Comments on: Does Malalai Joya speak for Afghan women? http://hurryupharry.org/2009/11/22/does-malalai-joya-speak-for-afghan-women/ Liberty, if it means anything, is the right to tell people what they don't want to hear Sat, 26 May 2012 05:54:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Arthur Smith http://hurryupharry.org/2009/11/22/does-malalai-joya-speak-for-afghan-women/comment-page-1/#comment-412856 Arthur Smith Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:48:30 +0000 http://www.hurryupharry.org/?p=24223#comment-412856 Josh Scholar - Folks in that part of the world are not efficient agriculturalists, which is why they have periodic famines and are so heart-rendingly poor. If and when American / Aussie / EU farmers start growing opium poppies on an industrial scale and if and when a Henry Ford / Jethro Tull / Texas A&M smart person or group of agro-tekkie-smarties figures out a machine-intensive way of harvesting the sap and starts cranking out opiates in vast quantities, there will be no market for inefficiently-produced Afghani opium. OR If the NATO / ISAF smarties simply outbid the Taliban and buy the entire crop and pass it over to Pfizer or someone similar, the Taliban will have no financial base. Simple. Josh Scholar –

Folks in that part of the world are not efficient agriculturalists, which is why they have periodic famines and are so heart-rendingly poor.

If and when American / Aussie / EU farmers start growing opium poppies on an industrial scale and if and when a Henry Ford / Jethro Tull / Texas A&M smart person or group of agro-tekkie-smarties figures out a machine-intensive way of harvesting the sap and starts cranking out opiates in vast quantities, there will be no market for inefficiently-produced Afghani opium.

OR

If the NATO / ISAF smarties simply outbid the Taliban and buy the entire crop and pass it over to Pfizer or someone similar, the Taliban will have no financial base.

Simple.

]]> By: Josh Scholar http://hurryupharry.org/2009/11/22/does-malalai-joya-speak-for-afghan-women/comment-page-1/#comment-412724 Josh Scholar Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:03:23 +0000 http://www.hurryupharry.org/?p=24223#comment-412724 If we don't legalize growing opium, then most of their economy is illegal and they're doomed to be a failed state no matter what. If we don’t legalize growing opium, then most of their economy is illegal and they’re doomed to be a failed state no matter what.

]]> By: MoreMediaNonsense http://hurryupharry.org/2009/11/22/does-malalai-joya-speak-for-afghan-women/comment-page-1/#comment-412704 MoreMediaNonsense Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:39:55 +0000 http://www.hurryupharry.org/?p=24223#comment-412704 Some suggestions : 1. Have a referendum in the country on whether NATO troops should stay. Make clear that them staying will be contingent on the country adopting a modern human rights based constitution ie no sharia law. Idea would be to give occupation legitimacy. 2. Make our NATO allies do their part to the extent of threatening to split NATO into "willing" and "non-willing" participants. "Non-willing" participants to be confined to providing their equipment to the "willing". Concept would be particularly popular in UK I reckon. 3. In some regions (eg Helmand ?) give inhabitants option of moving elsewhere, declaring for Taliban or declaring for NATO backed government. In latter category proportion of inhabitants must serve in defensive militias backed by Afghan army and NATO. Any areas which wish to go Taliban should be left to own devices (which will then become targets for Afghan army/NATO forces to attack). Just some ideas - feel free to take apart, I don't care. Some suggestions :

1. Have a referendum in the country on whether NATO troops should stay. Make clear that them staying will be contingent on the country adopting a modern human rights based constitution ie no sharia law. Idea would be to give occupation legitimacy.

2. Make our NATO allies do their part to the extent of threatening to split NATO into “willing” and “non-willing” participants. “Non-willing” participants to be confined to providing their equipment to the “willing”. Concept would be particularly popular in UK I reckon.

3. In some regions (eg Helmand ?) give inhabitants option of moving elsewhere, declaring for Taliban or declaring for NATO backed government. In latter category proportion of inhabitants must serve in defensive militias backed by Afghan army and NATO. Any areas which wish to go Taliban should be left to own devices (which will then become targets for Afghan army/NATO forces to attack).

Just some ideas – feel free to take apart, I don’t care.

]]> By: FlyingRodent http://hurryupharry.org/2009/11/22/does-malalai-joya-speak-for-afghan-women/comment-page-1/#comment-412673 FlyingRodent Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:40:17 +0000 http://www.hurryupharry.org/?p=24223#comment-412673 <em>...he looks for excuses to scream “let them eat cake” ever damn day.</em> "Let us eat sound military and political strategy," more like. Looks like we're going hungry, though. …he looks for excuses to scream “let them eat cake” ever damn day.

