I'm not your enemy Ondelette, and I do respect your opinion, but it's wrong. More violence is not going to solve the problem. And I do care about the people of Afghanistan. But there's a real world cost/benefit analysis to be engaged in here, and one that doesn't render the interests of American citizens and their needs subservient to those of the Afghanis.

Given that your definition of a peacekeeping force and who should be on it is fairly similar to my own, and that in my original bulleted list I had called for dismantling OEF, ending the AUMF, and shifting the burden for dealing with the Taliban/al Qaeda in large part to Pakistan, I don't really understand the above paragraph. Our plans are virtually the same, except that you anticipate integrating forces from local neighboring countries that will not happen for regional hegemonic reasons. Also, the nature of the peacekeeping force procedures need to fit the situation, but it isn't really different from what you said. So I don't understand why I am being labeled as in favor of violence, and therefore wrong, and you are not, for proffering the same plan, except the prevailing warmonger screams around here.

I will contact you about anything I find. You do have the advantage of being a lawyer, they've lawyerized a lot of the fields in operation (the same way the ACLU became lawyerized over the last 20-30 years).

We can never 'trust' our authorities to do anything. I believe it was Glenn who said that trusting governments isn't in the script, demanding answerability is. In this case it isn't just our government, it's multiple governments, all of which have similar problems (not as much stained as ours right now, but still willing to sell the victims down the river when nobody's looking).

I don't see there being alternatives. If we don't learn responsibility in Afghanistan, we'll be learning it somewhere else, or we will just fail. That shouldn't be an option to anyone with progeny, but apparently it is right now.

So we can only keep pushing and keep correcting until we get somewhere. Given the circumstances, however, the humanitarian stuff has to be done right now. And other organizations aren't completely out of the question, although given the last two weeks some are sharply curtailing what they are doing.

Can I give you a fuller answer later? I need to go show a film.

I actually bulleted the outline of my ideas for what should be done in Afghanistan, and I've made clear for some time now that no plan which does not include what should be done about Pakistan is viable. You are the one who has said only a vague two paragraphs about it. You stand behind your vague plan, then defend it. Who does the peacekeeping, who protects the humanitarian aid program you leave behind when all combat troops are withdrawn? If 'combat troops' does not include peacekeeping forces, then say so, and we are essentially in agreement except for who you say should do that work. Anyone who fundamentally thinks all troops can leave and then we can talk about humanitarian aid is someone who has no intention of implementing humanitarian aid.

As for whether or not I stand behind what I believe in, I asked about being deployed to Pakistan about a week and a half ago. The person I asked understood that I was serious about doing so, but did not take the offer seriously because I lacked the expertise they were looking for. So there you have it. Sooner or later, I will qualify. I just fundamentally don't believe the people there should be left to suffer and die. If you have a way of preventing that with your legalisms and your belief that you have seriously evaluated all options and are the total expert all of us aspire to, lay it out, I'm all ears.

I guess I can either take your word for it, or I can take the ICRC's word for it on Angola. They just got done having their delegation members write up their experiences in Angola over 25 years of conflict and 7 years of post conflict. You asked where nation building had been done to end conflict, I gave you the example that is most recent. I didn't say it was a perfect place, or even close, I gave it as an example of a place that is considered to have had a successful nation-building end to a perpetual war.

You gave a vague para a couple of days ago about a phased withdrawal of all combat troops and keeping humanitarian operations. You don't know how you would do that, you assign military roles to some other country's troops, you have no idea about the local hegemonies in South Asia, you haven't the slightest about the peacekeeping troop role that ISAF is supposed to be playing, you pretend that I would need a lecture from you to know about the existence of loya jirgas, you refuse me the right to agree to disagree, you, most of all, absolutely refuse to stand behind your less than thought out plan, and complain bitterly that anyone would expect that of you, but I'm a loon? Okay, so be it.