Based on a lifetime of observation & study, it seems to me the root of the problem is our conflict orientation. So long as we plant dragon's teeth, we harvest war & pseudo-war.
Here's my idea: in year 1 of my "Nurturing Peace" program, we take 1% of the Defense Budget and give it to the Peace Corps. In Year 2, 2%. In Year 3, 4%, Year 4, 8%, Year 5 16%, and so forth. We continue until our "foreign entanglement" money is split 50-50 between building peace and fighting war.
Once the US is associated at least as much with building as with fighting, the local folks will begin to protect our representatives and those who work with us, because they don't want to lose that new well, classroom, irrigation project, and so forth.
Over a period of time, those we help will become more prosperous and will be favorably oriented towards the US and US products, growing our economic opportunities and partners. Foreign nationals will be more interested in staying in their own countries to pursue opportunity with their families and friends, and all will benefit.
This is not a quick fix or an easy path, but like much in life, slow growth is often the best path.
Here's my idea: in year 1 of my "Nurturing Peace" program, we take 1% of the Defense Budget and give it to the Peace Corps. In Year 2, 2%. In Year 3, 4%, Year 4, 8%, Year 5 16%, and so forth. We continue until our "foreign entanglement" money is split 50-50 between building peace and fighting war.
Once the US is associated at least as much with building as with fighting, the local folks will begin to protect our representatives and those who work with us, because they don't want to lose that new well, classroom, irrigation project, and so forth.
Over a period of time, those we help will become more prosperous and will be favorably oriented towards the US and US products, growing our economic opportunities and partners. Foreign nationals will be more interested in staying in their own countries to pursue opportunity with their families and friends, and all will benefit.
This is not a quick fix or an easy path, but like much in life, slow growth is often the best path.
5
This is sad. It makes me feel bad about what America does in other countries.
2
Sometimes we forget about these people. It's very sad....
1
The US military's chance discovery of the world's largest lithium deposits --- the stuff which powers promising American hybrid car and solar battery applications --- has little material benefit on the native peoples of Afghanistan, who acquire no share of the bounty.
The situation is not at all unlike the civil unrest which engulfed the streets of Baltimore earlier in 2015. There the equation reaches back 50 years: no education, no job, no housing and no political power equals no hope.
So long as global capitalism is incentivized (some say corrupted) to benefit a privileged few (i.e. - the man behind the curtain) instead of cooperatively aligned to lift the masses, we get what we get.
When it comes to democracy and self determination, so long as property rights continue to trump human welfare, do black lives --- or those of the people of Afghanistan --- matter?
http://lifeamongtheordinary.blogspot.com/2015/04/democracy-and-self-dete...
The situation is not at all unlike the civil unrest which engulfed the streets of Baltimore earlier in 2015. There the equation reaches back 50 years: no education, no job, no housing and no political power equals no hope.
So long as global capitalism is incentivized (some say corrupted) to benefit a privileged few (i.e. - the man behind the curtain) instead of cooperatively aligned to lift the masses, we get what we get.
When it comes to democracy and self determination, so long as property rights continue to trump human welfare, do black lives --- or those of the people of Afghanistan --- matter?
http://lifeamongtheordinary.blogspot.com/2015/04/democracy-and-self-dete...
The world's largest lithium deposits are in Bolivia.
No one is mining lithium in Afghanistan, so there is no bounty to share.
No one is mining lithium in Afghanistan, so there is no bounty to share.
2
Mission Accomplished? We have failed even the most basic of people there.
This entire Middle East has been one huge misadventure we will continue to pay for in decades to come.
This entire Middle East has been one huge misadventure we will continue to pay for in decades to come.
3
This story fell apart in the first paragraph:
"... I started getting phone calls from the Taliban. They would say, ‘‘We will find you, and we will kill you.’’ They claimed to know my name and where I was living. I don’t know if it was true..."
He's not sure if the Taliban knows his name or where he is living. Well, they know his phone number.
What is that saying about the person who continues to do the same thing with the same bad result?
"... I started getting phone calls from the Taliban. They would say, ‘‘We will find you, and we will kill you.’’ They claimed to know my name and where I was living. I don’t know if it was true..."
He's not sure if the Taliban knows his name or where he is living. Well, they know his phone number.
What is that saying about the person who continues to do the same thing with the same bad result?
Working for the Americans in Afghanistan as a translator has proven to be extremely dangerous. Translators also seem to be expendable and it is clear the the US or coalition forces certainly "do not have their backs".
Hopefully Mr. Ahmadi will get his Visa and this comment will be proven wrong, but I fear that today will be like yesterday and the day before and Mr. Ahmadi will continue to wait, and wait.
Hopefully Mr. Ahmadi will get his Visa and this comment will be proven wrong, but I fear that today will be like yesterday and the day before and Mr. Ahmadi will continue to wait, and wait.
4
What a terrible way to have to live. I hope the U.S. lets him come here.
9
America had no right to invade Iraq or Afghanistan or even to interfere in Arab/Muslim Wars in Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia under any excuse.
Neither of those States are living peace than before the American invasion. Bush stupid lie of weapons of mass destruction was proved to be fake. America needs to stop being the police of the World and mind its own business. American tax dollars are given to Israel today to occupy Palestine is also a great mistake as it is the mother of all conflicts in the Middle East.
Neither of those States are living peace than before the American invasion. Bush stupid lie of weapons of mass destruction was proved to be fake. America needs to stop being the police of the World and mind its own business. American tax dollars are given to Israel today to occupy Palestine is also a great mistake as it is the mother of all conflicts in the Middle East.
7
If this young man were an interpreter for us, it is a major failing on our part that we are not following through on the commitment to protect those who worked for us.
19
This is more sad than surprising. The level of corruption in Afghanistan is just about 100% as far as I can tell. The entire country is awash in American money and operates at a much higher level of required bribery and graft than it did when the Soviets were there in the 1980s.
I'm guessing that every Afghan politician in the past 15 years who was anybody at all in the various puppet governments the U.S. installed since we first routed the Taliban out in 2001 opened a Swiss bank account, or an off-shore account somewhere and stuffed as much U.S. money as they could into it, for later use, and for their families, while the ordinary Afghans suffered long and hard as they have for centuries. The tragedy is that the U.S. has spent a trillion dollars in Afghanistan in the past 15 years, and neither we nor ordinary Afghans have much to show for it.
Taliban: 1: U.S.: 0
10
We owe these people.
U.S. stands for U got Shafted.
U.S. stands for U got Shafted.
6
Give them all visas. Now.