All You Really Need To Know About The Afghan Struggle.

“On this side we believe in human rights, women’s rights, freedom, justice, democracy. From that side, they are fundamentally against these values. They believe in an Islamic system, which doesn’t actually have anything to do with the teachings of Islam. If we reconcile, one side has to sacrifice its values, either this side or their side."

Once again, Michael Petrou of Macleans magazine absolutely nails it. Almost the entire mass media complex of the NATO countries, possessed of a monomaniacal preoccupation with exit strategies, has failed to grasp, let alone report, what is happening, politically, in Afghanistan. The big story has been this one, for at least two years now. Petrou chases it down and nails it. Read it. The rest is noise.

The quote is from Faheem Dashty, a friend, and one of the bravest journalists I've ever met. For all it's complexities, the objective conditions really are as straightforward as he says: One side believes in human rights, women’s rights, freedom, justice, democracy. The other side is "fundamentally against these values."

Sometimes, you just have to choose sides. Decide. Act accordingly.