A study group has developed a worthwhile read on how to move forward in Afghanistan, offering a simple 5 point recommendation - here
If acted upon, the recommendations could help turn the humvees and dingos around. Lest we forget, how about a 10 point reality check to go with it:
1. The Taliban are largely a "blow back" phenomena of misguided U.S. policy
2. U.S. policy failed to separate the Taliban from Al-Qaeda, confusing the two
3. The Taliban themselves are contrary to Afghan culture
4. Both the Taliban and Al-Qaeda arise out of Saudi culture
5. The Taliban should be viewed as a fluid movement that wanes and waxes, like most criminal organizations, by the environment in which it operates. In other words, Taliban recruitment goes up and down, depending largely on: (a) the local economy; (b) outrage and anger with ISAF actions (e.g. civilian deaths, etc)
6. The Taliban, like most paramilitary groups, have a vested financial interest in maintaining the war.
7. Taliban ideology can be defeated through a solid Islamic theology
8. Cut off the Taliban's sources of weapons and funding and you cut off the Taliban
9. The Afghan people deserve a better alternative to the Taliban than Karzai and his cronies
10. Iran and Pakistan are key to stabilizing Afghanistan
Learn more about war on earth - here
Consider conflict on Pandora - here
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