A report on efforts to eradicate the opium harvest in Afghanistan came out this week in the New Yorker which I would recommend reading. Written very much in the style of that magazine, the article is entertaining as well as informative. The shooting scenes almost read like an engaging piece of short fiction.
What is the position of our government on the opium fields in Afghanistan? Are we helping or making things worse?
2 comments:
Thanks for the tip Aaron to the excellent article. Too sad.
Interesting to contrast the Dutch engagement with the Canadian mission. Most of the European-NATO members are staying in Kabul or close by and avoiding the south. From this report I take it that even the Dutch who agreed to join us in the south are not stupid enough to to try and actively fight in Afghanistan.
The anti-drug war is now just part of general US hegemony and thanks to Paul Martin and Harper we are part of that strategy.
(Not Chretian, he sent us there to track down the 9/11 sponsors and for PEACEKEEPING ... if you want a timeline check out this link
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20050804/afghanistan_timeline_050804/20060807/
If that link doesn't work then google:
"timeline canadian mission afghanistan"
Another good article:
http://www.counterpunch.org/neumann06052007.html
Ron, thanks I'll check those out.
It does not bother me that the mission would change shape as we go along as long as those changes, e.g. whether to continue bombing villages and opium eradication, are informed choices. I think it is important to remain flexible.
I have been following the developments in Afghanistan for some time now, if not as an expert, but at least as a good citizen. It strikes me that the government is being inflexible --as if the original mission statement were written in stone-- exactly where they should be flexible. They should rethink the opium problem and negociations with some of the Taliban. And what changes have been made are making things worse i.e. tanks and an uncritical playing along with the aggressive (counterproductive) American maneuvers.
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