Ghost of a flea

Army staff and National Defence headquarters officials were told in 2007 that young boys had allegedly been sexually abused by Afghan security forces at a Canadian base in Afghanistan, but the concern at the time was that the incident might be reported in the news media, according to military records obtained by the Citizen.

In addition, last year Brig.-Gen. J.C. Collin, commander of Land Force Central Area, passed on to the senior army leadership the concerns raised by military police who said they had been told by their commanders not to interfere in incidents in which Afghan forces were having sex with children.

Let's review the situation: Afghanistan was used as a base by al Quaeda to organize the Sep. 11 plot. Our legitimate interest was to destroy al quaeda's operation there and eliminate any threat from Afghanistan. In this instance I agree with John Derbyshire; "rubble doesn't cause trouble". We should have bombed them back to the stone age and left, repeating as needed. A strategic bombing campaign is inexpensive and devastating. The problem was in trying to impose a democratically elected government on the Pashtuns. They just don't get it.

Unlike Iraq, Saddam aside, which has a many-thousand year history of civilization Afghanistan has none. George W. Bush had an admirable, if ultimately futile goal in reorganizing Iraqi society in the wake of Saddam. A peaceful, democratically elected government in the heart of the Islamic world would have far-reaching consequences throughout the middle east.The ultimate result is yet to be seen, but the effort may well be justified. On the other hand, Afghanistan has never been civilized. The ability to live in a (somewhat) peaceful society has both genetic and cultural roots, and they run deep. Forcing such changes on the Pashtuns would be a multi-generation project involving occupation and a colonial government. For Afghanistan the game isn't worth the candle. It is time to time to send our troops elsewhere and send in the Hellfire missiles (or the Ghurkas, same result). Troops out, bombs in would also have been an effective response in Somalia, A few MOABs would have made our point most effectively: attack Americans and die. It will work against any form of barbarian. Unfortunately Western societies have lost the ruthlessness needed to impose such short, sharp shocks to our enemies. It mat yet be our undoing.