And none of that matters at all. They attacked us. Unaware, like thieves in the night. Like the Japanese before them.
No. Man, I can understand some of what you say, but your getting to be pretty extreme sometimes. > -----Original Message----- > From: Gruss Gott [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, November 13, 2006 12:16 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: Afghanistan > > > Just some facts regarding Afghanistan from an Economist article: > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > ------------------------------- > * There are in fact 40,000 NATO troops in the country, the highest > number since 2001, and plans to reduce American forces have been > postponed. > > * American spending in the country has dropped this year, and few > European NATO countries are eager to fight in the dangerous south of > the country. > > * So far this year some 3,700 people have been killed, and the rate of > insurgent attacks has sharply increased. > > * The government is, at best, a decade from being able to stand on its > own feet. > > * The economy, which nonetheless ticks over at 8% a year. > > * Petty corruption is worsening too: it is increasingly common to be > stopped by officials who ask for money in the streets of Kabul. > > * Opium remains the only significant export; the narco-economy is now > worth over $3 billion a year, about half the total GDP. Poppy > cultivation grew by 60% from last year to this and production is up by > about half (see chart). > > * The judiciary hardly functions and local warlords still dominate in > many areas. > > * In Kabul many remember the years of the Communist strongman > President Najibullah with open nostalgia. > > * Analysts discuss the risk of successes of the past five years now > draining away. > > Summary: The prospects for long-term recovery depend, ultimately, on > getting stability and flattening the Taliban. NATO commanders admit > that they would like more troops to do that, but Western public > opinion may not tolerate a long and bloody campaign. The Taliban, by > contrast, appear happy to plan for the long term. As one Taliban > commander recently boasted: "You have the clocks but we have the > time." > > http://economist.com/daily/news/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8159467&; top_story=1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Introducing the Fusion Authority Quarterly Update. 80 pages of hard-hitting, up-to-date ColdFusion information by your peers, delivered to your door four times a year. http://www.fusionauthority.com/quarterly Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/message.cfm/messageid:220577 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
