If you noticed, we are still in Afghanistan! Only now, our boys are dying in Afghanistan, not the Russians.
There is a saying that war makes strange bedfellows and the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The problem is to choose the right friend and the right enemy.
We don't seem to know the difference. (Of course, the Russians didn't know that difference, either.)
Afghanistan was and still is a tribal society with various factions vying for power. There are over thirty different languages (with Dari and Pashto as the main languages) of Afghanistan. They have trouble understanding each other from one tribe to another. One faction asked Russia to help them. (And since we (and Charlie Wilson) were the enemy of Russia we naturally supported the other faction fighting Russia.) The faction that we supported eventually brought us to 9/11.
When we sent in our troops we also sent in people with Russian language skills, because we were not very fluent in Dari and Pashto. And more people in Afghanistan understood Russian than English.
The Russians stayed in Afghanistan for ten years. We will probably be there for ten years, too. Some say that the Soviet Union broke up because of Afghanistan. Perhaps we will break up for that same reason.
The Soviet backed government of Afghanistan also made a number of decrees on women’s rights, banning forced marriages, giving state recognition of women’s right to vote, and introducing women to political life. A prominent example was Anahita Ratebzad, who was a major Marxist leader and a member of the Revolutionary Council. Ratebzad wrote the famous New Kabul Times editorial (May 28, 1978) which declared: “Privileges which women, by right, must have are equal education, job security, health services, and free time to rear a healthy generation for building the future of the country .... Educating and enlightening women is now the subject of close government attention.”
I believe the USA has similar goals.
However, we backed the group that would later punish women by publicly chopping off their fingers because they used nail polish.
Bernie, Excellent summary of an historical event that many people are hazy about, including me. The discussion yesterday was about the statement you made above: "Some say the Soviet Union broke up because of Afghanistan". (At least it was a faction).
I heard on NPR last week, that the Italian govt. was paying the 'enemy' an enormous sum of money to not attack Italian troops occupying southern Afghanistan. When these troops pulled out, the French took their place, (not knowing about the "deal")
and there followed a blood bath of the French. What does this say about this war? Pay off the Taliban, and at the same time, try having some legal elections. I hope we are not stuck there for ten years. We have so many problems here at home, this war is a non winner.
Thanks, Bernie, for your excellent, thoughtful words. (How we repeat the mistakes of history). Could Charlie Wilson's War happen today?
Do you remember that Charlie wanted to get funds to build schools/good relations- kind of the 3 Cups of Tea(book) approach but failed?
I'm reading that book now. What an incredible man to build over 50 schools,. Perhaps if Charlie Wilson had succeeded in bringing schools to Afghanistan, we wouldn't be there now killing and destroying.
I loved the film. One of my "top" films.
