Heterodox Views on Politics and Public Policy from Michael Blaine

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Afghans Get A Glimpse Into The "Culture" Of Their Would-Be Liberators


The View From The US vs. The View From Afghanistan

Now that General Stanley McChrystal has been deposed, following some ill-considered remarks about his civilian bosses in the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine, what impressions might the people of Afghanistan be left with? What if the magazine that brought the general down were to be distributed among the populace?

Would they be aghast over the cover photo of Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (aka "Lady Gaga") posing with machine guns pointing out of her breasts? Would they be outraged by such a flippant treatment of violence? Would they wonder why the military officer making life-and-death decisions regarding their country saw fit to discuss his efforts in their country with a magazine generally focused on pop culture? Would they wonder why "serious" journalistic outfits such as the New York Times and Washington Post never dug deep enough to reveal the general's contempt for the civilian leadership?

More broadly, would Afghans wonder why the country that purports to desire the betterment of the lot of women in Central Asia has no females (or for that matter ethnic or religious minorities) in the upper echelons of its military establishment? Would Afghans wonder what they ever did to deserve having such a hypocritical, decadent and ineffectual power poking and prodding at them for nearly a decade now?

If Afghans don't end up asking these questions, at least we Americans should.

2 comments:

Richard Cretan said...

Everybody's ga-ga for a little dumbocracy at the end of a mammary-mounted machine gun. Just ask those satisfied Afghan customers...

Excellent post, Michael.

Also a very fine juxtaposition of images--they reveal the Moronic Inferno in both theory and practice.

Anonymous said...

Agreed. We aren't doing them any good. I say let them live at the mercy of the leaders of the Religion of Peace. Let them be the victims of their own twisted culture, just like we are. Pick your poison, either way it's a lousy way to go through life. At least here a foreign power isn't forcing their twisted ways upon us...unless you consider our government a foreign power.