A Message from Their Friends No one disputes that any workable approach to terrorism must include a stable Afghanistan. A return to tribal warfare and the resulting chaos would recreate the conditions under which the Taliban came to power and allow Al Qaeda or a likeminded group to find haven there again. The U.S. government has maintained that the long-term solution is the Afghan army, which would impose order and begin to establish a sense of nationhood in what has long operated as a loose confederation of fiefdoms run by warlords. As to the short-term solution, Washington has steadfastly resisted pleas from the interim government in Kabul to expand the peacekeeping force outside the capital but has said very little. In Northern Afghanistan last month, I caught a glimpse of the answer. Relief workers I visited there said that each time rival factions begin exchanging discouraging words that might boil over into overt hostilities, the U.S. sends a reminder that peace is the order of the day. A few F-16s fly over at turban level. And tempers subside. Bill Koops ============================================================== (c) 2002 Millennium Relief & Development Services, vol. 2 no. 16 'Insight' is a publication of MRDS to interpret current events in light of the experience of members of our international network. 'Insight' archives and other information can be found on our website. 'Insight' may be freely copied with this citation. If you wish to be removed from this mailing list, simply reply and request to be removed. Millennium RDS, 5116 Bissonnet #358, Bellaire, TX 77401-4007 Tel: (713)961-5645 Fax: (713)961-5735 www.mrds.org insight@mrds.org. ==============================================================