Yes, Manda Joe has rather captured my reaction, which is not to escuse a certain meanness. However long experience working outside of the developed world has bred immense immpatience (okay, I’m not a patient man at all) in re people making snap judgements. I’m not going to make a fake apology but I do regret the tone.
But most of all I hope people will think about the very real consequences of American policy in re refugees and the immense, I would say heart-rending difficulties refugees face in getting out of… hell.
Actually, I think the unwritten rule these days is that a government can do anything to its own population it wants - it’s only when a government spills over its border and starts messing with other folks that anyone gets concerned enough to maybe do something about it.
Broomstick, you say that like it’s a BAD thing. The fact is, we can’t invade every country that engages in human rights abuses. Even if it were justified some of the time, it would eventually become a mere fig leaf. I mean, invaders through the years have always used that excuse.
Human rights abuses are not an act of war. Sometimes we can do something about human rights abuses. Sometimes we can’t. Afghanistan is a case where we really can’t do much, except give humanitarian aid to the millions of refugees.
Also, according to the news reports, Afghanistan is going to suffer a crop failure this year, due to drought. Mass starvation is likely. Whether that strengthens or weakens the Taliban remains to be seen.
Oh, could anyone visit the GD Taliban thread and explain to Morrison that the US did NOT support the Taliban against the Soviets? Since the Taliban was set up in exile in Pakistan and only took over the country from the various warlords we did support AFTER the Soviets left?
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghanistan’s Taliban militia has ordered all female aid workers working in the war-ravaged Central Asian country to refrain from driving, saying it is “against Afghan traditions.”
—Ummm, I am not too familiar with whatever religious text the Taliban uses (the Koran?). But does it really outline who can and cannot drive CARS?
It’s not against the Koran, but against Afghan traditions… That way they don’t have to justify it to the rest of Islam. Which is pretty chicken-shit, if you ask me.