Connections 322 - Sunday 28 April
Quizzes & Puzzles7 mins ago
Can the Taliban be reformed?
Many would say that trying to change their ideoligy doesn't stand a chance. So are we trying to kill every Taliban in existance or batter them into submission? The Russians tried it for 10 years and now every year that passes the situation gets worse and worse.
Maybe we could try a different tack. Civilians are killed daily, the women are unhappy at being forced into a backwards religion, schools are blown up and teachers shot and beheaded. It can't go on!
During WWII children were evacuated from large towns and cities to the countryside. Maybe we could attack the problem in reverse. Evacuate the small villages and send the children with their mothers to Kabul, etc. Instead of 150,000 Afghan soldiers romping the wastelands they could be used to fortress Kabul.
The Taliban could then be left to implement their Sharia law in the deserted wastelands left only with those who agree with it. The coalition troops would then have nothing to do so could return home. Too simple?
Maybe we could try a different tack. Civilians are killed daily, the women are unhappy at being forced into a backwards religion, schools are blown up and teachers shot and beheaded. It can't go on!
During WWII children were evacuated from large towns and cities to the countryside. Maybe we could attack the problem in reverse. Evacuate the small villages and send the children with their mothers to Kabul, etc. Instead of 150,000 Afghan soldiers romping the wastelands they could be used to fortress Kabul.
The Taliban could then be left to implement their Sharia law in the deserted wastelands left only with those who agree with it. The coalition troops would then have nothing to do so could return home. Too simple?
Answers
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You can never change those with a blind belief be it religious or political and with the Taliban it is both. Maybe ' never ' is too strong a word but people are still brain washed and manipulated by myths formulated thousands of years ago . This still applies to our society today so what chance is there for the Taliban.
Rov, are you related to Little Bobs?
AKA General Roberts, he tried a similar policy in The Second (sometimes called Great) Anglo Boer War, Kitchener implemented it and got the blame.
Afghanistan is a long game, change will come slowly to the region, we have to work within the confines of Afghan culture to achieve success, we will not (maybe never) recreate Kent in Kabul.
It's no good espousing western values and ideology to the people of Afghanistan, to bring about such a change means getting them to embark on the same torturous journey our own culture has taken to get here.
A simple example is pre revolutionary Iran (horrible place), the Shah enforced western ideas (most notably clothing) against the wishes of the people, it paved the way for his overthrow. Although many choose to overlook this, it is a fact.
History is littered with sponsored or enabled regimes without a popular movement behind it, and all the troubles that go with it, post war Greece (wanted Communism), post war Romania (didn't want Communism), Yalta ensured they got what they didn't want, Franco's Spain and the Irish Free State all bear witness to the sufferings of the people when their will is ignored.
AKA General Roberts, he tried a similar policy in The Second (sometimes called Great) Anglo Boer War, Kitchener implemented it and got the blame.
Afghanistan is a long game, change will come slowly to the region, we have to work within the confines of Afghan culture to achieve success, we will not (maybe never) recreate Kent in Kabul.
It's no good espousing western values and ideology to the people of Afghanistan, to bring about such a change means getting them to embark on the same torturous journey our own culture has taken to get here.
A simple example is pre revolutionary Iran (horrible place), the Shah enforced western ideas (most notably clothing) against the wishes of the people, it paved the way for his overthrow. Although many choose to overlook this, it is a fact.
History is littered with sponsored or enabled regimes without a popular movement behind it, and all the troubles that go with it, post war Greece (wanted Communism), post war Romania (didn't want Communism), Yalta ensured they got what they didn't want, Franco's Spain and the Irish Free State all bear witness to the sufferings of the people when their will is ignored.
'Fraid so. this is their country, and oddly enough, the people there seem to think they may like a say in how their lives are organised.
The obvious difficulties in 'winning' seem to be willfully overlooked by the governments and military minds in charge of this horror.
Why should a culture based on tribal feudalism want or need to embrace democracy? The Taliban were seen as a stableising influence after Russia left, but for some reason, an entire nation has to pay the price for limited extremism.
And the 'soultion'? A puppet government riven with corruption and an 'Afghan Army' to enforce the democracy pushed on these people. And the result?
An Allied military force sends in career soldiers, foreigners, who will be there for a limited time and come home, faceless, hated, but anonymous.
The 'replacement'? Native Afghans who live in this country with their families.
The Taliban answer?
GI Joe was only here for a short time, obeying orders and counting the days until he went home and left us alone.
You? You live here, I know your name, where you live, where your family live. Forget fighting us or you and your family will suffer. You are not anonymous. You are not going anywhere.
How many Afghan 'soldiers' will stick around to fight when the invaders have given up and gone home?
That rumbling sound you will hear will be the Afghan 'army' running home and forgetting a fight they cannot win, and leaving their country where it was before the invasion - minus several hundred thousand lives lost.
Getting the job done?
Winning the 'war'?
Get real!!!
The obvious difficulties in 'winning' seem to be willfully overlooked by the governments and military minds in charge of this horror.
Why should a culture based on tribal feudalism want or need to embrace democracy? The Taliban were seen as a stableising influence after Russia left, but for some reason, an entire nation has to pay the price for limited extremism.
And the 'soultion'? A puppet government riven with corruption and an 'Afghan Army' to enforce the democracy pushed on these people. And the result?
An Allied military force sends in career soldiers, foreigners, who will be there for a limited time and come home, faceless, hated, but anonymous.
The 'replacement'? Native Afghans who live in this country with their families.
The Taliban answer?
GI Joe was only here for a short time, obeying orders and counting the days until he went home and left us alone.
You? You live here, I know your name, where you live, where your family live. Forget fighting us or you and your family will suffer. You are not anonymous. You are not going anywhere.
How many Afghan 'soldiers' will stick around to fight when the invaders have given up and gone home?
That rumbling sound you will hear will be the Afghan 'army' running home and forgetting a fight they cannot win, and leaving their country where it was before the invasion - minus several hundred thousand lives lost.
Getting the job done?
Winning the 'war'?
Get real!!!
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