Where do we go from here?

[Anthony]

As most of you have heard, the Taliban have left Kabul overnight and the Northern Alliance appear ready to participate in what could be a pivotal point in Afghan's history; they appear to have taken control of Kabul, as well as dominate most of Afghanistan now. It seems very likely that, although officially the Taliban have not been overthrowned, they are going weaker by the day and warlords are switching sides to the more powerful side; the Northern Alliance.

However, the west does not appear to be satisfied with it. The UN and members of Europe, led by America's Bush Administration, appear to think that the Northern Alliance should NOT take immediate control, that a 'broader' democratic state is needed at the moment.

Personally, I am ready to disregard such thought as tedious and unecessary. I do not think the West should dictate what Afghanistan needs (although, granted, it has done so in the bombing campaign). I think that now that the Northern Alliance are growing stronger, they should be supported and empowered to one end alone; to make a better government than the Taliban ever could. This is already the case, as reports of happy, aleviated and 'free' Afghans in Kabul rejoice in the city, with the Northern Alliance assuming control of the situation. ]

What are your thoughts on the Northern Alliance? What do you think?

Ant.

 

[kobayashi]

Originally posted by Anthony:

What are your thoughts on the Northern Alliance? What do you think?

Ant.

First off, I think a lot of the celebrating you are seeing right now stems from jubilation that the Taliban are seemingly gone.
As for the Northern Alliance, I posted a message on this board asking if anyone knew what their ideals were and how things would change under their power. No one really seemed to know, not surprising because I also can't find anything out there in the media. One thing that must happen is the extremely watchful eye of UN Human Rights Commission must continue to monitor a recovering Afghanistan.

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Kobayashi's bizarre use of colour, superfast editing and extreme camera angles, coupled with a hilariously deadpan performance by Toshiro Takemitsu as the inspector who discovers a whole family of ghosts travelling without valid tickets, remains without peer.

 

[U2Bama]

As I posted in Kobayashi's thread, I do not think that a solid Northern Alliance government is advisable; instead, I think a more cross-representative government of all of Afghanistan would be better. The Northern Alliance, although the strongest opposition in military terms, is actually a minority consortium made up primarily of Uzbeks & Tajiks; the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan is the Pashtun tribe, and not ALL of the Pashtuns were Taliban supporters. They need to be included in the new government.

And then there is the human rights concern, which is my biggest concern with the Northern Alliance. President Bush and President Putin (Russia) addressed this today and Bush has discussed it at length with Pakistani President Musharef, so I do not expect anyone to rush the Northern Alliance into power (although the N.A. themselves may try this).

~U2Alabama


[This message has been edited by U2Bama (edited 11-13-2001).]