The battle for Afghanistan and political change
Paddy Ashdown, the highly thought of, and much in demand Liberal democratic and Peer, has warned the Nato-led alliance is “getting pretty close” to losing control of Afghanistan. He warns that the political battle is probably more important than the military, and that coming from a ex-Royal Marines Officer who saw active military service in Borneo and the Persian Gulf.
If the west had finished the job that set out to do in Afghanistan and set-up a democratized government that could then have been held up as an example to all of us and not just the Middle East we would never have needed to invade Iraq, thus reducing Bush/Blair’s wish for a democratic change in Iraq. Doing the job properly with the correct amount of resource and focus would have meant an end to the Taliban, which would have been welcomed by the majority of Afghanis, the extremists training grounds would also have been reduced and their hiding places effectively restricted. In addition to this would have been the reduction in the drugs emanating from that region, or at least their control to the benefit of everyone, Afghan farmer and western teenager alike.
The longer we in the west pour more military into the region the more reason the Taliban will have for recruiting and that is good for no one.
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If the west had finished the job that set out to do in Afghanistan and set-up a democratized government that could then have been held up as an example to all of us and not just the Middle East we would never have needed to invade Iraq, thus reducing Bush/Blair’s wish for a democratic change in Iraq. Doing the job properly with the correct amount of resource and focus would have meant an end to the Taliban, which would have been welcomed by the majority of Afghanis, the extremists training grounds would also have been reduced and their hiding places effectively restricted. In addition to this would have been the reduction in the drugs emanating from that region, or at least their control to the benefit of everyone, Afghan farmer and western teenager alike.
The longer we in the west pour more military into the region the more reason the Taliban will have for recruiting and that is good for no one.
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The world, and not just America, is ripe for ‘political change’, let us hope that it also begins for Zimbabwe.
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Half an hour after posting the above I found this article related to Barack Obama, it is interesting to note that there is more than one way to look at a Goddess. It is also poignant given the statement I made above regarding 'political change'.
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Mr Ahern, the Irish Taoiseach, has announced his resignation in May from office; this comes on top of allegations relating to corruption. Whatever the outcome of any future investigations for me his legacy will always be the part he played in helping to obtain Peace in Northern Ireland.
Labels: afghanistan, ashdown, Irish Taoiseach, Obama, political
posted by old enough to moan @ 12:11 pm
2 Comments
2 Comments:
i don't think that any democratic country has been able to get a country to be a democratic country yet...they have all been failures..and afghanistan isn't going to be the first..we should just pack up and go the fuck home..let them fight it out as they have for the past kazillion years...and what a lovely and dead on article by alice walker..
I just bought a book called Kite Runner has to do with a boy growing up in Afghanistan - figure I'd give it a whirl...
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