Hamid Karzai has a point: If only Americans infatuated with their “superior” religion, morality, government, etc., would take time to listen to him. It seems our greatest “successes” in Afghanistan have been night raids and assassinations accomplished via robotic drones. But they make us seem like cowards using technology to protect ourselves at the expense of civilians who don’t have night vision equipment and joystick-launched Hellfire missiles. Karzai is right when he is quoted in wire reports as saying, “The raiding homes at night. Terrible. Terrible. ... Bursting into homes at night, arresting Afghans, this isn’t the business of any foreign troops.” So why was Gen. Petraeus irked by Karzai’s comments, when Karzai is obviously correct? Many years ago, American ambassador to the U.S.S.R. Charles Bohlen noted that Soviet officials could never comprehend the fact that most of the people under the thumb of their heavy-handed military hated them with a passion. Unless we stop being so heavy-handed, we’ll be just as fiercely hated. Karzai has explained why our military needs to tone down its act and we need to listen to him, because he’s obviously right.
Mike Burch
Nashville, TN 37221