Hi, Raoul.

I agree that persuasion is a method whose results last longer than coercion. But I wonder how it would be possible to do that with the present regime in Afghanistan.

UN and other international health studies (forgive me for not finding the citations -- it's late and I'm tired) show strong indications that the best way to improve the health and overall prosperity of a nation is to educate its women. Mommyhood is powerful. Educated women will seek out better nutrition and health benefits for their children, will be better able to contribute financially to the family's overall prosperity, and when appropriate services are unavailable, will organize to find a way to provide them.

The Taliban has tied and gagged the women of Afghanistan and thrown them in the closet. Making friends with people who do such things is not in my best interests as I see them (having two X chromosomes and all), and definitely not in the best interests of the Afghan women or of their children. I am ashamed that the US let this go on so long without so much as a peep except from private groups of women. If the human rights angle had been evaluated earlier, we might have more friends in the area, and they'd be the mothers of Afghanistan.

There's one mistake to learn from right there.

Regards--
Mary Anne