@msolga,
msolga wrote on dec 30 :
Quote:I am by no means an "expert" on Afghanistan, though I do try to keep track of developments through various news outlets ...
.. but I do wonder about the quality of the lives of women & girls there now. (Not too much reporting on that lately.) I've come across a number accounts, via literature & media reports, suggesting that the biggest improvement in the opportunities open to women was during the Russian occupation & that most gains were lost after the Russians withdrew. I also recall, in the early days of US intervention in Afghanistan, that the desperate plight of women & girls received wide sympathetic publicity. The presumption being that their lives would be directly improved as a result of US & allied efforts. Can anyone enlighten me on how things stand for them now?
i have thought about your question - trying to come up with sensible answer is pretty difficult .
we all read certain reports that we either agree or disagree with - depending much upon our own personal ideas of right and wrong , i would say .
i do have a friend (born and brought up in poland) who travelled through afghanistan sometime in the 60's - when he was still somewhat younger - he is about 70 now . he said that the afghans were the most hospitable people he ever met . of course , he was willing to accept their customs and way of life .
he had not gone to change their way of life or preach any kind of western "values" - he was simply a traveller and guest .
afghans seem to have a small and well-educated elite - many of which have left the country during the last 30 years or so . no doubt the loss of the well-educated people has been a great disadvantage to the country as a whole .
much of afghanistan seems to be a feudal and paternalistic society - perhaps somewhat like europe during the 15th and 16th centuries (i'm sure you've heard about the 30 year war that devasted much of central europe) .
just like it took several centuries to bring emancipation to the women of europe (and america) , i think it will also take much more time for the women of afghanistan to see much improvement in their lives .
giving help to all afghans WITHOUT trying to impose western "values" upon them will likely benefit the afghans (and the world as a whole) over time .
i doubt that we can force them to adopt even the best of western values upon them .
as a source of information for both current news about about afghanistan but also to learn about the history about the country , i use the attached BBC website quite a bit . with a bit of digging , much information can be gained from it .
some might object that it gives too much of a british flavour to its information , but i don't think one can expect completely "impartial" reporting and information from anyone . we all bring our own particular point of view into all kinds of discussions and even (what we call) facts .
here is the BBC website i use :
http://search.bbc.co.uk/search?uri=%2F&scope=all&go=toolbar&q=afghanistan
i hope we can continue this discussion and exchange of ideas , msolga .
(i hope not too many spelling and other errors sneaked into this post - i often find them only when i look at my posts several days later - too late for a correction).
looking forward to your reply .
hbg
) thank you, h, for your persistence in supplying information (& food for thought!) relating to Afghanistan on this forum. 