Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
Tipping the balance in favour of one side in a civil war requires deep, lasting commitment, of a kind the West does not have in Afghanistan. Pashtuns are too numerous and too opposed to American intervention. So here's what to do
"All the signs are that the United States military and its NATO allies have not only outlived their welcome in Afghanistan but also passed the point at which their presence is anything other than toxic"
![Insurgents attack the International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan headquarters and the US Embassy in Kabul [Image 11 of 17] by DVIDSHUB](http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6192/6146857751_1cbcd7f927_s.jpg "Insurgents attack the International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan headquarters and the US Embassy in Kabul [Image 11 of 17] by DVIDSHUB")
Gripping inside account of 20-hour siege on American embassy in Kabul, days after 10th anniversary of 9/11. "The fiction of common interests that has underpinned US-Pakistani relations is wearing thin"
"My duties took me into every significant area where our soldiers engage the enemy. What I saw bore no resemblance to rosy official statements. Instead, I witnessed the absence of success on virtually every level"
Excellent assessment of American decade in Afghanistan. US overplayed its hand; underestimated extent to which occupation generates resistance. The Taliban are now back in business, not so much liked as Afghan government is loathed
!["The Star has fallen" - Times Newspaper 28.12.2007 by [Satbir]](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2138/2147731760_cf7e9235d4_s.jpg "\"The Star has fallen\" - Times Newspaper 28.12.2007 by [Satbir]")
Not good for Pakistan. Or America. Or anyone. "Pakistan knows everything. They control everything. I can't [expletive] on a tree in Kunar [province] without them watching. The Taliban are not Islam. The Taliban are Islamabad"
Wide-ranging review-essay. In brief: Western occupation of Afghanistan has been even more incompetent and self-destructive than the Soviet one. We've reached deadlock with Taliban. So talk to them. Make it a peaceful deadlock
Interesting commentary on US Marines scandal. Does dehumanising the dead help soldiers cope psychologically with their act of killing? And how do you explain that it's ok to waterboard a live enemy but not urinate on a dead one?
A war story from Afghanistan. "I wanted to be a witness, full of unimpeachable authenticity. But eventually, every witness to atrocity becomes a participant. And every witness to tragedy becomes bereaved"
Recent NGO reports "help shed light on why the insurgency in Afghanistan has been so resilient and effective at recruiting fighters". It's a "pivotal moment in our understanding of the scale of human rights abuses in Afghanistan"
"It is ironic that the Taliban, who could not kill him when he was part of the Northern Alliance, have finally taken him out when he was attempting to play a very different role, of peace broker"
Investigation into killing of Syed Saleem Shahzad, who'd drawn attention to links between Pakistani military and Islamist militants. "There has always been a red line. But, after Shahzad, no one knows where the red line is anymore"
Image by dchatrov on Flickr
