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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: michael97123 who wrote (54594)	10/24/2001 5:19:41 PM
From: Sun Tzu	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 70976

Mike, Will, and the thread, There are two issues to decide about the current campaign in Afghanistan. Is it moral? And is it the right way to achieve the goals (or is it even effective)? I have to say no on both counts and before you jump to conclusions, hear me out. Is it moral to force 2 MILLION innocent people into starvation and bitter cold winter so as to get to a few hundred criminals who killed 6000 innocent? I have a fundamental difference of opinion with anyone who thinks it is ok, for the same reason that I disagree with the police engaging in a shoot out in a crowded street, even if the police tries to use its best snipers at the killers. Two wrongs don't make it right; they make it even more wrong. Second, is it effective? Past the point of destroying the air fields and freezing the financial assets, I have to say further bombings have been unnecessary and harmful. To begin with, you cannot deter a suicidal terrorist by destroying the country, especially if he did not even come from that country. What is more, the heavy handed tactic being used has stirred such hatred in the region, that chances are more potential terrorists are now created than killed. The difference between the wise and the fool is that the wise learn from their mistake (and the mistakes of others) but the fool keep on as before. Two days ago I was reading a book by Ahmed Shah Masood, the late leader of the Northern Aliance who was killed by a suicide bomber just before September 11. The book was written a few years ago and in it Masood says, "The Afghan nation shielded the world against the expansion of communism by sacrificing 2million of its best. The west had the moral obligation to help us rebuild the country once we did our part. Instead, Europe has completely ignored us, Pakistan back-stabbed us by supporting the Taliban, and the United States has taken to the Pakistani view and indirectly supports the Taliban against us. The day will come that the world will understand that the danger of Taliban is no less than the danger of communism. Help us rebuild our country before we are all destroyed". It seems quite prophetic to me. But have we learned anything? As we speak the mistakes of the past are being repeated. To begin with, we are still letting Pakistan influence the Afghan policy. i.e. the same people who created the Taliban and still have not accepted the Taliban involvement in terrorism are calling the shots and have our tacit promise that whatever the new regime in Kabul, it will be a friendly one to them. So much for destroying the supporters of the terrorists! So far the United States has not provided any significant help to the Northern Aliance because we still have the pipe dream that by keeping both sides weak, we can put a "friendly" puppet government in Kabul. As if past support of Pakistan and Taliban helped us any! When will the state department open its eyes and realize that human nature is too complex for such plans? It appears we have learned nothing from the past. So what should have been done? Once the Taliban air fileds and heavy defences were destroyed, their assets ceased, and their borders shut air tight, we should have used only special ops which have a much smaller footprint. At the same time, would should have provided food and supplies to the civilians, arms and intel to the Northern Aliance, and medical care to the freed portions of the country. Soon a popular uprising along pressure from the Northern Aliance would have finished the job. THEN, instead of listening to the Pakistanies, we should listen to the Afghans and help them create a moderate government that for a change puts the Afghans' interest (not the US, not the Pakistanies, and certainly not the Russians) first and rebuild their country. It is still not too late to do so. In the long run, or even in the medium run, this solution is much better for all parties involved. Sun Tzu P.S. I am still out of the country and hope to be back by monday.