As the writer indicates Afghanistan has become a more dangerous place over the last six years. This is due to

- the Taliban improving their strategy and tactics,

- a reversal of secular laws and Afghan government policies in favour of Islamic fundamentalist laws and policies which severely limits democracy as well as woman's lifestyle and opportunities

- reliance on an illegitimately elected Karzai Government which has little power outside the Kabul city limits. And even Kabul is increasingly disrupted by Taliban suicide insurgents (ignored by the author)

- manifest inability of the Afghan army and police to handle the insurgency or even remain sober (they notoriously drug themselves up while stumbling into battle)

- an open border with Pakistan to replenish Taliban and Al Qaeda manpower,

- and, an opium poppy economy that has never had it so good. Opium is the major cash crop of the country. Even members of the Afghan Parliament (many of whom are Warlords) rely on opium revenue and bribes.

Is the author recommending (its unclear what she's recommending) a massive increase in Western troop number or a continued occupation to honour western troops memory (a la Vietnam). If so this is a recipe for perpetual foreign occupation and perpetual war.

A targeted counter-terrorist approach would be preferable to the discredited large army counter-insurgency approach.

Pete
http://gentleseas.blogspot.com.au/2010/06/afghanistan-differing-indian-and.html

This excellent article seems to be at odds with the story told by Gillard and Carr. Such people are lying through their teeth and they tend to spend a lot of time in Canberra, which is like a Political Disneyland.

I feel sad for the Australians who died in Afghanistan and Iraq, both monumental failures. They died in vain, pawns in the West's political games.

Never mind, we can try again in Iran where there will be a lot more bodies.

Silly humans!

Some good points - perhaps.
But lets not pretend that we invaded Afghanistan (or anywhere else too) to "save" the poor suffering people who live there.

A sad and moving illumination of a context so far removed from our contented daily lives. Much to ponder.

It seems clear that the US, NATO, UN, Allied strategy applied here, as also in other quarters, is flawed. The endeavour to win hearts and minds in Afghanistan and Iraq, as previously in Vietnam, has been a dismal failure. Time to rethink. China alternatively has been moving quietly providing aid and infrastructure development in many quarters, with some positive indicators that it is winning hearts and minds, by improving lives. A better model.

>Had the money been spent properly could it have transformed the lives of ordinary Afghans instead of enriching the corrupt?<

A valid and worthy question, with an obvious answer.

One must now question whether our Western style of democracy is the universal panacea it purports to be, or whether another alternative may be more effective, depending on context and circumstance. What that might be, however, I cannot fathom, save that it must respect the best of the culture and traditions of the nation and peoples to which it is applied. Big guns do not, and will not win. Better honey than vinegar.

Is the solution for Afghanistan for the West to legalise heroin, or to find and support another effective economic base to ensure this nation's future prosperity? Without such a base, what future can there be, but a return to warlords preying upon the masses, Sharia law, and the spread of Islamic fundamentalism throughout the region?

Heidi, a thoroughly good piece, thank you. In my humble opinion we (Australia) should never have gone into the country. To me, it was simply Vietnam revisited. Been there, done that ! And that little escapade was a total failure.

Now we've deployed to Afghanistan we should by necessity stay there...all of us. I believe that when the US and their allies do go, effectively removing all the military muscle from the country, the Taliban will once again come down into the villages and towns right into Kabul, and again rain terror down upon the heads of the general population.

Yet if we DO stay, the 'war' will break us, both in spirit and economically. I really don't know.

There was a report in todays paper which described how, unfortunately for everyone in Afghanistan, the vicous taliban thought/dress/behavior police are already beginning to (again) monster any and every one who transgresses their strict entirely joyless puritanical codes of what is acceptable.

Unfortunately their is nothing we can do about it. And the taliban have plenty of time too.

Unfortunately I disagree with the author and with most of the comments that have been posted. It is an all too common trait with writers on Afghanistan that they are ignorant of even recent history, say from 1970 onward. Afghanistan had a secular nationalist government under Tariki in the 1970s. That government promoted women's rights, universal education, trade union rights and much else we take for granted in the West. It was systematically undermined by the US who trained and armed mujihideen in Pakistan and infiltrated them into Afghanistan and the Muslim republics of the then USSR and western China. That lead to the 10 year Soviet intervention, something specifically planned for as Brezezinski boasted in his book The Grand Chessboard.
The "withdrawal" from Afghanistan the author talks about did not lead to 9/11. The 2001 invasion and occupation of Afghanistan by the US and its allies including Australia was not a response to 9/11 despite claims to the contrary regularly parroted in our media. Even if the events of 9/11 had occurred as the official conspiracy has it, the invasion would still be illegal in international law.
There is a greeat deal more one could take issue with but space limitations prevent that. The interested reader would benefit from reading the works of Scott, Coll, Griffin, Fitzgerald & Gould and McCoy, authors the writer is clearly unfamiliar with. The topic is too important to be left to those whose sentiments outrun their knowledge of the facts.

