Afghanistan Analysis: 'Propping Up The Bad Guys Never Works'

The New York Times has a in-depth look at the corruption in the Afghan government, and it's a stark reminder of how closely we're repeating history on many fronts.

As Dexter Filkins explains, almost anything in Afghanistan is for sale.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[BritishColumbian]

Sort of like supporting the repressive regimes of Egypt and Saudi Arabia?? Who will continue to pay the shieks in Iraq to create "the Awakening" when the Americans leave??

The history of American foreign policy is full of picking the wrong guy..greatest example is the picture of Rumsfeld shaking Saddham Hussein's hands as they sealed the deal of selling weapons of mass destruction to Iraq to wage war against Iran after Iran was taken over by the extreme religious fanatics as a result of the revoilt against the Shah who America also supported.

[watchingthings]

At the end the whole world suffers because of the corrupt few at the top.

[timberdoodle]

No country including America, Russia, Canada or the entire European Union can conquer a country like Afghanistan or Iraq. These types of countires have their own culture and it will be maintained regardless of how many deaths are attributed to overthrowing them.

[CaptainVideo]

The reason the Taliban were initially quickly defeated in Afghanistan was because instead of doing the fighting on the ground ourselves, we gave money, weapons, and air support to factions in Afghanistan that wanted the Taliban gone, and they did the fighting on the ground. We need to use the same strategy again to keep the Taliban from regaining control.

And to eradicate the opium fields, we need to provide generous economic assistance to those local rulers (warlords) in whose lands no opium poppies are growing. That will give these local rulers the incentive to eradicate the opium production. Not growning opium poppies has to be made more lucrative than growing them.

[wedgie]

"Propping up the bad guys never works..."

True. Re-electing them is even worse.

**

[who38]

Hear, hear. And let's not re-elect those people whose primary goal is to prop up Israel.

[hortonhearsawho2]

This analysis was completed in 2001, correct...

[MaybeMilo]

Well, duh - of course, Bush'll be long gone when these chickens finally come home to roost.

[hellerious]

Perhaps there's a job there for Blago?

[hortonhearsawho2]

HairbyBlago Salon

[mamacat]

What a depressing article. The Taliban are pigs, but the government we are propping up is corrupt to the nth degree. Meanwhile, bin Laden laughs at us. "Heck of a job, Browny."

[bubbuh]

We could always try corrupting everybody

[hortonhearsawho2]

The RNC decided on their Party Mission.

[Peabodies]

"Propping up bad guys never works" -- as Sorry Palin might say "You betcha", not having a clue ...

[Hirnlego]

Only 7% of terrorist organizations are beaten with the military. The best one is - diplomatically. involve them into politics

Google: rand corp + terrorism

[who38]

Where they become the antithesis of their original beliefs, eg. Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua.

[rich misty]

I don't see much difference between this, and a Republican government in America

[JessWonderin]

A Republican DREAM State . . . . "free enterprise" for ALL without pesky "over-regulation" . . . .

[HowietheScreamer]

they tried to implement that in Iraq... look what happened.

[peterg76]

The Republicans are a little more subtle, though they've been getting sloppy lately.

[who38]

It will become more obvious when the same group, operating as Dems, comes into power.

[rogerse]

Non-sense.

It worked with Guatemala and Iran.

[mouselion]

"Our support of the Shah of Iran is why Iran is now enriching uranium."

[LeftLeanWing]

More than our support was involved...

There was a coup we and the British executed to overthrow a democratically elected government with a disinformation campaign claiming that there elected leader was a socialist/marxist/communist.

( sounds familiar doesn't it, I betcha ? )

We selected and installed the 'Shah' of Iran mainly because he was weak and could be lead around by the nose ( and not nationalize their oil resources like the deposed leader was trying to do )

the Shah attempted to secular westernize Iran into another version of the Turkey by using any means necessary. Effectively stripping the country of its Islamic identity.

[CaptainVideo]

Our coup against the democratically elected Mosadegh (Sp?) government is why Iran is now enriching uranium. Mosadegh was a secular nationalist reformer.

[Culturemaven]

Was this Afghanistan talking about the Bush government? Absolutely right, propping up the bad guys hasn't worked at all.