Something I am very interested in is the Middle East. It seems to be one of the most misunderstood places in the whole world. I follow the news as much as I can and try to read as many books as I can so that I can fully understand the culture and lifestyles of the people we call our enemies. I find Islam and middle eastern culture so interesting. I was almost a Muslim for a half a minute. Two of my fave books are Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortenson. He builds schools in Afghan and Pakistan and I am bordlerline in love with him. What a humanitarian. This is just a little response I have to Stones Into Schools.
After reading a lot about Afghanistan in the news and reading the background on the NYTimes website, I must say it is looking a little bleak for this country. Maybe not though, maybe there will be peace someday. There are definitely some serious issues facing decision makers today. One huge issue is the Taliban. They have taken control of the country. They are a corrupt group that has banned movies and music and made it illegal for women to go to school and forced them to be fully covered. They have kept control and made most of their money because of the opium trade in the country. Hamid Karzai has talked about maybe reaching out to the Taliban and Obama has also said he may consider this.
Another issue is that of the weak and corrupt government of Afghanistan. Hamid Karzai came into power a few years ago and he has a lot on his plate. He wants peace and he wants his country to come out of their economic slump, but this is a tough job because he does not have much support from his own people. The United States is faced with trying to make Afghan’s government strong and keeping Karzai as an ally. In Obama’s plan he said to him, ‘the days of providing a blank check are over.’ Obama plans to crack down and keep Karzai in check but at the same time did not lay out a plan of action is Karzai did not follow through with his plan to change the ways of his governments.
Last but certainly not the least is the need for allies and partners in Afghanistan. At one time, Pakistan was providing the Taliban with resources and weapons. And their neighbor on the other side is Iran, which we all know is no help to the US or the rest of the world. France and Germany have backed off a little with their help to us, as well as a lot of our other allies being unsure when we invaded Afghan. If we had more support from the rest of the world, we would be able to have a stronger force against the Taliban and be able to help aid the people and be able to build up the government better.
The United States is doing a lot for Afghanistan and will most likely continue to do so for years to come. I learned a lot from Mortenson's book about what the US can do. He has a great approach to helping and relating to the citizens of Afghanistan.
One thing that the United States could do is work on education. If they citizens who are educated could maybe stop being taught anti west views, we could maybe start to clear up some issues. Educating them can only help them. We saw all the positive it did for the thousands of people, only women who attended the schools funded by the CAI. A quote in Stones into Schools really stuck with me. “The thirst for education over there is limitless. The Afghans want their children to go to school because literacy represents what neither we nor anyone else has so far managed to offer them: hope, progress, and the possibility of controlling their own destiny.” It is clear that there is not only a need for education but a want. Providing education would be a proactive way for the US to create relations with Afghanistan.
Next, the troops could work even more so on the ground level with the citizens and try to make friends with them. Greg Mortenson made close friends because he did not invade the town and attack. He made nice with the elders and got permission to be there. That is the trick! He was successful in the towns and villages then. And the relationships he built were strong and lasting. He would not have been able to complete his projects without the hard work of the locals.
Another thing I learned from Mortenson was to listen. We have to listen to the people. Greg listened to them so they he could better meet their needs. He listened to his daughter who suggested building a play ground. The US military and the government need to listen to the people. The citizens of the US need to listen to the people also. The Afghans are not all members of the Taliban and they do not all hate the US. They want things we want-education, freedom, choices. Everyone in the whole United States should read this book. Their eyes will be immediately opened and so will their hearts.
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