brentashley

I was watching some debate on current affairs and one of the participants talked of the support that America gave to the Afghans and the Taliban during their war with the USSR. The argument was that America was “on their side” at that time and they should remember that.

America wasn’t supporting the Afghans in their conflict against the Russians. America was feuling them to fight its own enemies, to act as essentially disposable soldiers for its own interests. As soon as they beat the Russians into submission, my understanding is that America by and large turned its attention, support, money, help, compassion elsewhere.

If we’re going to understand these people, their motives, their fury, we’re going to have to allow ourselves to see their perspective, as unflattering as that may be to our own cause.