Think global, act tribal

Afganistan. Remember Afganistan? That is where bin Laden was/is. That is the unruly playground of particularly fundamental thinkers of all sorts, where old ways have been defeating new ways since someone decided to have a new way. It was the critical point of George Bush's preemption doctrine wherein he said he would go anywhere to get the terrorists and the host countries had no say: "You are with us or you are against us".

He immediately put that in the too hard basket and went for the soft underbelly of the guy who beat his dad.

But, because it is impolitic to "cut and run", the Coalition of the Willing still maintains a huge presence, investment and face in Afganistan. You have to wonder what difference it might have made if the CotW had remained focused on bin Laden and Afganistan rather than being diverted to the oil fields of Iraq.

Paul McGeough, writer for the SMH, has been an independent (well, not imbedded, anyway) reporter who has constantly been in harms way to get as close to the local angle as almost any other reporter. His insights have been just about as close-up-and-personal as any I've read. He calls this report "Old ways linger beneath a veil of votes".

I call it "Think Global, Act Tribal": http://smh.com.au/articles/2005/09/09/1125772696425.html