AFGHANISTAN IS A DISASTER, SAYS ASHDOWN !

Lord "Paddy Pantsdown" Ashdown has finally come to the same conclusion as the rest of the intelligent population of the western world - Afghanistan is a lost cause and we should stop killing our soldiers there.

 

In an article in todsay's "Times" Ashdown has written that it is now crystal clear that, after 11 years, NATO has lost the war and that all western troops should be withdrawn as soon as possible. Why it has taken this supposed expert on foreign affairs and military matters so long to come to make this assessment is anyones' guess.

 

Afghanistan has always been a graveyard for foreign troops, at least since the British first ventured there centuries ago; for some reason best known to themselves, western political leaders, and the Russians, have repeatedly chosen to ignore the lessons of history and the consequence has been a succession of total foreign policy disasters.  It seems that the possibility of gaining some sort of advantage over one's main political opponents has outweighed common sense and the effects have been seen in the count of body bags and coffins.

 

In the western world we are told that we have democracy and that this is the best form of government. It is, of course, the case that our democracy is largely an illusion but we do, at least, get the occasional chance to vote for our dictatators. Contries such as Afghanistan have very different histories and traditions; their cultures are wholly alien to those in the western world and for any other nation, or group of nations, to attempt to impose a democratic form of government on them will always end in failure. If they are to achieve democracy, it will be in their own time and we should leave them to it; if they prefer some other form of government, that is their choice and we should respect it.

 

If the western world has real worries about Afghanistan or any other such country, why don't we just isolate them ? It is far from impossible for us to refuse them diplomatic recognition, refuse to accept their nationals as visitors or immigrants, and refuse to trade with them. It amazes me that vast amounts of money have been spent on a war while the flow of heroin seems to be unaffected; if the same money had been spent in different ways, perhaps much more would have been achieved, although the USA, UK and others would have needed to look elsewhere to conduct their military training exercises.

 

In the end, it's all just politics, and we all know just how dishonest, corrupt and manipulative politics and politicians are.