Understanding the Banality of the Taliban
By Larry Johnson on October 23, 2009 at 10:49 PM in Current Affairs
The New York Times is pilloried frequently as a tool or cheerleader for the Obama administration. Some of the criticism is richly deserved. But if you want a glint of what the NY Times used to be you should sit down and read David Rhodes account of his captivity in Afghanistan. Rhodes provides a unique window into the capabilities and thoughts of one faction of what we call the “Taliban.” The fact is that this particular group that took Rhodes hostage was one of the groups the United States funded during the war against the Soviets more than 20 years ago.
Here’s your first task, read Held By the Taliban.
Part I–7 Months, 10 Days in Captivity
Part II–Inside the Islamic Emirate
Part III–‘You Have Atomic Bombs, but We Have Suicide Bombers.’
Part IV–A Drone Strike and Dwindling Hope
We are not fighting an educated, sophisticated, well organized Army. While fighters like the Haqqani clan are tenacious and willing to fight in the face of seemingly impossible odds, they are ultimately delusional and can be defeated. The eschatological mentality of these folks is found among some Christians and Jews in the United States–I am talking about the belief that Jesus (or the Messiah) is going to return and set things right. My ex-brother-in-law, for example, is one of these people. He told me that he didn’t need to buy a house because he thought it a waste of money. Why spend money on a house with a thirty year mortgage if Jesus is going to come back in his clouds of glory next year?
My idiot brother-in-law told me this 15 years ago. He still does not own a house and Jesus is still not back.
One of the issues we must understand and come to grips with is the role of belief, including superstition, that motivates and guides the various groups that we have labled “Taliban.” Their desire to do terrible things to us and impose their will does not translate into actual capability. Keep this in mind as you read Rhodes terrific series.
The other critical point is that the Taliban are empowered by Pakistan. Without the money and support and weapons of Pakistan the Taliban would not be able to sustain their power. This is a simple yet profound truth.
One final comment–Dick Cheney is a blowhard. The Bush Administration ignored Afghanistan starting in December of 2001 when Gary Berntsen had Bin Laden surrounded and could not get the military support he needed to take out the bastard. It was in late November 2001 that the Bush Administration shifted military resources from Afghanistan and started planning the invasion of Iraq. So the mess in Afghanistan today is partly the fault of the failure of the Bush Administration. So fuck Dick Cheney and his bullshit.
But this does not excuse Barack Obama. He promised to do what the Bush team did not. Instead, Barack is doing what George Bush and Dick Cheney did for 8 years. He is ignoring his commander in the field and reneging on the promises he made during the heat of the campaign. If Barack continues down this path, then fuck him too. He’s just a better looking version of Dick Cheney.
UPDATE: To make things clear, the brother-in-law I refer to in the article is not, REAPEAT NOT, Dr. Sears. He’s sane. The guy I’m referring to was married to one of my sisters. Tom is a good guy and a dear friend.
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I always think about the 95% illiteracy rate of the Afghans. One cannot train a modern army and police force with people who can’t read and don’t have any connections to the modern world.
Off to read the series. Thanks, Larry.
I don’t even care to read your links, Larry.
I get it. It’s all our fault.
No, it’s BUSH’s fault. Got it.
Clinton, the untouchable, is bereft of fault.
Were you really CIA? Really?
Your ignorance is typical of the Taliban. You are exactly like them. Incapable of rational thought or nuance. Why read? You might have to use your brain (at least I’m assuming you have a couple of cells upstairs, but I may be overly optimistic.
she just needs to pour a big glass of koolaid and all will be ok.
What can one say but, NICE ONE LARRY.
Yeah! Why read?
Rupert Murdoch told you all you needed to know.
A sheep doesn’t need to do any thinking, just be told what to do and what to think.
Disagree that he’s better looking than Cheney.
Ha, Donjo! I was thinking the same thing. I have never thought there was anything good looking about O. Better than Cheney? No, just different things about him are ugly.
lol Indeed. But then again, two peas in a pod, don’t find either attractive. YUK.
