Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Follow-up: Afghanistan

This week's Economist has as its cover story "Afghanistan: The growing threat of failure". Inside, the magazine's "Briefing" on Afghanistan is titled "From insurgency to insurrection".

The story begins by describing a conversation between the writer and a local resident. "The Americans are just making trouble for us," the latter says. "They cannot bring peace, not if they stay for 50 years".

More telling is what happened next. The British correspondent started to say his goodbyes and offered his hand. The Afghan responded "with two distastefully outstretched fingers, and said 'I won't shake hands with a Kafir.'" ("Kafir" is a word commonly used in that part of the world to refer to any foreigner. ed.) The Economist says this exchange betokens a fast-growing resentment of the foreign-backed government, the Western troops who prop it up and Westerners in general.

Later, they say "Complete failure--withdrawal by NATO and a return to civil war -- seems unimaginable. But failure of some lesser sort...looks increasingly inevitable."

Walt says complete failure or "failure of some lesser sort" are the same thing. A rose is a rose is a rose. A thistle is a thistle is a thistle. The Western expedition in Afghanistan is nothing more or less than an egregious waste of money and lives. End it now!

Footnote: Yesterday more than 40 people were killed and 66 wounded when five car bombs detonated simultaneously in Kandahar, where Canadians are responsible for security.

Recommended reading: Jeffrey Simpson's column, "The Afghan mission was always destined for trouble. It's arrived", in Wednesday's Globe & Mail.

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