to this (meaning Fuchs finds agreement):

from Fuchs

Today it's like

ISAF/OEF = policeman
Taliban = racketeers
Civilians = shop owner

The shop owner gets extorted by the racketeers, the policeman doesn't catch the racketeers red-handed, but learns about it and speaks to the shop owner.

The shop owner stays silent because he knows that the policeman won't be able to bust the whole racketeer gang and he doesn't want his shop burned down.

On top of that, the policemen rarely leave their fortified police stations, drive around in armoured patrol cars - and still get killed quite often by racketeers.

The promise of security is worthless, the threat is real.
From the shop owner's standpoint, the racketeers are not security. In fact, they can operate only in a zone of insecurity. Now, the policeman could be security, but only if he operates in a zone of security. Since the policeman cannot provide real security (elimination of the racketeers), the promise of security is relatively worth less (is more insecure) than the insecurity assured by the racketeers.

Thus, in distributing insecurity, the racketeer comes out ahead of the police. Legrange could illustrate this concept with more specific, current examples.

My historical example is southern Cork, Ireland from ca. 1200-1600:

policeman = British Crown, whose writ was de jure, not de facto

racketeers = MacCarthy Reagh, an extended family network (sept) of reasonable military talents (centered at Rosscarbery and Kilbrittain, and better political talents (not good for much else)

shop owner = the several hundred septs who were linked to MacCarthy Reagh via an elaborate pecking order; and who paid for and benefited from Reagh's protection money (Black Rents) and loan sharking (cattle lending and raiding) rackets.

To the British Crown, southern Cork was a zone of instability - and perhaps, if the inhabitants had known real security, they would have agreed. In the fact, Reagh offered its inhabitants the best "distribution of insecurity" (which is my use of that term - Marc Legrange may have a different take).

Possibly too much history here of my name "tribe", but it happens to be the traditional tribe best known to me.

Cheers

Mike