Disagree that he’s better looking than Cheney. Liz Cheney, maybe.
larry,great article dont agree with all the writer ays but he does give us a glinpse into the mindsets of some of the radicals.seems to me that with their preconceptions and superstions that psy opps could do some great mind games with them.thanks again for the link,take care larry.
Phew! I am sure Dr Sears (Tom) is delighted you added your update! I could of been disappointed after reading Dr Sears posts that have always been insightful, caring and to the point.
Off to read the full post now. As always Larry thank you!
Thank you.
Obama has already played games with war and peoples lives. I say fuck him NOW. He also campaigned against the endless bombings and drone attacks, but the fucker doubled them in his early months and he’s surprised he’s angering and losing Afghanis’ more?
Even McChrystals report is talking of this and if their mission is what Obambi claimed, this tactical effort is the wrong way to go about it.
Yep, Fuck Obama. He says one thing, does another. I guess NBC/GE Engines does have Obama buy his nuts. Alot of engines to put on the Drones that they now want to increase, yet again, instead of using men for training. What is your goal Obama?
—>(Update) Knew that, because you said EX b-i-l lol
OK, I’m just going to rant as I read this.
…the new governmt of Paki, Taliban. And our efforts to pay them, hasn’t yielded the results expected, so Kerry/Lugar and Senate (UNANIMOUSLY) vote to triple the money to Pakistan?
…???? !@#$%%^*!
With all due respect to the journalist I find it amazing that he didn’t “…realize how extreme…” the Taliban were. Shooting school kids going to school, numerous suicide bombings, degradation of women none of that gave him a clue?
Larry,
Thanks for the links. I am very busy at home today, but…as someone who never wanted to leave school, I have set aside time to do some homework tomorrow.
Larry,
Why are we even “fighting” the Taliban in Afghanistan? Most of the Taliban, something like +95% of them are Afghanis. Are they not just fighting an occupier? Wouldn’t you?
McChystal himself has said:
“I do not see indications of a large al-Qaida presence in Afghanistan now,” McChrystal told reporters at the Dutch Defense Ministry, where he met military officials.
Afghanistan was not really even that important for 9-11; most of the actual planning of the operation happened in Munich and the important part of it was recruiting two engineering students in Munich and we know most of the 9-11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.
I am just not clear what we are doing in Afghanistan is helpful. Not sure what the point of propping up an illegitamite government that was originally put there by the U.S. and now has completely fixed the election.
Two assumptions people work on are: (1) if we leave Afghanistan, then Pakistan will fall. I think anyone who knows Pakistan knows that there is no way a bunch of Taliban AK-47 carrying, even if there are 10,000 of them, could ever hope to taken on the very respected Pakistan military, which numbers about 700,000 and has modern tanks and aircraft. The vast majority of the people in Pakistan have zero support for the Pakistani Taliban. The Pakistani military took like a week to push the Taliban out of the Swat Valley, so to say that if we leave Afghanistan, Pakistan and all of its nukes will fall is a bit of a joke.
The other argument people make is that if we leave the Taliban will take over Afghanistan. Why is this necessarily the case? The other tribal warlords have got more powerful over the last few years. It would not be so obvious for the Taliban to simply just win back the country. It took the Taliban like 10 years of fighting to orignally win the country and the Northern Alliance would still have the U.S. military and special forces as their airforce. Christ we pushed back the Taliban in like a week with only our airforce and a few special forces.
It just does not seem to me that there is any real use or that it is worth it to be in Afghanistan forever to be occupiers.
It is not that we cannot disrupt the Taliban or al-Qaida if they ever become a threat in Afghanistan.
Thanks, Larry. That was long overdue, IMO. Cheney was always part of the problem, his claims of being part of the solution notwithstanding. He just imbibes the red Kool-aide as apposed to the blue flavor.