🚀 go-pugleaf

On 2007-06-26 00:21:27 -0400, leroyblue@pillinor.net said:

> On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 00:08:28 -0400, Slim <slim@pickins.com> wrote:
> 
>> On 2007-06-23 04:45:40 -0400, leroyblue@pillinor.net said:
>> 
>>> On Sat, 23 Jun 2007 00:04:42 -0400, Slim <slim@pickins.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> Asshole.
>>> 
>>> Yes, other men's. That's where you look for your opinions since you
>>> haven't even the ability to pull one out of your own ass.
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> --
>>>> "Naturally the common people don't want war: Neither in Russia, nor in 
>>>> England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after 
>>>> all, IT IS THE LEADERS of the country who determine the policy and it 
>>>> is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a 
>>>> democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist 
>>>> dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to 
>>>> the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is TELL 
>>>> THEM THEY ARE BEING ATTACKED, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of 
>>>> patriotism and exposing the country to danger. IT WORKS THE SAME IN ANY 
>>>> COUNTRY."
>>>>  
>>>> --Goering at the Nuremberg Trials
>>> 
>>> He's your hero.
>> 
>> Not mine. he is a God to the NeoCons who have followed his advice and 
>> terrorized the American People.
> 
> 
> You and your buddies, the Islamic Terrorist are the ones trying to
> terrorize the American people. You're getting your ass kicked here and
> they theirs on a regular basis of late;
> 
> 60 Insurgents killed on Afghan border
> 
> Nato and US-led coalition forces have killed about 60 insurgents in
> Afghanistan along the border with Pakistan, Nato said.


A  Failure of Arrogance and Ignored History
Losing a Crusade: 
Afghanistan, the center of gravity in the post-9/11 war on terrorism is 
unraveling.  A massive opium trade, a dysfunctional central government, 
rampant corruption at all levels of authority and duplicity by the 
West’s Pakistani and Arab “allies” have led to the resurgence of 
organized Taliban militant forces.  Since March, 2006, Afghanistan has 
suffered the most devastating wave of organized violence since 
“victory” was declared by the West nearly five years ago.  The 
unraveling of Afghanistan is a result of arrogant US policy makers’ 
dismissal of history and culture and overconfidence that Afghan tribal 
leaders could be threatened or bribed into submission. 
Delusions of grandeur embodied by inexperienced or self-serving United 
Nations, British, White House and US State Department, Military and 
Intelligence officials have cost the West the respect and trust needed 
to sustain peace. This is especially true among disenchanted 
populations occupied by foreign forces who had claimed to “liberate” 
them.  Western policy makers are discovering a bitter reality: Without 
“winning” friendship by effectively addressing basic human needs and 
understanding the historical behavior and objectives of allies and 
adversaries, these realities have a tendency to bite back with a 
vengeance.  The number of American military casualties as of June 18, 
2006 had increased to 235 dead and a substantial number wounded. 
The Return of the Taliban:
Despite billions of dollars of promised international assistance and 
the presence of 23,000 US military forces and a Western-installed 
government entering its fourth year, the Taliban are returning from 
their mountain sanctuaries in Pakistan with a disciplined and 
coordinated offensive capability. They have become a dangerous force in 
more than half of the country.  The June 12, 2006  International Herald 
Tribune quoted the United Nations coordinator of assistance in Kandahar 
as stating, “The situation is really the most unstable and insecure I 
have seen in the last four years.”  The June 18, 2006 Washington Post 
reported that the Taliban has gone from operating in company sized 
units of 100 fighters to battalion sized units of 400 men. 
The US-led coalition is responding to the fierce wave of political 
violence, which has included suicide bombers and rocket attacks, with 
increased counter-offensives and a public relations campaign.  The 
emphasis on the body count of suspected Taliban fighters is reminiscent 
of the failed tactics of the Vietnam War.  The US relies on its 
military technologies and a larger number of Air Force strikes than 
have been conducted in Iraq during the same period of time.  However, 
the Taliban have adapted to the air strikes, by blending into civilian 
populations, which has caused increased numbers of civilian 
casualties.  This has hurt the American image among Afghans and has 
created increased political pressure on the central government.
On June 22, the Associated Press reported that the usually compliant 
Afghan President Hamid Kharzai called for an end to indiscriminate US 
air strikes.  He publicly stated the deaths of “hundreds of Afghans 
[including Taliban] by US-led forces were not acceptable.”  He stated 
that the tactics of the coalition forces to hunt terrorists does not 
focus on the roots of terrorism.  At a press conference, the frustrated 
Karzai said, “We must engage strategically in disarming terrorism by 
stopping their sources of money, training, equipment and motivation.” 
The Western Coalition in Afghanistan responded harshly to Karzai’s 
remarks.  In the June 26 Washington Post, a number of anonymous Western 
officials said they are “losing faith” in his government and rebuked 
Karzai as “weak” and incapable of projecting leadership.  “There is an 
awful feeling everything is lurching downward,” said a Western 
official.  “Nearly five years on, there is no rule of law, no 
accountability.  The Afghans know it is all a charade, and they see us 
not only as compliant but actively involved.  You cannot fight a terror 
war and build a weak state at the same time.” 
The failure of the central government began at the June 2002 loya jirga 
or tribal leaders council to choose the new leader of Afghanistan. King 
Zahir Shah actually had majority support. But the night before the 
vote, prominent US and United Nations officials postponed the voting 
session and manipulated the process to assure that their favorite, 
Karzai, would be the winner. The disrespect shown to the King cost 
Karzai, and Western-style democracy, credibility among all Afghan 
tribes, including his fellow Pashtuns. It was a pertinent symbol of 
failure that American mercenaries had to guard Karzai because he could 
not find Afghans who he could trust. 