It is not a solution but it is worth thinking about lest it happens again in Iran, that all of the problems in Afghanistan are the result of the evil machinations of Bush and the neocon gang,
There is not going to be a solution or an end to the horror that is Afghanistan and it will only resolve itself in a very long time, by the withdrawal of all of the invading forces, allowing the Taliban/war lords to take power and eventually be displaced by people power.
The quicker the withdrawal takes place the less people will die and suffer.

Oh no. Not another Great Satan Amerika causation theory!

Or was it the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 or the unpopular Afghan communist regime before that, that resulted in the Afghani jihadist reaction that we know today?

Planta

@ plantagenet. Pete, Can I suggest you read Fitzgerald and Gould's book Afghanistan's Untold Story which is a really useful summary of Afghan history and then read Peter Dale Scott's American War Machine. A good factual basis is always a useful starting point.

Thanks James

Re "A good factual basis is always a useful starting point."

Your suggestion that OLO commenters are unqualified to comment until they read your booklists is noted :)

And you'll have to forgive me - I talk to people, in a variety of positions, currently in Afghanistan.

Anyway I'm currently reading Peter Bergen's "Manhunt" (for bin Laden) and also James P. Farwell's "The Pakistan Cauldron"

Regards

Pete

Plantagenet: Can I suggest that you not only "talk to people in a variety of positions" in Afghanistan, but perhaps go there and walk around outside of the "safe" areas" controlled by the military, well for as long as you last of course.

Thanks sarnian

Then I wouldn't need to field stupid suggestions....:)

Planta

@ Plantagenet.

Thanks Pete. Please don't misunderstand me. I don't expect people to read what I suggest becuase I think they will then agree with me. It is just that a large percentage of the comments on the OLO fora are often based on opinions. I think it was Keynes who said that one was entitled to one's own opinions but not one's own facts. One is perfectly free to reach a separate or different conclusion based on those facts. I just happen to think that we actually advance the argument in a more fruitful way if we look at the world as it is rather than what one thinks or hopes that it is. Hence my suggested reading.

In the case of Afghanistan for example, an abysmal ignorance about their recent history seems to be the norm. The plainly wrong chronology presented in our media (including sadly OLO) ignores the complex history and presents a one dimensional view.

As I have said before, the consequences of basing our foreign policy on such nonsense is both dangerous and manifestly in my view not in Australia's long term interests.

As Labor and the Coalition tend to sing from the same song sheet on foreign policy there is also dearth of intelligent alternative viewpoints heard.

Hi James

I initially suspected your book list encouragement was didactic but that was fleeting.

I agree with you that too many comments stem from a narrow ideological basis (America bad, Muslims bad, etc). An internet mythology born of herd-like hits and easily available comment podiums is not the same as independent study.

Outside of Bruce Haigh and Amin Saikal (my former Lecturer and Tutor) there are few Australian commenters with first-hand experience of things Afghani. I rely on long-term independent US, Indian friends and some Australians (brief residents) for perceptions on the failed counter-insurgency.

Our foreign policy being largely based on CIA, US State Dept and US DoD perceptions is a sad comment on our national autonomy.

For we Australians it is also unfortunately less about facts than about pro US alliance politics and Obama’s re-election campaign (may November roll on quickly ;).

So I think we are in agreement and respect your sincerity about reading books – see part of my booklist here http://www.blogger.com/profile/02624742078679760819 on http://gentleseas.blogspot.com.au/ . While I try to read the latest books I also get new ideas from old books.

Regards

Pete

"Unfortunately their is nothing we can do about it"

I disagree... my opinion is that we should stand at the doorway and let those that want to get out of that oppressive system free access to the World and let those who want to stay and throw rocks at each other and blow each other up stay. Forcing those who want out to stay is akin to forcing a woman to stay in an abusive relationship and saying to her to help herself, while putting up a wall around the house as a solution. Of course in Australia, any attempt to get here will see you decried as some sort of demon spawn and not a human suffering incredible hardship resorting to any means of escape.

How do we pay for that, well I would reduce the Defence budget by 50% and use that $10Billion a year to help out. I figure better to help out then pretending invasion is "helping".

Why ? The current way of dealing with people living in what are euphemistically know as "shitholes" is either to ignore it eg DR Congo etal or invade under spurious reasons spending Billions eg Iraq and Afghanistan and soon Iran.

I know, politically it will never float, too many conservatives want to protect the status quo or have vested interest in perpetuating the war machine.

As to the authors rhetorical question about what will happen, I am not sure but can only presume it will degenerate in a vortex of violence that will suck in the innocent indiscriminately, which is the picture she is trying to get the reader to paint by asking the question.

Maybe Afghanistan will start to find it's way out, maybe like Cambodia (where I am currently), post UNTAC ? Of course, the Khmer Rouge didn't profess to have religion on their side, that was their "weakness". Abusive Islamic regimes learned from such folly and now have God with them <insert sarcastic smiley>