Re: President Obama To Announce Details of Afghanistan Strategy On Wednesday
fortunately that's A) incorrect (culture can change quite rapidly in response to incentives and technological and political development) and B) not what we are trying to do. we are mostly trying to replace their system of government with an emphasis on their security forces.
Culturally and historically, the Afghan tribes will fight among themselves until they have a foreign enemy against which they will fight. Very similar to fighting among family members, but unity against an outsider.
Unfortunately, among large numbers of the people we are seen not as liberators any longer, but as occupiers. In my opinion, this is due largely to the corruption and excesses of the Afghan government, Afghan army and the police
We need friendly acquaintances, we don't need insignificant allies/buddies that we need to prop up, help with security, etc. Especially with Muslim countries, we shouldn't be in the business of nation building. Their culture is too foreign. Not that we can't understand it, its just that it is foreign to our way of doing things and unless you are willing to destroy that culture and rebuild it in our image, trying to graft on our way of doing things just hasn't been proven to work...
From an economic/commercial standpoint, A-stan is located in one of the world's many assholes. They have no resources to speak of. They don't have agriculture. They don't have industry. They don't have any skills or knowledge that is of value to anyone else in the world. And they are land locked, which means everything they want to ship out and everything coming in has to pass through the hands of others.
Opium??? .....since it has to be smuggled where ever it goes, you can't really consider it as a basis for a viable, growing national economy and middle class.
The cold, hard fact is, not everyone is suited for a democratically based system of government. It is not compatible with their eons old tribal traditions, their lack of education, etc. Sure, there are plenty of people in Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, etc. who have some education and want to see their people progress beyond a tribal stage and become an actual nation state that operates under a rule of law that applies to everyone. But the reality is, they are opposed by just as many people who will fight to stay where they are (and keep/get the power they want) and the vast majority of the population who are sheep. Just like here.
