Brit Ex-Ambassador - Persuade Taliban To Join Democratic Process

The London Times letters column is rightly famous. It is often the forum used by senior UK officials, serving and retired, to respond to current news. Here's an example from the man who was British Ambassador to Afghanistan in 1994. I should note that, unlike the campaign-donating car salesmen of the Bush administration, the UK appoints career diplomats as ambassadors.

Peace and progress for Afghans

Sir, Now that Nato is assuming wider responsibilities in Afghanistan (leading article, Oct 6) under British command, is it too much to hope for a change in tactics? I think it unacceptable that so many of our young men have been dying, or been seriously injured, in a far-off cause that seems to be achieving little. We should not be trumpeting the killing of Taleban as victories, but rather regretting with sadness the waste of such lives. Every Afghan killed is likely to add more adherents to his cause.
Where has the distinction gone between the Taleban and al-Qaeda? The former are mainly farmers who have been brainwashed into an extreme form of Islam, and anti-Western views, and have picked up a gun. Most Afghans do not want to be patronised by Arab and other foreign al-Qaeda elements, any more than they wanted to be controlled by the British, Russians or Americans.

We should continue to try to eliminate the hardline al-Qaeda people; but by deployment of money and intense hearts and minds activities we should persuade the Taleban to become part of the democratic process in Afghanistan, as good citizens. We should use the carrot more than the stick.

If necessary we should isolate certain Taleban- controlled areas, and pour money and development into peaceful areas of the country, so that those in the south-west realise what they are missing.

Finally, while making it clear that we are not going to cut and run we should be careful of talking of being in Afghanistan (and Iraq) for “the long haul”. This simply fuels the propaganda of the al-Qaeda that the Western nations are set to occupy Muslim countries and control their resources.

History teaches us that we are unlikely to win a long, drawn-out engagement.

SIR NICHOLAS BARRINGTON
Ambassador to Afghanistan, 1994

Someone else who agrees with Bill Frist's flip, before he flopped back.