Comments on: Forgotten Afghanistan http://www.chapatimystery.com/archives/homistan/forgotten_afghanistan.html what is the vertiginous chapati saying to me? Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:41:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Qalandar http://www.chapatimystery.com/archives/homistan/forgotten_afghanistan.html/comment-page-1#comment-157954 Qalandar Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:28:26 +0000 http://www.chapatimystery.com/?p=4332#comment-157954 (sorry, comment above refers to the NYT piece). (sorry, comment above refers to the NYT piece).

]]> By: Qalandar http://www.chapatimystery.com/archives/homistan/forgotten_afghanistan.html/comment-page-1#comment-157953 Qalandar Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:16:51 +0000 http://www.chapatimystery.com/?p=4332#comment-157953 An interesting piece, although I remain somewhat reticent about such rhetoric, because it can easily be used to deflect arguments against increased intervention by outside powers -- although the argument never seems to prevent involvement in any but the most humanitarian conflicts (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Balkan-Ghosts-Journey-Through-History/dp/0679749810" rel="nofollow">Balkan Ghosts</a>, anyone?). That is, it's an argument that might be deployed in Year 8 of a war, not Year 0. Nevertheless, because it helps disturb the sanguine (and maddeningly superficial) view of Afghanistan as a country that one can 't do anything about, as a land, discussions about which are bookended by phrases like "imperial graveyard" and "fiercely ungovernable", the piece is welcome. The evocative photographs don't hurt either. An interesting piece, although I remain somewhat reticent about such rhetoric, because it can easily be used to deflect arguments against increased intervention by outside powers — although the argument never seems to prevent involvement in any but the most humanitarian conflicts (Balkan Ghosts, anyone?). That is, it’s an argument that might be deployed in Year 8 of a war, not Year 0.

Nevertheless, because it helps disturb the sanguine (and maddeningly superficial) view of Afghanistan as a country that one can ‘t do anything about, as a land, discussions about which are bookended by phrases like “imperial graveyard” and “fiercely ungovernable”, the piece is welcome. The evocative photographs don’t hurt either.

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