AFGHANISTAN: A war fanned by ideology and economics

Some of the best on-the-ground reporting from Iraq and Afghanistan has been done by reporter/journalism professor Andrew Lubin.

He's done multiple tours with U.S. troops in both countries. And he's not averse to the strategic use of firepower. Witness his book "Charlie Battery: A Marine Battery Unit in Iraq."

But in two recent dispatches from Afghanistan, he emphasizes the vexing economic aspects of the war against the Taliban.

In "Afghanistan--A Local War: The Tegab Valley," he writes "...with literacy levels under 20% there are many issues that need to be addressed before Afghanistan reaches even 'developing world' status."

And in "A Battlefield Circulation Tour w/ Col. Jeff Haynes," he calls out the U.S. for moves he says have made things worse, not better:

"Lots of firefights in this [Korengal] valley; this area used to be one of Afghanistan's chief sources of logs-lumber until the American Army came in and shut down the logging businesses, which cost jobs. Now the Korengalis take Saudi money funneled through Pakistan to fight the Americans, and since they know the steep valley best, it's a difficult fight. As in many areas of Afghanistan, the fight is more economic than ideological."

For more of Lubin's reporting, see www.andrewlubin.com.

-- Tony Perry

Photo: Marine in Afghanistan. Credit: U.S. Army

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