A Movie, and a Mess Returns to Afghanistan
25 December 2007 7:17 pm by Taylor Marsh
“Charlie Wilson’s War” is fun, which is odd considering the subject
matter is deadly serious. But it’s deliciously scripted by Aaron Sorkin of “The
West Wing,” with Mike Nichols, one of the truly great directors taking
hold of the rest with great success, as usual.
Fast forward to present time, with Sebastian Junger’s piece for Vanity Fair.
Honestly, in the hands of Bush and the Republicans we can always replace victory
with defeat.
The Center Cannot Hold
By many measures, Afghanistan is falling apart. The Afghan opium crop has
flourished in the past two years and now represents 93 percent of the world’s
supply, with an estimated street value of $38 billion in 2006. That money
helps bankroll an insurgency that is now operating virtually within sight
of the capital, Kabul. Suicide bombings have risen eightfold in the past two
years, including several devastating attacks in Kabul, and as of October,
coalition casualties had surpassed those of any previous year. The situation
has gotten so bad, in fact, that ethnic and political factions in the northern
part of the country have started stockpiling arms in preparation for when
the international community decides to pull out. Afghans—who have seen
two foreign powers on their soil in 20 years—are well aware of the limits
of empire. They are well aware that everything has an end point, and that
in their country end points are bloodier than most. … ..
If you want to hear more about Afghanistan, listen
to my archived interviews with Scott Kesterson, who last year was the only photojournalist imbedded with Special Forces in that country.
We need to get out of Iraq, then turn our attention back to Afghanistan, a
place we never should have let unravel again. It’s a fresh hell we’ve created
out of possibilities. Once again, the Republican foreign policy at work.
