I just noticed in the NYT that filmmaker Robert Greenwald has released the first two parts of his new documentary about Afghanistan on You-tube. There will be five parts to the documentary when finished.
The NYT says “Mr. Greenwald is well known in some progressive circles for his films about war profiteers, Wal-Mart’s corporate practices, and the Fox News Channel. His company, Brave New Films, uses documentary expertise to mount political campaigns, including a YouTube series last year about John McCain and what the company called “the politics of hate.”
“Rethink Afghanistan” is being shaped both as a film and a campaign at the same time. Mr. Greenwald is already posting installments on the film’s Web site, RethinkAfghanistan.com, and also on YouTube. It will eventually be stitched together into a full-length feature. As he has done in the past, Mr. Greenwald will take his finished film to the public using a mixture of DVD sales and house parties. He said he also expected to receive some theatrical distribution.”
Part One: Afghanistan + More Troops = Catastrophe
Part Two: Pakistan: “The Most Dangerous Country”
These videos depict an obvious problem, and one reminiscent of how Kennedy and Johnson lost their popularity due to Vietnam. Obama was successful in convincing voters that Iraq was the “wrong” war and Afghanistan the “right” war. However Afghanistan is a much less developed and Westernized country, one we understand less and with a tribal culture that makes occupation more difficult. Many Americans believe that the “surge” of more troops worked in Iraq, although other factors were also at work such as the cease fire by Sadr, abandonment of mixed areas, and the ability to turn local leaders against the “al Qaeda” people who were mostly foreigners. This would not necessarily work in Afghanistan since the Taliban is a local movement. While the US cares mostly about bin Ladin, the Pakistanis care mostly about India, and the Afghan Pashtuns care mostly about their tribal codes and traditions and not wanting foreign occupation. Britain and the USSR were not successful there. 7 years of occupation and civilian deaths have made enemies. Western development will not necessarily be popular there. Pakistan is a volatile place where the US has limited cultural awareness. And Pakistan does have nuclear weapons. Dangers for the US are great, occupying Pakistan is out of the question, and bombing the Pakistan side of the border risks alienating the rest of that country. All the problems that caused trouble in Iraq also also present in Afghanistan and probably more seriously. As long as bin Ladin is alive it will be politically difficult for the US to deal with the Taliban and probably impossible to suppress them via occupation. Obama will have his hands full. Can some of Pakistan’s tension with India be defused? This may be a direction.