Journal: Fighting against ourselves in Afghanistan
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The U.S. trains forces in Afghanistan that then go to work for the Taliban
Ann Jones
Key Points:
1. Washington and U.S. military out of touch with ground truth and historical-cultural reality in Afghanistan.
2. We are training individuals in US techniques who desert and join the Taliban–we are literally training the Taliban to beat us.
3. Many individuals are re-enrolling under multiple names in order to get the training and the good food, while many others take the training and the food and never come back after their first period of leave (vacation after training).
4. Pashtuns are not joining police and so the Americans are sending non-Pashtuns back into Pashtun territory to act as police–this is so stupid as to be insanely criminal and irresponsible.
Phi Beta Iota: This article was linked to in an earlier post on connecting the dots, but it reads better in Salon and we recommend a careful review–this is journalism at its very best, informing the public about FACTS that the Administration desires to ignore.
Final sentence: “Think instead about what you might have won — and could still win — had you spent all those military billions on food. Or maybe agriculture. Or healthcare. Or a civilian job corps. Is it too late for that now?” I would actually like someone to answer that question. A while back, when Stiglitz estimated the cost of Iraq at multiple trillions, I was considering writing up a hypothetical. What would have happened if there were no invasion, but we instead ‘bombed’ Iraq with a million bales of hundred dollar bills? Would that have broken many people free from a terrible system? Distracted them for years while they upgraded their lives? Giving the money “responsibly” to agencies that are supposed to build things makes the funds susceptible to theft. Just distributing it to individuals might appeal as a “free market” solution with zero shrinkage. I think we should contemplate such alternatives, given the high cost and low prospects of the military solution, which may simply be unnecessary for a true “effects based” strategy. It would certainly be cheaper.
You might wish to take a look at the review I just did of Out of Poverty. Bottom line is that we have to work with the bottom and provide solutions at the bottom that address the needs of the bottom in $1-$5 per day increments–80% of the money gong through governments is feeding corruption, not change.