Taliban

I spent some time yesterday reading about the Taliban.

My memory of their horrid rule of Afghanistan in the 2000s is foggy.

So I’ll paste below an article from today’s Washington Post, as a primer on who this group is.

What’s not in this article is that the Taliban have previously practiced an ultra-conservative vision of sharia law, since the Taliban themselves practice an ultra-conservative form of Islam.

Now, a bit of political commentary: when any country engages in the internal workings of another country, especially a country as historically troubled as Afghanistan, that country that engages should expect the unexpected, and prepare for complete chaos. The USA has engaged in Afghanistan for two decades, under four different presidents, and this after the Soviets engaged there for many years as well. What we are seeing here is a totally predictable outcome of muscular US intervention on foreign soil.

But my heart breaks as I witness from afar the fear of the Afghanis, the loss of life already under the Taliban rule in the provinces, and what will surely be an attempt to erase a thriving open-and-free culture in Afghanistan.

The Taliban see themselves as righteous protectors of the faith. I see them as vile zealots who someday will see scaffolds waiting for them.

I also think that the rapid fall of Afghanistan will be a smear on the legacy of President Biden, but also a troubling policy legacy for Bush 43, Obama, and Trump as well.

My thoughts on this dark morning . . . .

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/08/14/taliban-afghanistan/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/us-hubris-afghanistan-humiliation/2021/08/14/47fb025a-fc67-11eb-9c0e-97e29906a970_story.html