, and go from there.

it just seems like a husband and wife scenario. the wife (Afghanis) is obviuosly upset by the situation, and the husband (the army) is taking action by lobbing grenades, because well... at least he's doing SOMETHING he thinks will help. the husband is not really stopping to find out exactly what her needs are, thus finding out what the more productive action - if any - would be to take. so the husband just continues to piss off his wife, and the wife puts up with it because she knows he means well.

goofy analogy, but it seems to apply.