“Let us eat sound military and political strategy,” more like. Looks like we’re going hungry, though.

]]> By: Josh Scholar http://hurryupharry.org/2009/11/22/does-malalai-joya-speak-for-afghan-women/comment-page-1/#comment-412665 Josh Scholar Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:23:17 +0000 http://www.hurryupharry.org/?p=24223#comment-412665 Rodent and his sort simply never gave a shit about anyone and he looks for excuses to scream "let them eat cake" ever damn day. It would be a completely unfair insult to excrement to liken him to that. Manure is very useful. Rodent and his sort simply never gave a shit about anyone and he looks for excuses to scream “let them eat cake” ever damn day.

It would be a completely unfair insult to excrement to liken him to that. Manure is very useful.

]]> By: FlyingRodent http://hurryupharry.org/2009/11/22/does-malalai-joya-speak-for-afghan-women/comment-page-1/#comment-412663 FlyingRodent Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:22:03 +0000 http://www.hurryupharry.org/?p=24223#comment-412663 <em>What do you want? A new strategy every six months?</em> A new strategy every eight years doesn't seem like too much to ask. What do you want? A new strategy every six months?

A new strategy every eight years doesn’t seem like too much to ask.

]]> By: Mr Danger http://hurryupharry.org/2009/11/22/does-malalai-joya-speak-for-afghan-women/comment-page-1/#comment-412658 Mr Danger Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:12:26 +0000 http://www.hurryupharry.org/?p=24223#comment-412658 <i>So, is there a plan for avoiding this outcome, or are we to continue sending troops there as glorified target practice for Taliban snipers indefinitely?</i> More troops. More action against the Taliban in Pakistan by Pakistan. Continued evolution of tactics. What do you want? A new strategy every six months? So, is there a plan for avoiding this outcome, or are we to continue sending troops there as glorified target practice for Taliban snipers indefinitely?

More troops. More action against the Taliban in Pakistan by Pakistan. Continued evolution of tactics.

What do you want? A new strategy every six months?

]]> By: Max Dunbar http://hurryupharry.org/2009/11/22/does-malalai-joya-speak-for-afghan-women/comment-page-1/#comment-412642 Max Dunbar Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:45:29 +0000 http://www.hurryupharry.org/?p=24223#comment-412642 I'm not convinced that coalition withdrawal would do any good whatsoever for Afghans but having read Joya's book I think her analysis of what has gone wrong is first class. I’m not convinced that coalition withdrawal would do any good whatsoever for Afghans but having read Joya’s book I think her analysis of what has gone wrong is first class.

]]> By: Colin http://hurryupharry.org/2009/11/22/does-malalai-joya-speak-for-afghan-women/comment-page-1/#comment-412647 Colin Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:44:22 +0000 http://www.hurryupharry.org/?p=24223#comment-412647 Ms Joya will certainly not go to live in Afghanistan. How many armchair heroes of the revolution did you hear of who tunnelled under the Berlin Wall to get INTO the Soviet paradise? Ms Joya will certainly not go to live in Afghanistan. How many armchair heroes of the revolution did you hear of who tunnelled under the Berlin Wall to get INTO the Soviet paradise?

]]> By: Monty http://hurryupharry.org/2009/11/22/does-malalai-joya-speak-for-afghan-women/comment-page-1/#comment-412610 Monty Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:51:40 +0000 http://www.hurryupharry.org/?p=24223#comment-412610 The women of Afghanistan are facing the same problem they have always faced: Their own husbands, fathers, sons and brothers, are the Taliban. They are the Warlords, the drug barons, and their fellow travellers. They are the ones who will throw acid over schoolchildren, for some money. They are the same menfolk who tolerated the closure of all the food aid for widows and orphans during the nineties, and showed up in the stadium in Kabul for the weekly carnage. There is nothing in Afghanistan worth the winning. The women of Afghanistan are facing the same problem they have always faced: Their own husbands, fathers, sons and brothers, are the Taliban. They are the Warlords, the drug barons, and their fellow travellers. They are the ones who will throw acid over schoolchildren, for some money. They are the same menfolk who tolerated the closure of all the food aid for widows and orphans during the nineties, and showed up in the stadium in Kabul for the weekly carnage.

There is nothing in Afghanistan worth the winning.

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