Quote Originally Posted by rtodhner View Post
Do I find such behavior repugnant and despicable? Yes. Do I think they are sex crimes? Yes. Can the United States go around protecting the world from itself? No. If the behavior being observed violates local laws, then the United States and other peace keepers need to intervene. If not, then we need to do our best to influence the locals to change.
Well, according to this reference:
....the fundamental attitude of Afghan law towards sexual activity is best expressed in the Civil Code, which is also a product of the 1970’s socialist period. Article 60 of the Civil Code defines marriage as “a contract which legalizes intercourse between a man and a woman….” ....The Penal Code proceeds from the fundamental assumption that sexual activity is by definition illegal, criminal, and punishable. Only the marriage contract removes the criminal nature of sex. This understanding of sex disregards the element of consent that is imperative in classifying the crime of rape in most modern legal systems. In Afghanistan, outside of marriage, both consensual and non-consensual sex are equally punishable, while within marriage, both types of sex are equally permissible....
and according to this one, cited by Stars & Stripes:
Afghanistan
Male-Female Sex: 18/Married
Male-Male Sex: Illegal
Female-Female Sex Illegal
any sex between males, consensual or not, age of majority or not, appears to be illegal in AFG.

Quote Originally Posted by rtodhner View Post
However, we cannot impose our beliefs, customs, and laws upon cultures that do not share them

To do otherwise, no matter how strongly we may feel on the issue, is a sure recipe for the situation to head due south and ensure that we meet the same fate as the Soviets and others who have attempted to control the area.
Too true.

However, what do you make of the devil's advocate position that females have been denied education in a LOT of conservative, traditional rural AFG for a looooooooooong time, and we (the Coalition) seem to be pushing hard to enable that scale of culture change?