Afghanistan on brink of starvation

[Scholsey]

Disagree. Plenty evil people will use religion as a means to justify their behaviour, but it’s rare (never?) that the pure religious belief is the reason.

Hundreds of millions oppressed due to sharia law and pretty much the entire population of Palestine would disagree with you there aswell as a few more hundred of millions across North Africa and Myanmar and that’s without delving into history.

 

[SilliamWhale]

As long as there is religion in the world there is going to be famine and war in the world.

I am sure the talibans sky wizard would much rather they concentrated on making sure families had something to eat rather instead of shooting people in the face for singing or cutting peoples hair.

But then how can someone who believes in their own sky wizard criticise someone else’s sky wizard? Good old religion eh.

I doubt its just religion. Many wars of the past were fought over water.

 

[Castle Farm]

The UK will without doubt 'support' them. More money we haven't got. Let them get on with it.

 

[PostHarvest]

Many wars of the past were fought over water.

I've worked in Helmand and Kandahar provinces in the South and three provinces in the North East of Afghanistan. In the 1950's, the Americans built a massive irrigation system in Helmand and Kandahar that made it possible to grow decent crops of cereals, maize, vegetables, fruits and cotton. The team I worked with did a huge amount of work in repairing and restoring that irrigation system but had to stop when the fighting erupted. They had good water supplies when the system was maintained. Obviously, it hasn't been maintained since we left. In the North, they also had some good farms fed by irrigation systems that grew a range of cereals, fruits and veg and some pretty large flocks of sheep. But the drug trade has diverted a lot of effort and land into growing opium poppy mainly encouraged by their corrupt politicians who are the drug traders. Between them, the drug lords and the religious zealots have broken the country.

 

[warksfarmer]

Apparently 22 million are in the next few months about to starve. Obviously Afghanistan has other problems causing this monumental disaster, but is this just a sign of things to come. If so why is the world not preparing to secure food. They seem more bothered about anything other than food right now.

How crazy are these poloticans and civil servants

Not sure it’s got anything to do with this country any more. We should of left Karzi in power over there and walked away. Likewise we should never of removed Sadam Hussain.

 

[PostHarvest]

Hamid Karzai was part of the problem as he presented different opinions depending on who he was talking to. His brother Walid was even worse as he was suspected of being / almost certainly was the biggest drug trader in the country. Their brother in law was governor of Helmand province and was supporting poppy eradication on everyone else's land but stockpiling tons of opium in his own place. They ran rings around the international coalition making millions of $'s at the same time.

 

[Whitewalker]

As long as there is religion in the world there is going to be famine and war in the world.

I am sure the talibans sky wizard would much rather they concentrated on making sure families had something to eat rather instead of shooting people in the face for singing or cutting peoples hair.

But then how can someone who believes in their own sky wizard criticise someone else’s sky wizard? Good old religion eh.

Your probably right , if it’s not religion let’s just blame white people , black people , foreigners, people who like the colour yellow. Can you think of anyone else we can include in this generalisation @Scholsey

 

[Macsky]

true but a lot of humanitarian atrocities are purely down to religion.

No they’re not, false religion is used as a corrupt tool to exert power over the many by the few, never see an imam blowing themselves up do you?

 

[SilliamWhale]

I've worked in Helmand and Kandahar provinces in the South and three provinces in the North East of Afghanistan. In the 1950's, the Americans built a massive irrigation system in Helmand and Kandahar that made it possible to grow decent crops of cereals, maize, vegetables, fruits and cotton. The team I worked with did a huge amount of work in repairing and restoring that irrigation system but had to stop when the fighting erupted. They had good water supplies when the system was maintained. Obviously, it hasn't been maintained since we left. In the North, they also had some good farms fed by irrigation systems that grew a range of cereals, fruits and veg and some pretty large flocks of sheep. But the drug trade has diverted a lot of effort and land into growing opium poppy mainly encouraged by their corrupt politicians who are the drug traders. Between them, the drug lords and the religious zealots have broken the country.

I was more meaning countries in general rather than Afghanistan

 

[Scholsey]

No they’re not, false religion is used as a corrupt tool to exert power over the many by the few, never see an imam blowing themselves up do you?

You tell a Saudi or member of the taliban/Isis that they believe in a false religion to exert power and see what happens.

 

[Macsky]

You tell a Saudi or member of the taliban/Isis that they believe in a false religion to exert power and see what happens.

I’m sure they believe it, doesn’t make what I said untrue. The fundamental problem is human nature, not religion or dictators or totalitarian states, when too much power lands in the hands of too few people problems start, people aren’t very good at playing God.

 

[Farma Parma]

As long as there is religion in the world there is going to be famine and war in the world.