Opium, the Fuel of 
Terrorism:

The revival of the Taliban has been parallel with the 
dramatic revival of massive opium cultivation in Afghanistan. In 
2000-2001 the Taliban enforced a ban on growing opium, not because of 
religious reasons, but because the international market was saturated. 
During that period, the United Nations drug enforcement office 
collected satellite photos of numerous large Taliban warehouses full of 
narcotics that were being withheld from the market until prices would 
be forced to rise.
Following the American invasion, the opium trade in Afghanistan has 
once again become the world’s largest.  In 2005, the Associated Press 
reports, opium which accounts for more than 35 percent of the 
impoverished country’s income brought in almost $3 billion in illegal 
profits to drug lords, Taliban leaders and corrupt government 
officials. It is expected to increase again in 2006.  Around 345,000 
acres of poppies were planted in 2006, an increase of 40 percent from 
last year. The opium is usually processed into heroin before it leaves 
the country, providing 90 percent of the world’s supply.
Helmand province is the country’s opium producing center.  On March 18, 
2006, Agence France Presse quoted Helmand Governor Muhammad Daud, 
“Terrorists and narcotics are very close; they’re supporting each 
other.”  British Lt. Colonel Henry Worsely, of the 3,500 British forces 
currently deployed in Helmand, explained, “Taliban and drugs feed each 
other.  You cannot separate them here.”  Facilitating the narcotics 
trade also benefits radical forces in neighboring Iran’s Revolutionary 
Guards and in Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence organization [who 
assisted the Saudis in creating the Taliban].  An American diplomat 
told the Associated Press that most of the narcotics profits are 
deposited in banks in the United Arab Emirates.  The U.A.E. was among 
the few overt financial and political supporters of the Taliban while 
Osama bin laden dominated Afghanistan. 
Rejection of Western Presence:
Growing popular disenchantment with the West led to widespread street 
violence in the capital Kabul of May 30, 2006 after an American 
military truck accidentally crashed into some civilian vehicles in 
morning traffic.  Mobs attacked Western offices, including humanitarian 
agencies and a modern hotel was raked with gunfire.  It has not helped 
the Western image that international contractors live in opulence 
compared to the ordinary Afghan.  And while everyone has heard of the 
billions of dollars pledged by the international community to rebuild 
Afghanistan, most villagers and residents of Kabul continue to live in 
squalor.  The May 30 riot also followed a highly publicized US air 
strike that killed at least 16 civilians. 
Surprisingly, some of the anti-Western rioters carried posters of 
anti-Taliban resistance icon Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was assassinated 
shortly before the 9-11 attack in New York.  While the Taliban are 
primarily ethnic Pashtuns, Massoud’s followers are ethnic Tajiks who 
had been sympathetic to the West.  Groups of protesters tried to reach 
Karzai’s palace shouting, “Down with Karzai,” and “Down with Bush.”
Sustainable Peace and American Policy
The US State Department, having absorbed the US Agency for 
International Development [USAID], is increasingly relying on the 
military to conduct civil affairs. Until recently, Defense Secretary 
Donald Rumsfeld expressed a guttural reluctance to involve soldiers in 
“nation building,” even on a short-term basis.  However, even in best 
case scenarios, it is difficult for the military to perform sustainable 
peace building missions because of the short-termed mission-orientation 
of their martial profession.  In rural Afghan villages, despite efforts 
by American soldiers to distribute aid in exchange for information on 
the Taliban, most village leaders are politely uncooperative.  More 
than fearing retaliation by the Taliban for being informers for the 
occupation forces, all Afghans are traditionally nationalistic. They 
are steeped in Afghanistan’s history as the “Crossroads of 
Conquerors.”  They and their ancestors have seen numerous invading 
armies since antiquity, including Alexander the Great, the Moghuls, the 
British Empire and the Soviet Union, come and go. 
In order to win the “war on terror” or “clash of civilizations,” 
international policy makers must acquire a respect for the history and 
the cultures of the peoples in front-line countries and states.  Peace 
can only be sustained through mutual respect and built with consistency 
and trust.  That takes time and patience, beginning with targeted 
essential assistance in local communities.  


-- 
"Naturally the common people don't want war: Neither in Russia, nor in 
England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after 
all, IT IS THE LEADERS of the country who determine the policy and it 
is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a 
democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist 
dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to 
the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is TELL 
THEM THEY ARE BEING ATTACKED, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of 
patriotism and exposing the country to danger. IT WORKS THE SAME IN ANY 
COUNTRY."
 
--Goering at the Nuremberg Trials