I admit that over the past year or so I've gotten in the habit of burying my head in the sand as regards what goes on in Afghanistan and Iraq - particularly since Saddam's disgusting treatment.
But thanks to my growing addiction to the BBC, I found out about something - someone - in Afghanistan that just blew my mind. I knew that there had been improvements since the Taliban had been ousted from power, but had heard of several backslides which eventually lead to the "hear no evil" approach I'd been taking.
I had no idea there was a woman MP in the country - named Malalai_Joya - who, despite numerous death threats and the bombing of her home, says all the things that need to be said there. Like the surprisingly obvious yet not universally regarded "We probably shouldn't allow former Taliban leaders to take positions in the new government" (I'm paraphrasing). Here is the article which drew my attention and here you can see her personal website. What she faces and what she is trying to do just impresses the hell out of me, while putting the pundits who ponder the ways in which warrior womyn can further engorge their sense of entitlement into proper perspective.
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It's an icky question though, isn't it? On one hand, it makes sense not to have former Taliban leaders in government. Same goes, you'd think, for Nazis or Khmer Rouge, or KGB agents. Not exactly the types you want leading the country.
On the other hand, for a country in as much of a mess as Afghanistan, is there any hope for peace if militants aren't included? The last thing you'd want is a large, angry group of people who don't feel as though they have a stake in the future of the country.
Combine that with the fact that in a failed state like Afghaniistan, the government and NGOs are pretty much the only employment options. Is there anything worse than a large group of broke, bored, and disgruntled individuals with nothing to do all day? That's when the civil unrest starts.
So overall... I don't know.
Including the problem in the solution is usually a good route to try first.
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