The Mess in Afghanistan

The United States at least partly has itself to blame for the mess that Afghanistan is in.

First, the United States partly funded the radical Islamic schools where the Taliban learned their extreme brand of Islam.

Second, in 2001 the United States actually funded the Taliban to the tune of $43 million dollars.

Also, the U.S. aided the warlords (later to become known as "The Northern Alliance") when they were fighting the Taliban for control of the country.

Both the warlords and the Taliban have ruled with brutality, for example beating women for not wearing the burqa or even for wearing noisy shoes.

The present government of Hamid Karzai, as has been frequently stated, is corrupt and weak, and has had to be very cozy with those same warlords.

The country has been in a state of civil war for decades. If the U.S. pulls out it will be in a state of civil war. But I have to wonder, how, or to what extent are we helping anything? The U.S. efforts have maimed and killed civilians, even children. To understate, that is no way to win the hearts of the people or to help the country. How much worse off could the country be if we simply pulled out?

Copyright © 2011 by Richard Stein