Amid Real Progress, an Afghan Failure to Take Responsibility

Fox News ^ | December 16, 2007 | Ann Marlowe

[Zakeet]

KABUL, Afghanistan — Air Force Lt. Col. Gordon Phillips of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is usually a very patient man. As the commander of Nangarhar Province's Provincial Reconstruction Team or PRT, he has to be.

Like other Provincial Reconstruction Team commanders in Afghanistan, he spends most of his time in an endless series of meetings with provincial officials and elders, trying to gain the cooperation of the Afghan people in providing security, the rule of law, and economic development.

Largely, Phillips' patience and that of his colleagues in the Nangarhar maneuver command is paying off. More IEDs are being called in by Afghan civilians to the Afghan National Police or Coalition forces. Ordinary Afghans are beginning to look to the law rather than tribal custom to address grievances.

But after a recent attack in his area of command, he had enough.

A suicide bomber detonated his vest while four American soldiers were traveling to meet with elders in Nangarhar Province, to discuss security.

The soldiers escaped the Humvee with only minor injuries before the ammunition inside cooked and blew it apart.

Phillips called a meeting, or shura to talk about the Charparhar attack, and staged it right in front of the destroyed Humvee so that the Afghan elders attending had to look at burned out hulk.

"They expected to say "sorry" and depart. I kept them for an hour to discuss their responsibility as leaders in the community in deterring these attack and getting the population involved," he said.

Phillips is involved in building a road in Charparhar but that day he threatened to suspect the project until the elders get a grip on their community.

"We didn't make any friends that day, but at least they know we were serious!"

[Zakeet]

The rest of the article describes progress made by the Military in Afghanistan. It is worth a read IMO.

[flowerplough]

Hearts, minds, and futility. We're bringing 'em material progress, improving their lot in life, while our men hunt the badmash. And alot of the locals just don't care. They grew up without paved roads, or antibiotics or refrigerated food, and they wouldn't mind living on without them. Clean, paved streets mean little to those with no SUV to drive upon them, and, if their children are crippled or killed by simple childhood diseases, "Inshallah, we will have another child." We're, far too often, "casting our pearls before swine" in Afghanistan and Iraq. We might as well be trying to teach those tribal pigs to fly.

[ARE SOLE]

That is one hard looking Air Force type. Damn.

Regards

[IronJack]

There were those who said the same thing about the Vietnamese.

Frankly, I don't care much about bringing them paved roads and cable TV. That's their business. But I do care about them providing a haven for the bomb-throwers and the Hate America muslime. If we can prove to them that their lives will be better by adopting western principles of self-government, they will reject the tyranny of sharia and the obligation to kill that comes with it.

[flowerplough]

If we can prove to them that their lives will be better by adopting western principles of self-government, they will reject the tyranny of sharia and the obligation to kill that comes with it.

Doubt it. These are tribal Muslims, the "one man, one vote, one time" people. Has any majority-Muslim country ever adopted western principles of self-government, and rejected the tyranny of sharia? Turkey? Egypt? None of the above?

[IronJack]

Until Charles I, no western culture had dared challenge the Divine Right of Kings either. Granted, muslime culture is ossified as none other on earth. But if it’s ever going to break out of that moral/political tomb, it’s going to be because someone showed the locals they had options.

[flowerplough]

And, in Charles’ day, it wasn’t enlightened, outsider bullies who pushed the challenge, either. My old Dad skidded logs for a living, for a few years. He says one of the most amazing sights he’s ever seen was Tony, a big bay crossbreed, about 1300 pounds, standing in full harness in the middle of a stream, in the middle of the day, with deerflies buzzing ‘round his ears and sweat literally dripping off his belly. Wasn’t thirsty, though, not right then. Couldn’t make him drink.

[ViLaLuz]

“We’re, far too often, “casting our pearls before swine” in Afghanistan”

I agree with you. Every time I hear the phrase “to win hearts and minds,” I cringe. I think it’s really a catch phrase for “to enrich accounts of the global elite.”