Originally Posted by dallas
In terms of ideology the only thing the Afghans tend to get motivated and united for is to repel a foreign invader.
Currently that's us.
Indeed. No-one has ever been able properly to subdue Afghanistan since Alexander the Great failed to do so 2,300 years ago. The country is a harsh environment, highly tribal with loyalties to clan and village, not to any notions of statehood. The people tend to be brutal in defending their interests against central government and its outside protectors. The British fought and lost three wars in the country in the 19th century for the same reasons. They should know better than to have dived into this devil's brew so nakedly. But no-one reads history any more in the internet age. I am absolutely amazed (and despondent) that the UK has got itself into this situation.
It's not that nothing can be done or should at least be attempted to help build a better society there. While some things are going well, eg. growth of small businesses and the service sector in Kabul, the bulk of the economy, and the country, remains dependent on opium, foreign aid and foreign remittances. With reductions in reconstruction funds pledged by the US, the international community seems to be on the verge of neglecting the need to promote concepts such as civil society, law and human rights, while the security situation is deteriorating rapidly due to unwillingness or inability to commit the right military assets (eg. air transport and helicopters), as recent events are painfully showing us.