I was talking to some (very smart) US and Canadian military guys who had been in Afghanistan for about a year, and according to them, at least in Kandahar, the Afghans don't care who wins, the Taliban or NATO. They just want one or of the other of them to win so the fighting will cease, or at least diminish. They want NATO to either leave OR greatly increase its military presence.
These guys also have a lot of respect for the Taliban.
--- On Fri, 10/9/09, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
> From: Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>
> Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] yes, we have no peace
> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
> Date: Friday, October 9, 2009, 2:59 PM
>
> On Oct 9, 2009, at 2:53 PM, Dennis Claxton wrote:
>
> > Many Afghans are illiterate, and people in the
> countryside, by and large, had never heard of the Nobel
> prizes. But even among the educated elite in big cities such
> as Kabul, there was some bemusement over President Obama's
> selection.
> >
> > "I'm not sure I understand -- this isn't for peace
> here, is it?" said bank worker Homaira Reza. "Because we
> haven't got any."
>
> Whiner. He should just move to Oslo.
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