Thursday, September 23, 2004
Afghanistan
Peter Bergen says there is reason for optimism in Afghanistan.
Bergen is no Pro-Bush lackey either. Check out his book Holy War, Inc.. Bergen is one of the few (only?) Western journalists who have met Bin Laden.
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What we are seeing in Afghanistan is far from perfect, but it's better than so-so. Disputes that would once have been settled with the barrel of a gun are now increasingly being dealt with politically. The remnants of the Taliban are doing what they can to disrupt the coming election, but their attacks, aimed at election officials, American forces and international aid workers, are sporadic and strategically ineffective.
If the elections are a success, it will send a powerful signal to neighboring countries like Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, none of which can claim to be representative democracies. If so, the democratic domino effect, which was one of the Bush administration's arguments for the Iraq war, may be more realistic in Central Asia than it has proved to be in the Middle East.
Bergen is no Pro-Bush lackey either. Check out his book Holy War, Inc.. Bergen is one of the few (only?) Western journalists who have met Bin Laden.
