Re: koran disposal
Probably not...
I'm not sure there would ever be an acceptable way for infidels to handle a Koran. Probably need to be buried in "clean" place as designated by a holy person.. Of course it doesn't even take that much of an excuse for "death to the infidels", who deserve to die just for holding different beliefs.
I don't know that there is a single population we can characterize as "Afghans".
We entered Afghanistan in pursuit of non-Afghans who were based there. Over the course of this, the mission creep has somehow turned this into nation building, of a nation that will never be able to support itself with a conventional central government. Historically Afghanistan has never been more than rest stop on the silk road between east and west. Not enough revenue there to stand up more than rudimentary local areas of control (think warlords).
The vast majority of Afghan civilians just want what we we've been trying to give them "lately", peace and self determination, but this seems impossible as they couldn't support any structure we left behind without either continuous massive international aid, or perhaps an organized drug trade (may be time to legalize heroin so they can have a legal cash crop). As we withdraw the power vacuum will be filled by others with little interest in a larger Afghan nation. War lords will take over the north and Taliban will take over the south (near Pakistan).
I believe any negotiations with Al Queda are being done via drones (a whole 'nother issue to inspect thier use, especially in other countries)... We are trying to negotiate with the Taliban. I don't know what reason they have to not just wait us out. We have already telegraphed a retreat. I guess dangling the release of high level Taliban fighters from Gitmo gets them to the table, but I don't see much leverage or benefit from that approach. I sure hope the folks involved are smarter than me, because I don't see it.
JR
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Evan: good luck. Get home safely and soon. I continue to be impressed by the professionalism of modern soldiers, and their adaptability to deal with missions far more complex than simple ballistic warfare. Please know that the American public supports you, even as the mission is more than a little tangled up (snafu).
