Ten myths about Afghanistan
Hat tip to Circling the Lion's Den blogsite.
In 1988, the Soviet army left Afghanistan after a concerted campaign by the western-backed mujahideen. But since then, many enduring myths have grown up about the war-torn country. In his new book, Jonathan Steele sorts the fact from the fiction and to a list of the myths:http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011...ut-afghanistan
Quote:
1. Afghans have always beaten foreign armies, from Alexander the Great to modern times.
2. The Soviet invasion led to a civil war and western aid for the Afghan resistance
3. The USSR suffered a massive military defeat in Afghanistan at the hands of the mujahideen
4. The CIA's supply of Stinger missiles to the mujahideen forced the Soviets out of Afghanistan
5. After the Soviets withdrew, the west walked away
6. The mujahideen overthrew Kabul's regime and won a major victory over Moscow
7. The Taliban invited Osama bin Laden to use Afghanistan as a safe haven
8. The Taliban were by far the worst government Afghanistan has ever had
9. The Taliban are uniquely harsh oppressors of Afghan women
10. The Taliban have little popular support
Some surprises within!
Parallel frontlines: ten years of Soviet and American occupation compared
A comparative article that IMO sits well here, although I will cross refer on the Soviets in Afg thread and is sub-titled:
Quote:
On 7 October 2001, American-British air raids and Special Forces spearheaded an invasion of Afghanistan that resulted in the removal of the Taliban regime and the country’s occupation by the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf). Ten years later, Bruno De Cordier ponders to what extent this episode bears any similarity to the decade-long Soviet occupation of the country.
It ends with:
Quote:
In a way, both projects were to some degree sincere and well-meant. Yet both were roughly confronted with the limits of voluntarism, especially as what they wanted to build has and had little social base in the country. As one Afghan parliamentarian from Ghazni told me, “they both relied too long on the wrong Afghans, the sort of people that they wanted everyone to be and not those that are our real society.”
Link:opendemocracy.net/opensecurity/bruno-de-cordier/parallel-frontlines-ten-years-of-soviet-and-american-occupation-compar
The west's legacy in Afghanistan: so much for so little
Jonathan Steele, of The Guardian, returns with a short pessimistic column and here are his opening passages:
Quote:
This is the year of the big Afghan retreat. By December British and American troops will have left the country after 12 disastrous years. After spending billions of dollars to promote good governance, economic development and women's rights, they will depart from a state that is among the three most corrupt in the world, has rates of infant mortality that match the worst in sub-Saharan Africa and ranks 175th on the UN's chart for gender equality.
No wonder the gap between official western statements and the views of most Afghans remains huge. Rarely has a foreign occupation created so much misunderstanding between invaders and local people. Afghans welcomed the flight of the Taliban in 2001 but also hoped for punitive action against the other warlords who had terrorised them before the Taliban emerged. Instead, they saw them reinstalled in power and soon become the prime beneficiaries of western largesse.
Link:http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...ion?CMP=twt_gu