Afghanistan: Next President's Top Challenge
The British commander of an elite special operations unit in Afghanistan, Major Sebastian Morley, has resigned over what he says is the inadequate equipment given by the British government to his troops, leading to the deaths of some of them.
The US military claims it killed 2 dozen neo-Taliban in a recent battle.
Can the US kill its way to victory in Afghanistan?
One third of Afghans is suffering from chronic food insecurity, which may be a bigger story that the resurgent Taliban.
Aljazeera English explores the challenge of Afghanistan for the next president.
posted by Juan Cole @ 11/02/2008 01:25:00 AM
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There are close to a million solar/dynamo radios US and NATO forces have distributed in Afghanistan. They charge only the dedicated, hard-wired, internal batteries but can easily be modified to charge AA or D cells as well. This would provide a reliable supply of low voltage DC electricity for light and communication.
It might also be a form of swadeshi, especially if the example of Badshah Khan, Abdul Ghaffar Khan, was used. Badshah Khan was a colleague of Gandhi whose non-violence was based upon the Koranic ideal of sadr, patience, and the Pashtun concept of melmastia, hospitality.
I had to take a look at the essay by Bing West criticizing Admiral Mullen for saying we cannot kill our way to victory in Afghanistan
If I am not mistaken, "Bing" West used to publish as "F.J. West." If that is so, he is no lunk headed militarist. His book "The Village" is one of the best things available on counterinsurgency. Looking at the Afghan essy, I do find more subtlety.
West is critical, but mostly of the notion that large scale reform of other societies into the image of the US is easy. He argues that social action must be local and direct:
"It’s not at all proven that the United States can build another sovereign nation in our image. The broad goals Admiral Mullen outlined might be achieved in twenty or thirty years, if a coherent development strategy were devised and funded at several billions of dollars a year—that is, after security was established.
"But nation building and economic development are distinct from the fundamental American mission of preventing the resurgence of al-Qaeda or its extremist affiliates. Our military strategy should treat development funds as a tool in achieving the mission of area security. Provincial Reconstruction Teams embedded in each American brigade and led by the brigade commander add value because they focus their efforts on local projects that give the local people an incentive to align with the American and Afghan security forces in the area. We should trim back our goals and our rhetoric about the end-state in Afghanistan. The U.S. military should focus on security, with economic development as a useful tool but not a mission."
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