Shakespeare on the Afghans’ Point of View

In time we hate that which we often fear“In time we hate that which we often fear. ”

(Antony and Cleopatra, act 1, sc. 3)

The news from the corporate media is such that, should they declare that today Jan 6, 2013 is Sunday, it is advisable to check for yourself that it is really so. It follows that many (or rather that part of the population more addicted to thought) have given up on following the customary news sources.
Therefore, you may remember that 2014 is the deadline to end “NATO” operations in Afghanistan (the quotes underscore the Orwellian fig-leaf to avoid saying “US”).
Which means that the administration is preparing for a continued US military presence indefinitely – as even reported by the New York Times. General John Allen has proposed a force of 20,000 combat troops plus the presence of “Special Operations commandos who would hunt down insurgents” and “additional US forces would be used to bolster the Afghan security forces through air support, logistics and training.”
The farcical nature of these plans vis-à-vis the “withdrawal” of “NATO” forces does not need comment.
More interesting, however, is the story of an Afghan soldier who became an “enemy to America.” No doubt you may have heard that the “democratic” forces of the hyper-corrupt puppet Afghan government occasionally lash out at the “NATO” forces via individual acts of internal rebellion and fight-back.
Mahmoud, the Afghan soldier in question, opened fire on his trainers and managed to escape. Which prompted First Sgt. Joseph Hissong, (an American who helped fight off an insider attack by Afghan soldiers that left two men in his unit dead) to say “It’s a game changer on all levels”.
Behind the “game change” even “NATO” sources have concluded (unofficially of course), that those Afghans who are not feeding at the trough of the puppet government view the foreigners as the Talibans do. Hope has become hatred, and some turn their feelings into action.
Which is exactly what Mahmoud did by firing on his trainers, killing one, wounding others and then managing to escape.
The Afghan and American soldiers initially thought the attack was coming from the outside. They “didn’t even think that someone within the Afghan Army might have opened fire on Americans,” he said. “I took advantage of this confusion and fled.”
Until last May Mahmoud worked in some service job for the foreigners in the district of Kunar. Where many residents sympathized with the insurgents and often complained to Afghan soldiers about the abuses committed by Americans and the failure of Afghan soldiers to control much of anything beyond the perimeter of their own outpost, Mr. Mahmood said.
Listening to villagers, Mr. Mahmood became convinced that the foreigners had killed too many Afghans and insulted the Prophet Muhammad too many times. He wanted to drive them out, not help them stay. The villagers’ stories “strengthened my hatred of the invaders” he said.
Only the corporate media refers to Afghanistan as the “war on terror”. In the meantime the administration is shipping army units into 30 African countries, no doubt to spread once-more, as effectively as in all the other places so far, “freedom and democracy”.

Tips for Use. Suggest a soft rather than a hard hand in handling people.

In the play. Charmian, attendant girl to Cleopatra, suggests that she (Cleopatra) may lose Antony’s love if she continues to disappoint him with erratic behavior.

Image site: http://fineartamerica.com/art/paintings/hate/all

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