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Genocide or Peace
We Can Feed the Starving Afghan Millions or Mount a Military Campaign. We Can't Do Both.
by George Monbiot

http://www.commondreams.org/views01/1002-04.htm

"... The UN predicts that some 2.2m will be displaced from their homes within Afghanistan, as they flee the cities for fear of the Taliban's press gangs and America's bombs, and flee the villages for fear of the escalating civil war. This scattering is doubly calamitous: not only are the people unreachable, but they are also unable to sow the winter wheat that would keep them alive next year...."

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On the other hand, I was knocked for six by a reply on another web bulletin board. They said that even though the situation was dire, it's the Taliban that got Afghanistan into this mess in the first place (they are very anti-technology, and they preferred to allow cash crops to be grown [drugs] instead of food - not very Islamic!). If NATO gets rid of the Taliban and installs a friendly regime, people would no longer run away and starve because of the threat of war. On the other hand, that may not be part of NATO's actual plans (as opposed to their Public Relations plans).

I am in no illusions as to NATO's "humanitarian" motives or lack thereof, but perhaps getting rid of the Taliban would be the best thing we could do for innocent Afghani people in the long term. Hmmm... makes me reconsider joining the new anti-war group on campus tomorrow...