Friday, 30 July 2010
'We need to talk to the Taliban'
The conversation might go like this:
NATO: It is wrong to use force of arms to impose your views on others, you need to be elected.
TALIBAN: We can't get elected, even though we are right and the people are wrong, and we need the arms to fight against the oppression of the local warlords.
NATO: So if the local warlords are disarmed, you would disarm.
TALIBAN: Well no, we would then need the arms to keep thugs and criminals from oppressing the people - the central government can't or won't do that.
NATO: How about a joint police force with the local warlords?
TALIBAN: That would work for us: they can oppress the people economically while we oppress them religiously.
NATO: Uh, that wasn't what we had in mind. We thought the local people might elect their own leaders and the joint force would obey those leaders.
TALIBAN: That wouldn't work for us: we'd rather fight, thanks. See, we can't take orders from people who have a different idea than ours about what religion is supposed to be. The people must behave as we tell them to. Oh, and did I mention that elections are actually an anathema. People should not choose who leads, that is the province of Allah.
NATO: And Allah has chosen you to run things? What evidence do you have of that?
TALIBAN: Evidence? We don't need evidence, we have faith.
NATO: Ah, this talking is exactly going the way we'd hoped.
TALIBAN: We're getting a bit bored too. Couldn't you just buzz off home and let us use our guns to force people to live the way we want them to?
The conversation might go like this:
NATO: It is wrong to use force of arms to impose your views on others, you need to be elected.
TALIBAN: We can't get elected, even though we are right and the people are wrong, and we need the arms to fight against the oppression of the local warlords.
NATO: So if the local warlords are disarmed, you would disarm.
TALIBAN: Well no, we would then need the arms to keep thugs and criminals from oppressing the people - the central government can't or won't do that.
NATO: How about a joint police force with the local warlords?
TALIBAN: That would work for us: they can oppress the people economically while we oppress them religiously.
NATO: Uh, that wasn't what we had in mind. We thought the local people might elect their own leaders and the joint force would obey those leaders.
TALIBAN: That wouldn't work for us: we'd rather fight, thanks. See, we can't take orders from people who have a different idea than ours about what religion is supposed to be. The people must behave as we tell them to. Oh, and did I mention that elections are actually an anathema. People should not choose who leads, that is the province of Allah.
NATO: And Allah has chosen you to run things? What evidence do you have of that?
TALIBAN: Evidence? We don't need evidence, we have faith.
NATO: Ah, this talking is exactly going the way we'd hoped.
TALIBAN: We're getting a bit bored too. Couldn't you just buzz off home and let us use our guns to force people to live the way we want them to?
# posted by Had It in Holland Park @ 04:30 
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