I get email from people all over the country and this one came from a friend in New Mexico…..once I read it I knew I had to post it because a loyal reader of Info Ink…Quin of Quintessential Havoc (great thoughtful site….go to blogroll to visit) is from the UK and I wanted to hear his opinion on the idea…..since he and I have a difference of opinion on Afghanistan…his thoughts are always appreciated.
My emailer says that this piece is written by Jason Ditz:
The British Army’s new counter-insurgency field manual, the guidelines for the 9,000+ British soldiers fighting in Afghanistan, sets sights on a new strategy to fight the Taliban: overt bribery.
The guide advises British troops to buy off Taliban with “bags of gold” instead of fighting them. The commanders are also advised to negotiate with Taliban leaders, including those with “blood on their hands.” The guide advises that the Taliban pays its employees about $10 a day, a staggering amount compared to what Afghan security forces make. It doesn’t set out exactly how much British forces should bribe them, but says it should be enough that it will dissuade them from working for the Taliban
With Afghanistan one of the most corrupt nations on the planet, bribery is hardly a foreign concept that needs to be imported. Still, British forces are unlikely to have enough gold to throw at the insurgency to make it simply disappear into Afghanistan’s seedy background.
Personally, I think it would be cheaper in money and blood to do it this way….I understanbd that the US Military is doing this on a small scale right now….but it still only protects conveys to and from a certain area….and that it does not stop attacks on positions…just on the conveys….
Is this an answer or just a way to waste money?
Morning Lobotero. Thanks for the kind words. If you really want to know, I have no objection to anything that works as a way to fight the Taliban.
Firstly, “The Taliban” – the REAL Taliban is – as is the case with so many other sects, organisations and groups, a core of hardliners who believe in what they are doing for their own reasons (usually that’s the acquisition of power and dominance). Added to them are an “outer circle” of followers who believe strongly in what the core wants either because they have been brainwashed, or because they feel that what’s being promoted is in their best interest and suits their purpose, or a combination of that.
Outside of those people is a huge “outer circle” of “followers” who are frankly much less convinced and are mostly simply trying to survive the best way they know how. Usually they are already being “bribed” into submission and adherence to the ways of the core and that can be done one of two ways using either fear or money as the medium for guaranteeing their loyalty.
Secondly, greed is ALWAYS more powerful than fear if the “reward” is sufficiently greater than the level of fear.
Therefore, to bribe with money is an extremely good idea and often very cost effective since one or more key people bribed sufficiently well can seriously disrupt the aims and actions of the core. It’s a good idea though if there is military might to back it up because such people want to know they can be protected in the short term and would prefer to back the winning side in the long term, otherwise they may never get to spend the bribe money.
I advocated “bribery” of a sort in the first place in the form of pouring money into infrastructure and trade in both Palestine and Afghanistan following the initial armed assaults that drove the Taliban back into the hills and in Palestine when they became semi autonomous. It would of course have worked because ordinary people who are doing well financially under “democratic” systems have a lot to lose and don’t want to “go back to the old ways”.
Naturally, though, the West did what it always does – promised the earth and actually supplied close to fuck all. In part, that was due to the corruption in the West and locally where the money might sometimes have started off being provided, but never reached the right people. How unusual is THAT? 👿
PS: Excellent post by the way 🙂
Thanx my friend….and I will agree with the “bribes” thing…it would be less costly on all fronts……is it possible that the Taleban only sees us as invaders and would go silent with the right incentive?
BTW, I am workingh on yet another post about the Afghan situation and as usual I would like your input…..
I look forward to it 🙂
This will not work. All it will do is buy the allies time, but it is not going to solve any problems or end the war. Logically, if such a practice was put in place, the Taliban would be wise to simply lay low, let the money flow into the country, expropriate as much as possible, and as the Allies drain their resource the Taliban can then begin to fund the insurgents once more.
Afghanistan, as all corrupt nations, is a country of sellouts. Most Russians/Ukrainians are similar in that they too will go to the highest bidder. Unless they can achieve some semblance of loyalty from those they are purchasing, all they are doing is wasting money by delaying the inevitable.
zhann…..thanx for stopping by and I appreciate the participation……while I may like the idea of throwing money at them in the hopes of saving lives, I will have to agree with you…..as a Vietnam vet I saw the US throw money at that situation and it was very ineffective to the overall mission……
I don’t think your reference to “all corrupt countries” really has any validity since ALL countries and administrations are by nature corrupt in one way or another, or many ways.
Additionally, whilst I agree with your assessment of the Taleban grabbing what they can, I think there are two points that should be made…
Firstly, the money MUST be backed up by military might to protect the populace and prevent much of what you suggest from happening on a grand scale.
Secondly, we have NO chance of winning this unless we can win the hearts and minds of the population at large. To do that we MUST protect them as best we can, be seen as the likely ultimate winners and above all arrange better economic circumstances for them than they have had in the past.
Previously, the only source of income for most of the Afghan villagers was growing poppies and THAT has been controlled and paid for by the Taleban who have then made a huge profit whilst distributing this filth in the West.
Dear Mrs (Mr)!
I want to show you my Blog “The wars. Afghan…” with Url address http://nikg.wordpress.com/ . In the blog you can see photos from the contemporary war in Afghanistan, after 2003 and my scientific aricles about the history of Afghanistan in the end of XX century .
Best wishes
Nikolay Kotev
Dear Mrs (Mr)!
I want to show you my new Blog “Military Diplomacy” with Url address http://nkotev.wordpress.com . The blog is for the diplomatic history and foreign policy during the Second World War. You can see also the Zhukov`s Berlin`s Strategic operation in photos.
Best wishes
Nikolay Kotev