The depredations visited by the Taliban upon Afghanistan would be best countered by the powerhouses of the area,India and PakistanThe Taliban’s portentous advance on Sangin, in Afghanistans Helmand province, or the hasty,improvised British and American response have aroused a broad range of emotions. Anger and sadness on the fraction of relatives of the more than 100 British soldiers who died in an ultimately useless attempt to pacify the area. Bitterness among former army officers who say Westminster failed to set clear goals and adequately support their mission. Bemusement, bordering on hopelessness, and among policy-makers at a loss over what can or should be done to rescue Afghanistan from itself.
The tragedy is that these critical outpourings are largely justified. In Afghanistan,there never was a convincing, coherent, or workable long-term device. The 2001 invasion was initially a US-led effort to catch or kill the al-Qaida terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Its aim widened to embrace regime change,targeting the Taliban regime. Then, when the Talibs were toppled, or it shifted again,to nation building. Thereafter, the US and Britain, and increasingly distracted by Iraq,tended to obtain things up as they went along.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com