On The Third Hand

16 November, 2001: "Rebuild Afghanistan!"

A lot of us are being reminded, and rightly so, that this war is not really about Afghanistan and the Taleban. We only went after the Taleban because they were in the way, and harboring terrorists. This is all true, but I think we should remember that this is also going to be a long-term war on terrorism, not just a hunt for El Qaida. There are some excellent reasons that our President must overcome his distaste for nation-building, and also do his best to see that the Afghans win the new "Great Game" which seems to be going on among interested parties.

The Afghans do not think they need UN peacekeepers, and, considering the lack of success UN peacekeepers have enjoyed in the past (see Fred Priuitt's analysis on that), I don't much blame them. The US and UK are the most neutral of the group of "six and two", and we also happen to be the ones whose military help and presence is accepted.

If we want to keep our welcome, the first thing we need to do is keep our nose out of their government as far as possible. As long as they come up with a rule of law and guarenteed rights, we should not allow the "six" to insist on any particular quota. Let the Afghans decide on the composition of their government.

Until they do form a stable and fair government, we need to keep giving them military help, and not simply sell them arms. This will allow us to keep an eye on the situation and guard humanitarian aid, without having any overt "peacekeepers".

Now for the subversive part. Rebuilding infrastructure is the best long term way to keep them from being in constant "Humanitarian crisis". Hiring and training Afghans to help build roads and power plants, clear mines and other necessary work, will also give a much needed boost to their economy. Since women are about 65% of their present population, I think we will need to hire quite a few women too. They will probably be accidently exposed to a few concepts about capitalism and personal liberty, but I'm sure they will manage to cope.

One of the main things needed in Afghanistan (and in most Muslim countries) is a secular education system. The Mullahs should be limited to teaching religion. The best thing we can do is back and fund schools which teach math and science, reading and writing. Those who want to win the war on terrorism need to keep in mind that the biggest breeding grounds for terrorists has been in these Mullah-run free schools.

Helping them to set up an educational system which can eventually (after they are back on their feet) be backed by their government will do more than anything to keep Afghanistan a free and succesful country.

A free and prosperous Afghanistan is the best argument that could ever be made against the terrorists.

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