New Years Day Thoughts

It's been a great day here near Kandahar. My 19 students graduated the two week course I've been teaching and their feedback was universally positive - it was also a much needed esteem boost as this is the first time I've ever taught a formal course. I've given hundreds of individual briefings, but I've never taught every day for two weeks straight. The course material ranged from technical hands-on map reading training to the theory and practice of counterinsurgency.

I went out on a limb during the counterinsurgency portion. We are warned not to criticize Islam in any way, or even say things that could be seen as criticism. I think I walked right up to that line. One of the characteristics of Islam is the concept of "Inshallah" - or "as Allah wills it". Once you understand how Inshallah works in Muslim culture, many things become clearer. It appears to me that it has become an excuse for not succeeding. Don't want to learn to shoot your weapon - fine - just point it in the general direction of the enemy and pull the trigger - Inshallah, the bullets will hit what they are supposed to hit. I pointed out that while it is fine to invoke Inshallah after the fact, it is not a substitute for training, learning and bettering oneself, one's family, and eventually the country.  Islam also has a saying/tradition that parallels the Christian "God helps those who help themselves." If the Afghan people truly want security, stability, peace, and eventually the potential for prosperity, they have to believe that they can make it better, and then act on that belief. 

I was pleasantly surprised when the class agreed with me, vociferously even. Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised after all, though - these were all policemen - volunteers each and every one. You don't become a policeman in Afghanistan unless there is a bit if idealism in your soul.

What is really needed here is a leader with a vision that transcends ethnicity and tribe. Someone who can "paint the picture" of what Afghanistan can become, and do it in terms that both a city dweller and a rural farmer can both latch onto and make their own vision. Easy to say, hard to do. 

Happy New Year to everyone.

SLK