Michael's Dispatches

Afghan Ideas from Great Britain

11 Comments

24 November 2009

Adam Holloway, a British Member of Parliament, sent this PDF yesterday evening.  Mr. Holloway is definitely worth reading and considering.

I will land in Dubai on Thanksgiving evening, and from there push to Afghanistan.

Happy Holidays,

Michael

Please click here to view the entire document.

 

Say something here...
You are a guest ( Sign Up ? )
or post as a guest
Loading comment... The comment will be refreshed after 00:00.
  • This commment is unpublished.
    Frederick · 9 years ago
    His ideas seem sensible. The 'Ghan has always been a mountainous, virtually impassable land of small capricious tribes. The harsh geography really shapes politics and people's mindsets. If it was a fertile land with good rainfall, covered by lightly wooded terrain of small rolling foothills, you could apply a baseline nation-building approach. The 'Ghan is a baking desert with some of the steepest terrain in the world -- and no paved roads.
  • This commment is unpublished.
    John D · 9 years ago
    For anyone who is unaware of the schismatic nature of Afghanistan I would suggest Stephen Tanner's Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the Taliban.

    It's very readable and will give a sense of the history of independence in Afghanistan and why the only way a Central Government can work there is when it is imposed by the bloody methods of Genghis Khan and the Taliban. Not a method that the western powers is likely to emulate.
  • This commment is unpublished.
    thad l · 9 years ago
    the battle is with the default setting of leaving them alone versus spreading freedom and civilization.
    it always has been.
    multiculturalism (spelled:marxism) dictates to liberals that we should never touch an afghani, ever, lest we blaspheme the great karl whilst every other dictator or tyrant be allowed free reign over havana, moscow,beijing, pyongyang,saigon etc.
    this battle has been going on since may 45 when it was us against the reds without the chermns to fight over.
    we either have an expeditionary force deployed throughout the world in constant police mode or we will be killed off one by one. there is no hiding from them and our allies really (other than a few who zero is backstabbing) cant be bothered. the only reason the usleft hasnt abandoned this war is because they want rightdem votes for their destruction of the usa. just like in vn. we either increase our presence at the polls or we will be permanently serfs. God help the Afghans that want to be free and any other people yearning for what the liberals spit on.
  • This commment is unpublished.
    Determined · 9 years ago
    GOD Bless our troops and their families and I pray they have a peace Blessed Thanksgiving. I pray they can achieve the goal and come home soon.I pray for the people there and that GOD will touch their hearts and minds and let them taste freedom as we do here.Many many thanks to all and GOD BLESS ONE AND ALL.
  • This commment is unpublished.
    Joseph · 9 years ago
    Wasn't this the setup Abdullah Abdullah was going for? A decentralized state. It worked for 30-40 years in the 20th century - the central government only came in when there was actually a rebellion.
  • This commment is unpublished.
    Kieth nissen · 9 years ago
    Is there no other way for the USA to protect itself against terrorist attack than to battle in those chaotic areas of the world where there is no effective government? especially Afghanistan, but also Somalia, maybe the Congo, Yemen. Would it not be more effective and, ultimately, less costly in lives to suspend parts of the Bill of Rights to allow for more vigorous surveillance and pursuit of suspected malefactors in our own country? horrors, I have suggested sacrilege But isn't the likelihood of ongoing war also sacrilege? I think we may have to recognize that our wonderful, freewheeling, freeform society is deeply threatened. Fighting all over the world may in fact be slow economic suicide. We may degenerate to the point where our military prowess is all we are good at.
  • This commment is unpublished.
    E.T. · 9 years ago
    Isn't MP Holloway known for his pro-Palestinian and pro-AQ stances? I could be thinking of another MP...
  • This commment is unpublished.
    Carl · 9 years ago
    Are you still on the biogas beat? Or are you headed back to the suck?
  • This commment is unpublished.
    Patrick · 9 years ago
    E.T. - Adam Holloway is a conservative MP, and former Army officer - http://www.adamholloway.co.uk/about.htm . The Centre for Policy Studies is a right-leaning think tank. There are no British MPs with a pro-AQ stance - think about what you're saying. You're probably thinking of George Galloway, who does support Palestinian causes (as do many on the left here), but is more notorious for meeting with Saddam Hussein several times. He ran a charity that was supposed to help poor Iraqis during sanctions in the 90s, but the details are a bit murky. He was kicked out of the Labour party, and joined a fringe party called Respect.
  • This commment is unpublished.
    Dennis ODonnell · 9 years ago
    Try reading Michael Yon's reports from Afghanistan. He directed me to this site. Yon made me aware of the great fight that British Forces are taking to the Taliban. Bravo!!! Greetings from across the Atlantic from your American Brothers.
  • This commment is unpublished.
    Winona · 1 years ago
    The story is instructed over the course of 15 chapters.


    Feel free to visit my web site ... final fantasy xv cheats: https://www.npmjs.com/package/finalfantasyxvhacknosurvey
4th-Edition-coverAMZa
Order Your Copy of
Danger Close

Moment of Truth in Iraq

Order your copy today.

Reader support is crucial to this mission. Weekly or monthly recurring ‘subscription’ based support is the best, though all are greatly appreciated.  Recurring and one-time gifts are available through PayPal or Authorize.net.

supp

supp

subscribe

My BitCoin QR Code

This is for use with BitCoin apps:

189

You can now help support the next dispatch with bitcoins:

Donate Bitcoins