The Taliban has failed to uphold its promises to bring a “new and improved” version of its former rule to Afghanistan. It said it would not punish those who had worked for the previous regime, but we have all seen the pictures of Afghan soldiers, interpreters, and officials subject to summary execution for having collaborated with the American Infidels. The Taliban said women could continue to work, but has since forced them all to leave their workplaces and return home. The Taliban also assured the world that Afghan girls would be able to continue their educations. That promise, too, proved hollow: girls have been sent home, and their schools closed down.
It is the broken promises made to Afghan women and girl that have received the most attention from the outside world. A report on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ criticism of their treatment by the Taliban is here: “UN chief slams ‘broken’ Taliban promises made to women, girls,” Al Jazeera, October 11, 2021:
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has slammed the Taliban’s “broken” promises to Afghan women and girls, and urged the world to inject cash into Afghanistan in order to prevent its economic collapse.
“I am particularly alarmed to see promises made to Afghan women and girls by the Taliban being broken,” he told reporters on Monday in New York….
“Millions of teenage girls across Afghanistan still await a return to school, while the Taliban allowed boys to attend classes last month. The move has raised concerns about the future of female education under the Taliban, who have pledged to uphold the rights of girls and women in the country when they took over power in August.’…
In his address, Guterres also urged the international community to “inject liquidity into the Afghan economy to avoid collapse.”
“We need to find ways to help the economy breathe again … And this can be done without violating international laws,” he said….
Guterres is alarmed by the Taliban, yet he calls on the “international community” to send more aid to the country – which apparently means providing it to the ruling Taliban to distribute, as he does not mention other possible distributors, such as international aid agencies and NGOs. Thanks to such aid, the Taliban will continue to be propped up, and manage — just — to stay in power. And the Taliban will have no incentive to reform if it knows that no matter what promises it breaks, as long as it can claim the Afghan people are impoverished, donors will feel guilty if they do not provide aid, even though this helps the Taliban — the main source of Afghan misery — to remain in power.
There are other ways to raise money for the people of Afghanistan without digging again into our own pockets. One is for the American government to claw back as much as it can of the aid money that has already been provided, with much of it having been stolen by Afghan officials over the past two decades, and to distribute that money to poor Afghans directly, through international aid agencies, including the U.N. and the Red Crescent, rather than giving it to the Taliban to distribute. A lot of money has been stolen by corrupt Afghan officials at every level of government. Former President Ashraf Ghani, for example, when he fled Kabul one step ahead of the Taliban, took with him $169 million in cash; that is money that had been provided by American taxpayers, and that Ghani stole from the Afghan treasury. Ghani is not alone. Former President Hamid Karzai claims to have a net worth of $20,000, but the Americans have said that he has $20 million stashed away, which could only have come from one source: American aid. Hamed Wardak, the son of Afghanistan’s former Defense Minister, recently purchased outright a $24.5 million mansion in Beverly Hills, having previously bough a $5.6 million house in Miami. Where do you think such sums have come from, if not from his father? The American government should be able to find a way to recover this money, and much more — hundreds of millions, or even billions of dollars, in real estate, stocks, and bank accounts in the West — from many hundreds of corrupt Afghan officials and their relatives. All of this could be distributed to the people of Afghanistan
Aid to Afghanistan could also be given not outright, but only in exchange for the Taliban allowing us to go in and retrieve the American military equipment that had been left behind in Afghanistan in the confused and hasty withdrawal from Kabul this past August. The Taliban’s primitive fighters will have trouble using much of that advanced equipment, and in properly maintaining it, and could therefore be persuaded to give it back, in exchange for hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for Afghans.
Whatever aid is given to Afghanistan – whether it is clawed-back from crooked Afghan officials, or provided from the amounts given to ransom American weapons – should wherever possible be given to reputable international aid agencies and NGOs to distribute, rather than being entrusted to the Taliban for distribution. This will avoid having the Taliban being given credit for having obtained the aid, and make it harder, too, for the Taliban to take its own cut from the aid.
Finally, any further aid to Afghanistan should be made dependent on the Taliban keeping the promises it made in August. No more hunting down and executing of Afghan soldiers, interpreters, and others who worked with the Americans. And the Taliban must allow Afghan women to go back to work, and girls to go back to school. Otherwise, the West will cease to fund Afghanistan, and an impoverished people, having nothing more to lose, are then likely to rise up in protest at the Taliban’s corruption, mismanagement, and vindictiveness.
11B40 says
Greetings:
I’ve included my 01 Aug 2021 assessment of how Afghanistan was likely to go below. The one bit that really truly surprised me was the immediacy of the media, NGOs, non-profits, and bureaucracy calls, almost demands in character, for the West and perhaps the rest of the world to bestow more of its wealth on that seventh century wonderland.
