Monday, October 19, 2009

What should be done in Afghanistan

What I would like to see happen is for us to switch to the 'Dutch' or NATO method of protecting communities and cities in the most populated areas. This would impact the most number of people with the least amount of casualties. Earn trust, work with the Afghan people and hopefully attract Taliban members to return home to their safer villages and cities. Also attract NGOs to build schools and help the economy. As the area stabilizes, expand the territory.

Meanwhile, some special forces can be used to pursue key Taliban militants.

Also, I would like the U.S. to allow the organizations that have proposed it to set Afghani people up in the industry of making morphine out of the poppies they grow. This would provide income to Afghans, morphine to poor regions in the world where they can't afford the morphine made by big pharma and it would mean the poppies can't be made into heroin and won't provide income to the Taliban. The attempts to stop them from growing opium have not worked.

Also, if marijuana grows so well there, then they can grow hemp as a cash crop. It makes a better fabric than cotton and doesn't require pesticides or as much water, and since we aren't allowed to grow it here in the U.S., there's less competition on world markets. And interest is growing in the eco-friendly fabric.
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