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Afghans are responsible for their own destruction.Even Adobe Photoshop can't change me.
A line[Durrand line] of hatred that raised a wall between the two brothers -Hamid Karzai
For generations, the Hindus of India prayed for deliverance from "the venom of the cobra, the teeth of the tiger and the vengeance of the Afghan."
The men of Kábul and Khilj also went home; and whenever they were questioned about the Musulmáns of the Kohistán (the mountains), and how matters stood there, they said, "Don't call it Kohistán, but Afghánistán; for there is nothing there but Afgháns and disturbances." Thus it is clear that for this reason the people of the country call their home in their own language Afghánistán, and themselves Afgháns. The people of India call them Patán; but the reason for this is not known. But it occurs to me, that when, under the rule of Muhammadan sovereigns, Musulmáns first came to the city of Patná, and dwelt there, the people of India (for that reason) called them Patáns—but God knows!
-Ferishta, 1560–1620 -
Quite obviously they set out with a certain editorial brief and what they have produced is a well executed documentry. Every modern city has its dark underbelly. It should not surprise anybody that Afghanistan has over a million reported drug addicts. This will correspond with the rate of psychological disorder and general apathy due to the country's past. The documentary producers are right - there has been too much interference in the country over the past 30 years, but we all know that Afghans too must also take a good deal of the responsibility for the state they are in.
Remember though, this type of documentary sets out to be negative. We need these doses of 'reality' but counter media is also important for balance. Otherwise we may as well continue to fail.
There's a lot of work still to be done and yet the foreign presence and donor aid since 2001 has just been a series of missed opportunities. Not just Afghanistan, but in Pakistan too, people don't think past their next meal. I'm not sure what the political answers are but anyone who has travelled to Afghanistan may have seen glimmers of hope. Got to build on that.
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Yes, Vice documentaries are about creating raw and hard imagery. Though surprisingly Afghanistan wasn't as bad as the others they have made.
I think the biggest hurdle here is the corruption. If the corruption is taken cared of at least 30% to 50% things will change drastically. Though both those who are imposing "democracy" and those who are in bed with them are extremely corrupt. The politics in the US are incredibly corrupt so you can see what they'll spawn would be no different. They can blame Karzai and his government all they want but if we remember the initiation was with corruption i.e. suitcases full of dollars were thrown around to gather support. If that was the precedent they set from the start, they lost all rights to complain about it now.Comment
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This is the product of NATO governance. This is not afghan governance. The reaction to the corruption is being muted by 5000 lb pounds dropped from NATO planes. This is done by design.Comment
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