@Conscience #100205
Yup. A good way is to find a way to cut their funding or convince Pakistan to stop helping them. I dunno.
It also doesn’t help that many in Afghanistan are more than happy to live under them if it means income and security. Apparently the previous govt. was made up of corrupt, incompetent nincompoops and the military simply went “Here, Taliban. Have this country”.
That’s what’s tragic, the scary holy rollers apparently did a better job than the more secular government. It’s like the Afghanis have to choose between Freedom and Security, but can’t have both.
It’s hard to fight an enemy if a good chunk of the populace you’re trying to save them from actually supports them. It’s like Vietnam.
The problem is that we’re full of hubris and much of the Mid-East’s issues is due to our meddling, botching and imperialistic exploitation. Before that, the Mid-East was fine with ditching theocratic nonsense. However, we decided we wanted oil and were more than happy to screw them over, then we ally ourselves with both the Saudis (who are Wahabbists) and Israel (who treat Palestinians like garbage).
They don’t hate us for “our freedom” they hate us for our imperialism and tendency to destabilize everything. We’d cause coups, overthrowing democratically-elected leaders due to “socialism” or something.
Our actions and meddling has destabilized the region, causing a power vacuum and many young people looking for meaning… thus the IslamoFascists swoop in with their Fundie nonsense.
Couple that with the Saudis wealth and major missionary work all over the place, add a dose of Nationalism and a need to retain cultural pride, and you’re rife for a bunch of countries with serious issues.
If one wishes to get rid of the Taliban, tackle the factors that make it possible. End the meddling, stop allying with Saudi Arabia, stop being so dependent on oil, only ally with Israel under the condition that they accept Palestinians as equal citizens of that nation and perhaps send out Progressive Muslim missionaries to fulfil the Islamic faith-void and counter the Fundie nutsos (even if it means emphasizing the Meccan Quran over the Medinian one).
You got to give them reason to want to change and embrace a more Liberal, modern lifestyle.
I have read somewhere that a large portion of young Afghanis want Progressive change and… if they retain those desires, they’ll be the future of Afghanistan and the Taliban will peter out. Many got a taste of freedom and liked it and want more.
And whose to say there aren’t some open-minded Afghanis teaching their sons to respect women and girls at home?
Finally, a lot of the reasons that the world is what it is that a bunch of companies want to make money selling stuff that requires a crappy world in order to create demand. Help them to switch to selling something else, and they might not be so keen on trashing the planet. Nobody is forcing them to sell oil and weapons. Help Big Fossil become Big Green and weapons manufacturers sell non-weapons and the problem would be solved. Why fight things when they can join in?
Have the West stop meddling in the Mid-East and find ways to accomplish business without blowing up stuff and the Taliban would be history.