Mike PouraryanLet's Follow the Money in Afghanistan....
November 20th 2009 06:31
There has been a very interesting story in the Nation Magazine about how the US is helping to finance the Taliban. This may be a shock to some, but it is true. In order to be able to understand how to fight the Taliban, we have to follow the money.
The Taliban have been fighting for some 8 years now. As I have assessed where things are, I reject the notion that somehow things were going in the right direction for two years in a row. The Taliban understood when to strike back. They have struck back with a vengenance. They have been financing their activity with extortion and rackeetering. Contractors have to pay off the Taliban or else they will be attacked. Troops have to be supported and there seems to be very little choice but to make sure the supplies get there.
Beyond the extortion, there is the external support that the Taliban continue to receive from the Sunnis in the Gulf. It seems to me that the key fight should be to cut off the money. Although I am sure that the US Government is leading that fight, it seems not to be enough becasue the insurgency continues to rage.
Mrs. Clinton has been sent to read the useless Karzai the riot act. The question is whether Karzai is going to listen or not. The only people who seem to think that all is well is Karzai sitting in his Arg and his gang. What I am also worried about is the fact that if the President decides to send 40,000 additional troops, it apparently will wipe out the entire reserve component of the Army. I have seen an analysis done by Spencer Ackerman of the Washington Independent Really Long Link that is startling. I am sure that all these factors are being considered at the highest levels of the Government. It is a decision that should not be rushed no matter what the right may say about "dithering".
As I write this, I just saw a report from France 24 http://www.france24.com that Karzai has been sworn in for his second term. How he can look people in the eye and remain credible is mind boggling to me.
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