Bad news Louis.

Quote Originally Posted by Adrian II View Post
Because we flattened that country, so we own it. And own it we do. If we didn't, the Taliban would be back in power within a year. And if the Taliban weren't a proven security danger to Nato countries, I think we should leave Afghanistan to its own mess and get the hell out of there. That's the ony reason we are there: for us. None of those fancy 'plans' will ever work until Afghanistan joins the 21st century. Unfortunately one can bomb a country back to the Stone Age, but not forward into the future.

I'm not convinced Afganistan was ever a member of the 20th century, not before we got there, not before the Russians got there. So I'm not inclinded to take any responsibility for the less than enlightened attitude of its population.

The demographics are a real worry. As I've said before about that region, no country where a major demographic is sexually frustrated young men with guns is going to work out. Of course women are handed over to men at the age of 7 as "payment", and of course they have their first child at 11.

If we had the troops (which we don't) and if we flooded the place, could we enforce a slightly more liberal system for the 20 years it might take to become embedded? Probably not. But it occurs to me this must be a problem that the British encountered a lot in the good old days. We must have had an answer. For instance we made suttee murder, (eventually) and hung those responsible. I do wonder about the father of the seven year old. Can we find him? If we do, could we shoot him? If not, who was the village senior man at the time? Can we find him? If we do, can we shoot him?

I bet word would get round PDQ.

NB all suggestions of capital punishment without trial are metaphorical. Sort of.