I am sure the talibans sky wizard would much rather they concentrated on making sure families had something to eat rather instead of shooting people in the face for singing or cutting peoples hair.

But then how can someone who believes in their own sky wizard criticise someone else’s sky wizard? Good old religion eh.

Aye Religion eh its all the be n end all of life... or so they make folks believe.
There is a methodist & a church of england & a catholic church in the same village, all do things differently yet tech following the same fellow upstairs?
all criticize the other so i hear, id flatten two of the places me & one of them would still be too many.

 

[Scholsey]

I’m sure they believe it, doesn’t make what I said untrue. The fundamental problem is human nature, not religion or dictators or totalitarian states, when too much power lands in the hands of too few people problems start, people aren’t very good at playing God.

But if they do believe it and it’s written in their religion or atleast in their interpretation it is how can anyone that believes in their own gods teaching say they are wrong? How many countries still carry the death penalty for being a homosexual due to religious beliefs?

 

[Macsky]

But if they do believe it and it’s written in their religion or atleast in their interpretation it is how can anyone that believes in their own gods teaching say they are wrong? How many countries still carry the death penalty for being a homosexual due to religious beliefs?

Because there is an innate sense of right and wrong in every one of us, easily ignored/confused by many, but it’s still there.

Who with a little rational thought can really argue that blowing up or stabbing unsuspecting civilians is the right thing to do?

 

[Scholsey]

Because there is an innate sense of right and wrong in every one of us, easily ignored/confused by many, but it’s still there.

Who with a little rational thought can really argue that blowing up or stabbing unsuspecting civilians is the right thing to do?

Plenty of christians did it 7-8-900 years ago in the name of religion with a big red cross on their chest! it was as wrong 900 years ago as it is now, difference if some religions have mellowed their teachings to suit life alongside a mostly atheist population and some haven't.

 

[Highland Mule]

Plenty of christians did it 7-8-900 years ago in the name of religion

They did indeed, and it was a lovely convenient excuse for the wrongs they comitted. How any of them could rationalise it with 'love thy neighbour' I have no idea, but it certainly wasn't Christ-like behaviour.

 

[Macsky]

Plenty of christians did it 7-8-900 years ago in the name of religion with a big red cross on their chest! it was as wrong 900 years ago as it is now, difference if some religions have mellowed their teachings to suit life alongside a mostly atheist population and some haven't.

Whilst the reformed have stuck to a commitment to understand the bible for the sake of knowing God and a hope of restoration to perfection through Him, with no ulterior motives.

 

[Ranger Security Solutions]

Apparently 22 million are in the next few months about to starve. Obviously Afghanistan has other problems causing this monumental disaster, but is this just a sign of things to come. If so why is the world not preparing to secure food. They seem more bothered about anything other than food right now.

How crazy are these poloticans and civil servants

Corruption is endemic throughout Afghanistan, and is at every level of government. This is probably the ISAF coalition's biggest mistake in not making the Afghan government tackle corruption and make government officials accountable, and was a significant contribution to the swift collapse of the Afghan military following the (poorly executed) ISAF withdrawal from the country. Soldiers that are not paid and not supplied, because funding has been syphoned off to private accounts belonging to senior leaders, will not fight (that and an Afghan's fluid loyalty, depending who appears to be the likely winner that day).

Aid programs, worth hundreds and thousands of millions, were pumped in to the Afghan agricultural industry/economy over the past 20-years. The project which I supported was worth US$185m. That was a USAID project, of which there were many; as were projects by DfID (now UKAID), the EU as an organisation, and separate programs by EU member countries such as Germany, and others. The United Nations also participated, including the World Food Program (WFP).

Many of these projects were trying to incentivise moving away from opium production, to more traditional crops. Some did, many did not. Those that did not had either allegiance to, or were under control of, tribal chiefs and warlords (not all were Taliban but opium was a major source of funding for them - supposedly up to 60% of their revenue), which generally have more recognition/authority than central government in Kabul. As a country, Afghanistan is currently in a poor position to feed itself, despite the international efforts. You also have to query why the WFP, established in 1961, which received US$9bn last year (the UK gave almost £600m) and for 2021 has so far received US$6.98bn, still struggles to manage food poverty/security, when the world easily has capacity to feed itself, even if individual countries do not.

 

[farmerm]

with the global fertiliser situation as it is, Afganistan could well be joined by plenty of other states in the not too distant future.

 

[PostHarvest]

Aid programs, worth hundreds and thousands of millions, were pumped in to the Afghan agricultural industry

Unfortunately, whilst this is absolutely true, there were many cases of vast amounts of money being wasted due to poor organisation and management of projects. I was personally involved in three projects, one funded by USAID, one by DFID and one by the German government, all of which were poorly planned from the outset.