It was almost like the Taliban had won an election as opposed to overthrown a government.
01 Aug 21:
Taliban be doing this now or very soonish.
1) Rolling over the areas they can.
2) Feudalistic agreements (kowtows) with warlords they can’t for instance.
3) Low population density areas left to tribalistic pre-history.
4) After things begin to settle, Talibunnies begin to turn on each other.
I thinking that that guy up in the Panshir prior to 9/11 had a pretty good going on up there.
None of these tribes or sub-groups like others very much and there are plenty of diversity going on.
As my father taught me, it’s when the pie comes to the tabl
gravenimage says
All spot on.
Walter Sieruk says
That’s a terrible fool the UN chief is calling for . This is so because all the “aid” sent .no matter how well intended, , won’t go to help the needy poor people of Afghanistan but will end up in the greedy selfish hands of the Taliban.
The Taliban confiscate the the supplies sent to the poor . In other words, the thieving Taliban will steal the goods sent for themselves and only let the poor have some of the basics need to live and that’s only when the worlds news media is around to film it
Infidel says
What should be encouraged is a civil war in Pakistan b/w Tehreek-e-Taliban and Imran Khan’s regime, which spills into Afghanistan and becomes an international civil war, if there is such a thing, in those 2 countries. Once it happens, Pakistan will no longer be in a position to sit easy and forment jihad w/o being dragged into it itself
Kashyap says
UN is acting as an apologist for the Taliban.UN in a way support brutality/ barbarism instead resolving to end the Islamic radicalism
Dan says
While not QUITE the same thing, that’s STILL as STUPID as sending aid to Haiti when the Clintons controlled the relief fund.
Michael Casmer says
Why?
CogitoErgoSum says
Why worry about Afghanistan? The Muslims nations of the world will take care of it. Muslims take care of one another and don’t need the help of filthy Infidels. Yeah, just let the Muslims be Muslims so they can show the world what it means to be a Muslim. I not only say let’s go, Brandon but also let’s go, Afghanistan.
somehistory says
I must have fallen behind somewhere, but I keep seeing “Brandon” in comments on different sites. And I have no clue about this .
I don’t watch any news channel any longer; I do listen some times to Tucker and I listen to Beck. So, do I need to know about Brandon?
CogitoErgoSum says
Here’s an explanation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BIJvRjrImg&ab_channel=KnowYourMeme
somehistory says
Alright, thanks. I had seen that somewhere, but didn’t really pay attention…no time to listen to sports interviews.
It sure makes the reporter seem ignorant, though. So, I don’t feel bad about not knowing.
CogitoErgoSum says
Different words, same meaning – F*** Joe Biden.
gravenimage says
Yes–CNN was being *grotesquely* dishonest about this. Glad people are having fun with it.
peter says
Guterres is the greatest puffball on earth . If he is serious about what he says ,he should donate all the money he spends on food towards world food aid as he is obviously overfed . What a hypocrite !
gravenimage says
UN Chief Calls For Aid For Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan
…………..
Utter insanity. This will just fund Jihad terror. Clearly our weapons falling into their hands is not enough…
JimJFox says
How the hell has the world come to this? Once upon a Time (!) we understood clearly who our enemies were yet now we live in a fantasy of epic proportions.
Australian vernacular has the perfect word for this dumbkopf-
WANKER… “THE STUPID IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE, LUKE”
tgusa says
I don’t know about the rest of you but I always consult a Portuguese leader when looking for advise on how to avoid or eradicate non totalitarian ideologies.
OLD GUY says
STOP the aid to these thieves, our money never helps the people that need it. Our tax dollars go to support lavish lifestyles for the elite and leaders of these hate America countries. You can’t buy friends, or expect crooks to handle your money without ripping you off. Our political leaders are either FOOLS or CROOKS when it comes to foreign aid. They have gone through BILLIONS of our tax dollars and accomplished nothing to help anyone but them selves and our enemies.
Lenny Leaps In says
I wonder what ISIS Korasan would do if they manage to capture the entire Government of the Taliban? Would they behead them all? After all, the Taliban and ISIS are sworn enemies. ISIS beheaded many many Shiites in Iraq/Syria. The Taliban vs ISIS in Afghanistan? A bit like Predator vs Alien. I’d like to see that.
JimJFox says
Me too!
JimJFox says
How the hell has the world come to this? Once upon a Time (!) we understood clearly who our enemies were yet now we live in a fantasy of epic proportions.
Australian vernacular has the perfect word for this dumbkopf-
WANKER… “THE STUPID IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE, LUKE”
JimJFox says
Me too!