Posted on 01/06/2009 11:13:22 AM PST by foutsc
We need more bribes and less killing.
We've all heard how the CIA has used Viagra, among other things, to bribe Pashtun chieftains. James Joyner has good commentary on this subject at his blog, OTB.
Knives, tools, and operations for family members were all bargaining chips. This is how things work in that part of the world. An excerpt from the WaPo describes the Viagra transaction with a powerful tribal chief in southern Afghanistan. He was 60 years old and had four younger wives, you can figure out the rest.
Once it was established that the man was in good health, the pills were offered and accepted. Four days later, when the Americans returned, the gift had worked its magic, the operative recalled."He came up to us beaming," the official said. "He said, 'You are a great man.' "
"And after that we could do whatever we wanted in his area."
This is how we should solve the Waziristan problem. Waziristan is that lawless area in the Pakistan Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) that borders Afghanistan. This area has become the big hideout for all the bad guys in the region.Presidential candidate Obama spoke of going into the area with military force to clean it out. That won't work, notwithstanding the sporadic missile strikes to take out some terrorist ensconced there. No, we need to bribe them to behave and stop hosting terrorists.
Waziristan does not consider itself part of Pakistan, as the various regions and city states of Afghanistan have little loyalty to Kabul and feel no patriotic fervor for greater Afghanistan. These are tribal people living in places like Orgun, Ghazni, and Tarin Khowt just trying to make a life for themselves like you and me, only under drastically more austere circumstances. It is a Hobbesean world where life is nasty, brutish and short. In a game of daily survival, concepts like good, evil and terrorist fall by the wayside.
We can't kill 'em all
Nor do we want to. The vast majority of people living in these places are not combatants and just want to be left alone. And the ones who could be considered combatants are fighing on their own territory after all.
We need to bribe the bigwigs with cash and services so they can make life better for their people. If we do this while maintaining our known military power at a distance, the Taliban or any violent paramilitary organization will lose because they can no longer compete with the rich locals and there are no infidels to fight. All we should require in return is that they not harbor terrorists and not fight against the larger state of Pakistan or Afghanistan.
This sounds very simple, but it's not; and it would require years of quiet, low-level work by intelligence agencies and Special Forces. It would also involve paying money to "bad" people, which the BBC and MSNBC would loudly and smirkingly report. And there would still be killing, because there would still be bad guys, but it would be more focused because of local cooperation. The past few years in Iraq provide an example.
The situation in Central Asia will never be perfect (as if things are perfect in North America or Europe!), but solutions that work within the culture of the region are within our grasp. Billions in bribes beats billions in bullets, bombs and lives.
>>the pills were offered and accepted
A fine demonstration of the application of America’s “soft” power, ahem!
Ask that young shepherd boy how thrilled he is that the local imam now has access to Viagra. I’m willing to guess he’s not as enthusiastic.
You know the idea of handing out Viagra to terrorists/Taliban is a little odd to me.
Wouldn’t we want to actually CUT DOWN the number of eventually going to be murdering people children they have?
How do we know we can’t kill them all? Have we even tried??
And their families.
And anyone associated with them.
Hence, what you have a group that hates both sides for very different reasons.
The entire tribe has to see their leader accept these gifts and hear the promises he makes for them. The whole tribe is then bound by his words to help. Not many are willing to commit since they know the Taliban would kill all of them.
That's the problem you face.
The idea is to gain the confidence and cooperation of the locals. THEY are the key. Use the stick ONLY when the carrot doesn’t work.
Just like in Vietnam, we have to win their hearts and . . . other things.
It worked in Iraq with the Sunni tribes.
Two totally different cultures, terrain limitations and abilities to occupy locally.
I know. I’ve been to both places. If anything, Afghanis are more bribable than Iraqis.
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