So children are starving to death in Afghanistan.
That’s it. That’s pretty much all there is to the story. If you want more on it, here’s an article on the topic on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Gandhara website: “Afghan Children Starving To Death As Hunger ‘Rapidly Spreading’,” by Abubakar Siddique, Gandhara, Jan 28, 2022. (1)
And why are they starving to death? Because the Taliban destroyed the former government, which was capable of feeding its own citizens, and replaced it with one that can’t. Also, the Taliban lack the resources to purchase, transport, or distribute food to the neediest of its people. Oh, and they may not be particularly interested in doing so. There is evidence that what food resources they do have tend to go to the Taliban’s own supporters rather than those who really need them. (2)
What’s that you say? That the West, in general, and the United States, in particular, is really responsible for the problem because “we” are not allowing the Taliban full, unrestricted access to the funds that were banked overseas by the former regime? Sorry. Not buying it. The Taliban could get that money almost instantly if only they would agree to Western oversight as to how it was spent. If the Taliban really wanted to end the crisis, all they’d have to do is agree to let international inspectors make certain that the funds were actually spent on food, and not guns and bombs and other fun stuff like that.
The fact that the Taliban government has categorically refused such oversight is pretty convincing. The grim reality is that if the new leadership got its hands on that money, we could expect Afghans to continue to starve at about the same pace…but, also, we’d see hordes of well-heeled, much-bearded Ministers Of Suicide Bombings, or whatever, wearing Rolexes, driving BMWs, and purchasing top o’the line plastic explosive, dirty bombs, and anti-airliner missiles (man-portable to Western airports) from a thousand willing suppliers.
So, no…near as I can tell the Taliban is itself entirely responsible for the crisis.
What do we do about it? No idea. Personally, I’ve donated to charities which I trust to actually help the children of Afghanistan — notably Save The Children.(3) (If you are interested, you can do so too here: https://www.savethechildren.org/us/where-we-work/afghanistan)
But, beyond that, I’m at a loss.
All I know is that, once again, a regime which claims to hold power in the name of an all-knowing, all-caring God who loves His children…
In fact acts like band of a murdering narcissistic psychopaths, eagerly in the service of the most diabolic of fiends…
~mjt
Sources:
1. “Afghan Children Starving To Death As Hunger ‘Rapidly Spreading’,” Abubakar Siddique, Gandhara, Jan 28, 2022, https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/afghan-children-starving-hunger/31676418.html
2. “Cash-Strapped Taliban Uses Foreign Aid Intended For Starving Afghans To Pay State Employees,” by Ron Synovitz, Gandhara, Jan 25, 2022, https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/taliban-foreign-aid-starving-afghans/31670691.html
3. “Emergency Alert,” Save The Children, https://www.savethechildren.org/us/where-we-work/afghanistan
Special note: This piece is also appearing on my political blog, "Crisis and Cure." However, as of 14 Feb, 2022, that blog and explosive-cargo will merge.
Copyright©2022 Michael Jay Tucker
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~mjt
~mjt