Devil's Advocate

Erstwhile USSR is to be blamed for the current security problem that we face called the Taliban. The Regan administration is to be blamed. Why? Go watch 'Charlie Wilson's War'. It tells the tale of how a congressman was instrumental in raising the CIA's covert operations fund in Afganistan from a meagre US$5 million to over a Billion US dollars. How Americans transformed Afgans into Mujahiddins equipping them with Stinger missiles and Kalashnikovs. The Mujahids were freedom fighters then. They are terrorists today. Period.  

The same weapons which drew away the evil communists away are now being used to wage a jihad against the lone super-power today. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!!!

Part of the problem today could have been non existent today had the Americans invested a few more dollars rebuilding war torn Afganistan instead of reorganising Eastern Europe. As our protagonist in the movie says while the Russians were retreating from Afganistan, "More than half of the country's population is below 14 and when they come back to find their families dead, their cities destroyed, who are they gonna turn their guns to???".

The world, especially the Indian Subcontinent is bearing the brunt of the mistakes of the Cold war. I suppose the Russians are now happy. The Americans must be happy too. India is paying. Pakistan is paying. And more importantly, Afganistan is paying.....