The War
Kabul falls, what now? This is what’s next.
Every Wednesday or Thursday, people selling copies of the Green Left Weekly newspaper declare outside Central: “stop the war in Afghanistan!” I can not see anything wrong with the US’ decision to go to war with the Taliban and al-Queda. I do not understand the vehement condemnation of the war. The moral argument that asserts that even the loss of one innocent civilian’s life renders such an action as unthinkable is akin to having tunnel vision. Loss of innocent life is certainly reprehensible and thus it would seem to not engage in war and to not endanger innocents is the morally correct thing to do. But, in reality, is declaring war upon the Taliban a morally incorrect thing to do? Is protecting the welfare of the Western world from terrorists a bad thing? (You may not stamp out terrorism by eliminating Osama, but does society let murderers go free because imprisoning murderers will still not eliminate murder?) Surely the liberation of the Afghani people from a government that only one country in the world even recognises is a good thing? Liberation from a “government” that has implemented such an oppressive version of Shari’a that even its citizens detest it?
You just have to look at all the media footage screened yesterday and the almost too-common reports of the music playing through the streets of Kabul, or people dancing, men shaving their beards off and women removing their purdah and burkas. Is this a bad event? Could this have happened without the US’ action? No. In a world that harshly condemns China for its poor human rights, it should be noted that in a country like Afghanistan under the Taliban, the concept of human rights is laughable. Yet when the US seek to depose the oppressors, the harbourers of terrorists, people cry out in objection.
(Don’t get me wrong, countries like Saudi Arabia are similarly strict in implementing their brand of Shari’a, but they have fallen in the US’ good graces because of trade. I never said this was a good thing – it is just the way things are. And they don’t harbour terrorists, of course.)
10:59am (GMT +11.00) tomorrow from Work, Burwood
