tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1070229262860530921.post4915636330383764352..comments2023-06-20T19:32:32.299+04:30Comments on Bill and Bob's Excellent Afghan Adventure: PBS's Frontline Report On AfghanistanBill and Bob's Excellent Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04340122322147987992noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1070229262860530921.post-21166048322426533442008-11-06T19:11:00.000+04:302008-11-06T19:11:00.000+04:30Great review and i must thank you for your insight...Great review and i must thank you for your insight and serviceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1070229262860530921.post-42864983457313386232008-11-03T13:23:00.000+04:302008-11-03T13:23:00.000+04:30Boy, that's a great post, and it raises a very imp...Boy, that's a great post, and it raises a very important caution regarding the recent drumbeat of 'let's get to work in Afghanistan' stories I've seen: many of them focus on the most difficult areas, and then erroneously generalize that situation and the techniques applied to the rest of our efforts in Afghanistan. The PBS Frontline's lead in footage of the Korengal Valley is a case in point.<BR/><BR/><BR/>As you make clear, the Korengal Valley is not representative of all of Afghanistan; it is exceptional, maybe even unique. The blend of geographic, social and linguistic isolation that characterizes this transplanted Pashai tribe makes it very tough to get through to them. When you add the fact that they've been making their money by an illegal timber trade for the past eighty years, it becomes obvious that it's not only tough to get through to them, they have reason NOT to be got through to. And then you add Wahabbism on top of that, and you actually have a pretty difficult problem, one in which the population does not see any physical, moral or cultural reason to side with the government. In fact, doing so would threaten just about everything that makes up their culture. So they fight. <BR/><BR/>This is emphatically not the case in other parts of the country. In fact, it is not the case just 5 kilometers to the north or 10 kilometers to the east, where the Safis of the Pech and Kunar Valleys have very profitably allied themselves with the government and are enjoying some of the greatest progress those areas have probably ever seen. And these are areas that are themselves famous for resisting Kabul -- the Safis proudly claim that the 'jihad' against the Soviet Union began in this area.<BR/><BR/>So, to show the hard fighting of the Korengal Valley and then to use that to shape an understanding of the overall situation in Afghanistan or the overall character of Allied efforts in Afghanistan is so inappropriate as to be misleading. In that sense, it is a shame that so many journalists have spent so much time focusing on that area; it's not where the key story is. In another sense, of course, it's nice that they do so; the young soldiers who fight there deserve the acclaim and respect of their countrymen, so it is good to see the coverage. But to show the frantic daily fights in the Korengal and then to suggest that it forms the basis for policy decisions is wrongheaded in the extreme. <BR/><BR/>It's nice to see someone out there with actual knowledge who is trying to set this stuff straight. Keep it up!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1070229262860530921.post-55473323325331867032008-11-01T01:33:00.000+04:302008-11-01T01:33:00.000+04:30Excellent review and thank you your insight and se...Excellent review and thank you your insight and service.<BR/><BR/>DaveAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1070229262860530921.post-38406213402514829432008-10-31T00:23:00.000+04:302008-10-31T00:23:00.000+04:30As usual, stellar analysis. As much as I love Long...As usual, stellar analysis. As much as I love Long War Journal and SWJ, I enjoy reading this blog much more. Keep up the great articles.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com