Friday, January 15, 2010

Another (better) way . . .

Greg Mortenson, the author of the new book "Stones into Schools," believes that there's a better path to peace in Afghanistan other than bombing the place even further back into the stone age.

After working in the region for 17 years, Mortenson argues that building schools and nurturing local communities is the way to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan population and end the United State's long occupation of the country. Mortenson has a unique perspective on the Afghan mindset and culture that diplomats in their air conditioned, well guarded fortresses could not begin to fathom. Read his book "Stones into Schools" and learn something.

In this clip Mortenson discusses with Bill Moyers his efforts to build schools in some of the most remote and dangerous regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The current U.S. strategy (and yes I acknowledge it is Barack Obama's strategy) is simply prolonging the inevitable - failure. And if you don't believe that is true, go find a Russian military veteran of the former Soviet Union's decade-long war in Afghanistan and ask him what he thinks of "nation building" with bombs and guns.






----k

No comments: