You know, it has just this minute occured to me that if the US had let Russia overrun Afghanistan unhindered, without inventing and training the Taliban, etc, Afghanistan might _just_ be free of the influence of both Russia AND the US because of the fall of Communism in 1989-90.

Just like all those other former Soviet States! Sure, they might be poor, but I wonder what curcumstances would be like today?

Can the locals organise an Orange Revolution (ie: From WITHIN!) for Afghanistan, do you think?

Kim...

I don't think sis Kim is suggesting "more people to die" rather its her astute observation about the ultimate fate of USSR and emergence of new states without much bloodshed as opposed to what has been witnessed in Afghanistan.

Also, though my brother b95000 is apt in showing us the total voters to impress steady improvement in that country's political state, however, the human rights report is still pathetic where the same old warlords rule most of the land.

On the more, the only thing which may go in the credit of former government of Afghanistan is the effective control of opium poppy crop, the basic ingredient of most of drugs produced in the world. It is said that "Afghanistan's opium poppy production reached record high levels in 2004,.......". Here is the complete report http://usinfo.state.gov/gi/Archive/2005/Mar/05-369889.html

This is all happening when the American forces are still controlling the country. Is there any excuse for this? In a way, if one may view American forces as the biggest poppy growers of the world, it would not be very surprising.

Viewing things from one eye is not a scholarly thing for most except few who want to live in dillusions.

Oh, so you mean security in Afghanistan is still a problem even now? Hmm!! Do you have any clue as who else could be involved other than few remanants of Talibans? My dear, the same warlords are in power and the same old routine is in vogue. Nothing much has changed in that ill fated country except what your monocule would like to show you, though now the allied forces are in control.

Though I clearly don't support any regime, the fact is now the same people are in the delima of facing death for not growing Poppy for their warlords. The question remains what the allied forces doing to stop this cultivation. Now they must not have any excuse of ignoring it and not leaving it for others to do it.

What is this has to do with poppy crop? Hmm!! My brother is apt in congulmerating everything in the name of women's rights etc.

What trade off with freedom? You mean no one knows who is growing this poppy crop and its real hard for the government to accuse them without evidence of doubt? I don't think this is the case. Everyone knows who are the culprits, but no one wants to displease the warlords in the "tradeoff" that they may turn to Taliban. It is this tradeoff that allies are selling the Opimum for the loyalities of these warlords.

I hope, if nothing else, one would like change his monocule in the light of the above facts of life in the "liberated" Afghanistan. 

Ok brother, let this be the issue as you wish to discuss. You have described that Taliban ruled by fear, intimidation and murder. Let us analyse it through little more rationality than emotionally (keeping the 9/11 factor away).

So, as far as their government is concerned, though they had all the bad things that they did that we all (including my self) accuse them of, but one thing that must be admitted is, that their government really implemented the law, without any political baisness etc. One can ofcourse lable this law to any kind of "draconion" law etc, but remember that its their own law that we must pay respect to any independant country as per norms of international mutual respect. No second country has any right to put their nose into their internal laws. Though we can critize them but we can't physically involve in their business to change their law untill or unless they themselves want to change it. Isn't it the ABC of democracy that we indebted to teach everyone. So, once you say they ruled with "intimidation, fear, and murder", I think, we are forgetting about our ABC of this lesson. Secondly, I don't know how can one call the implementation of law as "Murder" except through emotional rhetorics that our media has trumpted in our ears?

Now, coming to your allusion to the polls and hence freedom etc. Though, future of these events would essentially depend upon how long the allied forces are willing to stay "temporarily" over there (if not permanently), but the fact remain that history shows that "democracy" can't be implanted from outside but realised from within the society. Suffice is to know that barring few big cities of Afghanistan, or more specifically except the capital Kabul, there is hardly any place where people are yet ready to accept this concept.

As you rightly pointed out that a process of change of society can't be realised immediately, I would extend this to say that it takes centuries to change, but that too, provided the society itself want a change. Otherwise all implanted concepts would be rejected sooner the dose of chemotherapy (allied forces) is removed. I hope and wish that USA and its allies are not planning for the permanant occupation of the land. Are we? Are we in the making of yet another "Gotanamo bay" in Afghanistan? I don't think so. So, what is our purpose to over stay in that country? Where is our main objective to capture the head of the terrorist gone? In reality, it has gone to nowhere. Yes, all our efforst are to build strong Afghanistan, but was that really our main objective? I don't think so. If we couldn't maintain the law and order situation, just because we are compromising on our values, then its only futile to show the world as what temporary progress the country is making. Ground facts remain that the poor people of that country were suffering from the atrocities of their warlords, and they are still doing so. You point toward the future, but don't estimate how far this future is? Are you talking of few years (a very improbable picture), or of few decades or of few centuries (most likely situation)? Yet, lets hope for the best.