Please move this if “GQ” is not the correct forum for this thread:
You don’t hear much (or anything) about Afghanistan now that the media & government have shifted our attentions to Iraq, but a friend was “reactivated” and is currently on his way to Afghanistan. I don’t know what he’ll be doing (not that he could say) but this leads me to wonder: the last thing I remember seeing were images of Afghanis dancing and singing in the street after the Taliban were removed, which was a nice image to have but . . . what’s happening in Afghanistan these days?
same thing… people hungry and no representation in gov’t.
taliban and other terrorist groups will try to attack.
your friend is going there as part of US forces incharge of rooting out any taliban or terrorists.
afghanistan is now patrolled by NATO forces as they take turns deploying a couple of thousand or so soldiers policing the area and training local men to police themselves.
they are also training soldiers.
gov’t is crafting a constitution and still trying to form a gov’t.
factions and tribal differences are slowing things down.
US has committed aid, but not enough and world community is slow to give aid. this is not just food aid, but building infrastructure aid, too.
that is all i know.
what i am surprised no one talks about is that if we are having problems forming a successful democracy in afghan, how are we so sure about iraq?
Though I agree with much of your summary of the Afghan situation, there is a pretty big difference between the two. Granted Iraq has its own problems (sectarianism, for instance), but it has an infrastructure, e.g. roads, airports, schools, and hospitals, and has had some kind of civil government in the past – not democratic to be sure, but certainly something where standard institutions exist, as they did not in Afghanistan.
1979: Russians rolled in and quickly took over Kabul. Installed their man as president. Spent the next several years fighting guerrillas in the hinterland.
2001: Americans rolled in and quickly took over Kabul. Installed their man as president. Since then, fighting guerrillas in the hinterland.
See, that’s what I’m afraid of - that the people and party we back now will just turn around and bite us in the future. Didn’t we sort of support or at least supply arms to the Taliban to fight the former Soviets and to some extent supply Iraq when we were fighting Iran? It feels cyclical.
Fang, yes you are right. I am just surprise media has been quiet.
Mojo, yes you are right that there are many similarities.
There are differences. Afghan trying to built infrastructure and built consensus. From what lil info I heard, USSR was not doing that. USSR has large military presence. US has small groups. USSR did not try to win majority. US wants to install a government governed by the majority.
Well, notice i said built consensus and wants majority rule. those are goals which have not been reached, so too early to judge.
Not sure what US policy is.
InTransit,
i really doubt they will come back to haunt us. They are supposedly composed of different tribes, so balance of power??? not sure.
iraq was supplied by US until US figure out Saddam was insane, so stop.
Taliban was more like no choice.
Back then US always chose the other side to oppose USSR disregarding who they are supporting. If Hitler was still around, US will back Hitler to fight USSR. That was the type of mindset US seem to be if you look at the dictators US supported.
I have yet see a case/scenario where US refused to support an evil dictator to fight off USSR led commies. Is there any?
Castro asked for economic and military support from the US, which was denied because of his socialist tendencies. So then he went and buddied up with the USSR and became even more of a menace.
But you make an excellent point about the cold-war era support for dictators. Since the other major player in the cold war is now at least nominally on our side, the US seems much more willing to march in and attempt to install decent democracies, instead of stage military coups and install friendly dictators. The dictators had a nasty history of turning on us. Let’s hope the democracies don’t follow that trend.