Robert Gates
A common saying in Afghanistan is “we’ve got the watches they’ve got the time.” A perfect metaphor to describe the Western obsession time and the Taliban’s eternal patience. That is why U.S Secretary of Defence, Robert Gates’ statement that the United States will not be leaving Afghanistan is exactly the message to send to the Taliban. If you don’t have the time don’t start a war in Afghanistan.
The simplicity of life in Afghanistan is also a camouflage for the Afghan’s ability to withstand asymmetrical threats from the climate, terrain or a foreign military. We have failed to recognise their historical capacity to adapt. Ahmed Rashid, one of the best contemporary authors on Afghanistan, suggests that the devastation of the Soviet invasion and subsequent civil war influenced the Taliban state of mind. The longer we engage the more they evolve – both politically and violently.
They know they don’t have to win the war. They just have to outlast our domestic time constraints and out-govern Karzai and his corrupt Provincial representatives.
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