Comments on: Europe is not taking its Afghan war seriously

By: Matthew Bennett

Matthew Bennett — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:37:05 +0000

I’m not entirely sure the rest of the world knows what’s it’s doing in Afghanistan, that’s the point. There seem to be lots of mixed messages and missions from the global head shed. Is about opium, oil, human rights, terrorism, Pakistani stability or something completely different, or does it just depend on which politician or General happens to be on TV?

By: Chris Irwin

Chris Irwin — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:43:54 +0000

O.K.

So why does the rest of the world want/need to be there? I don’t know whether you get U.K. TV, but we seem to be averaging about 7 stiffs a week, to say nothing of the wounded.

I usen’t to shout at the TV as much as I have been doing over recent months.

Maybe I should start shouting elsewhere? But according to the press, the public at large is getting the message now…

By: Matthew Bennett

Matthew Bennett — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:31:10 +0000

Hi Chris, I wouldn’t say so. I think attitudes towards the opium suffer from the same confusion as other parts of the current plans; some kind of middle of the road opium strategy that’s neither here nor there, neither practical nor effective.

By: Chris Irwin

Chris Irwin — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:39:30 +0000

why do we think that we can turn Afghanistan’s version of warlord-tribalism into some kind of democracy in even the forty years suggested by the new head of the British Army General Sir David Richards?

Quite. Why indeed?

Surely it is a question of nipping dope cultivation in the bud (excuse pun), as Iraq was about oil?