Despite Downplaying By The Media, Things Are Not Improving In Afghanistan

It feels like the whole country is holding its collective breath, either fascinated with the catastrophe in Haiti or waiting to see who wins in Massachusetts. But both of these are a blip on the radar for the people dying and suffering in Afghanistan every day-- yesterday, today, tomorrow. The Massachusetts results will come when they come; meanwhile Derrick Crowe and Greg Mortenson each has something worth hearing about Afghanistan. Greg wrote-- lived-- Three Cups of Tea, the definitive on-the-ground look at life among the Pashtuns. Last week he was on with Bill Moyers again and watching his segment can almost make up for all the misinformation spewed out by CNN and Fox daily.

If I could embed it, I would. Meanwhile, you can watch it here at the PBS website. Here's part of Moyer's introduction:

a modest humanitarian who probably knows more about Afghanistan than any other American. The book he co-authored, Three Cups Of Tea, has become required reading for our senior military commanders and Special Forces in Afghanistan. Generals David Petraeus and Stanley McChrystal, now America's top commander in Afghanistan, have read it. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, not only read it but enlisted Mortenson as an unofficial advisor.

Three Cups Of Tea has sold over 3.5 million copies in 41 countries. And now Greg Mortenson has a new bestseller that continues the saga, Stones Into Schools: Promoting Peace With Books, Not Bombs, In Afghanistan And Pakistan.

Both books tell Mortenson's remarkable story: how, after a failed attempt to climb K2, the second highest mountain in the world, he was befriended by villagers who helped him recuperate. Watching children use sticks to scrawl their lessons in the dirt, he promised to help them build a school. That first project has led to the construction of 131 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, trying to bring knowledge and possibility to more than 58,000 children, both boys and especially girls.

Along the way, Greg Mortenson has learned some invaluable lessons himself-- about patience and compassion and the customs and ways of people about whom the rest of us know too little. When I heard he was in town, I asked him over to explain if he still believes it's possible to promote peace and improve lives for people in a war-ravaged country. I wanted to find out if the bombs aren't winning over books, if the bombs aren't turning his schools back into piles of stone and how war hasn't shattered his faith and peace of mind. Welcome to the JOURNAL.

Greg's story is a success story in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Obama, on the other hand is failing, just as Bush did. Derrick explains at ReThink Afghanistan. When you put his most recent post together with Mortsenson's interview, there is almost no way to avoid despair.

By a variety of measures, U.S. military policies in the Afghanistan war are failing.

You probably haven’t heard much about this, in part because of the justified media focus on Haiti, but a confluence of very bad indicators point to failure even by the military’s avowed yardsticks. The civilian casualty rate in Afghanistan rose significantly in 2009. War-related violence is at its peak since 2001. The armed resistance to the Kabul government is spreading rapidly and can now “sustain itself indefinitely” according to the top military intelligence officer in the region. Efforts to build the Afghan National Army are flailing, as are pro-government efforts to rebuild infrastructure. In short, despite the happy talk from General Stanley McChrystal and Admiral James Stavridis, a great many signs indicate that the U.S.-led pro-government coalition is headed for failure.

Blue America has two pages for donating to people who are fighting against occupation of Afghanistan, one for incumbents and one for challengers. Interested in helping make sure Congress has members committed to peace instead of war?

General Westmoreland MyChrystal: