“Compassion”, the 19th century Polish philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer wrote, “ is the basis of morality.”
In a world sorely in need of copious amounts of it, compassion is both highly selective and hostage to a short attention span on the part of the public and the news media, the inevitable consequences of the way news is disseminated. … Read the rest
Much as it is justified, the opprobrium heaped on the Taliban for decreeing women must shroud themselves in all-encompassing burqas in public, would carry more weight if it included an uncomfortable acknowledgement: institutionalised misogyny doesn’t make them unique.… Read the rest
Western governments are all but crowing over the efficacy of sanctions as a weapon in the war in Ukraine. Forgotten in the rush is that whatever their contribution towards victory over Vladimir Putin, sanctions are on the point of destroying the people of Afghanistan, but have little chance of changing let alone ousting the Taliban.… Read the rest
The most brutally moving aid poster I’ve ever seen is of an emaciated child sitting with an empty food bowl. The caption reads: “I was hungry and you formed a committee to discuss the matter. Thank you.” Afghanistan calls for an update: “I am dying, and you imposed sanctions to solve the matter…’… Read the rest
“You can always count on Americans to do the right thing, after they’ve tried everything else.”
Had Sir Winston Churchill coined his famous phrase with the Afghan debacle as a benchmark, he could have added that the learning process invariably includes tuition fees paid by those with no say in the curriculum.… Read the rest
The 19th century struggle for dominance in Afghanistan was dubbed “The Great Game’.
The 21st century version is looking increasingly like ‘The Grotesque Game’; summed up neatly by an Afghan proverb: “While the butchers were arguing, the cow dropped dead.”… Read the rest
Military history is littered with examples of out-numbered and out-gunned, rag-tag forces outlasting well-trained, weapons-rich enemies.
Afghanistan is but the latest.… Read the rest
In a war zone, what you don’t understand is potentially as dangerous as bullets, bombs and shrapnel.
Body armour, common sense and luck will help keep you safe from the latter. But the only protection from the perils of ignorance or misreading of local culture is a smart, loyal interpreter.… Read the rest