A while back we posted photos from opening day at the National Military Academy of Afghanistan. Last night COL James Wilhite, head of the implementation team that helped the Afghans set up the NMAA, stopped by to add this comment:
Thank you for the coverage of the academy. We worked very hard to make this happen. Not many people gave us much hope that we would pull it off. I feel like singing the Toby Keith song, "How Do You Like Me Now!" We have 109 cadets that have completed basic training and on 22 March we held our grand opening with classes beginning on 23 March. The students will receive a 4 year college education in engineering, political science or foreign language and will commit to the Afghan National Army for 10 years. They will graduate as 2nd lieutenants. We did this in one year. Again, thanks!COL James Wilhite, Chief
NOTE: I am in the picture with the group of 4 or 5 people in the front of a classroom. I am on the extreme right.
National Military Academy Implementation Team
Thank you for your service, Sir, and congratulations to the faculty and cadets. West Point played an important role in the growth and unity of the U.S. - may the NMAA do the same for Afghanistan!
Great stuff!
This is not an attempt to hijack this post.
In Afghanistan as the society rebuilds there is a problem of rebuilding the agrarian economy. Most of it has been destroyed. Currently the biggest cash crop coming out of Afghanistan is opium based. What is being done to provide a different crop and rebuild the agarian landscape to support it?
I ask this question as it is likely in the immediate future that these officers will be used to destroy both the criminal/terrorist nexus that supports itself by selling opium and the crops that support the agrarian households till such time that a new crop(s) can be established and the agarian infrastructure rebuilt.
Here's my take. There are 2 approaches here.
One says: "Destroy the people who do this." Another says: "Make sure the people who do this aren't using it to finance terrorism." The second is an inferior alternative, but when you're dealing with a country that has been in this business on a massive scale for a couple hundred years (or longer), it may make sense.
Especially now that they, uh, vote. The cultivators know the value of political contributions - to voters directly, and not just politicans. If not, they'll learn fast. Which is one more reason why I personally think the idea of ending Opium cultivation is Afghanistan is... let's just say that anyone who researched the issue and took this idea seriously as an achievable goal would make me wonder about their first-hand knowledge of the product.
Rebuilding the agrarian landscape is worthy, however. It will mean key infrastructure projects, de-mining (the Soviets left tons and tons of these, some plastic not metal and as small as childrens' toys), and the establishment of an agriculture that can feed Afghanistan. The road network they've spent a lot of time building the last couple of years can then be used to get those crops to market, and that will help. Without that, no point pushing agriculture so it can rot in a barn somewhere.
You'll notice that I haven't mentioned opium here. In terms of Afghanistan's agrarian economy, it's below all this on the priority list.
For strategic reasons, however, there's probably going to be some pretty intense tribal politics to make sure the opium cultivators (note: cultivators, not cultivation) don't become a terrorist problem.
If that works, we'll see limited action at best. I suspect that if the cadets do lead forces in to deal with this militarily, it will be because of a combination of tribal issue + opium funds that = danger to the elected Afghan government.
My 2 cents.
I think Hitchens' solution is for America to buy the opium (which we currently purchase from Turkey) to manufacture our painrelievers. I believe he's a skeptic on the War on Drugs though.
Patrick