Rampant corruption is probably the most significant problem undermining the efficacy of the Afghan police force and the public’s confidence therein (though widespread drug use, lack of training and high rates of attrition haven’t been helping much either).
The police are so corrupt that the locals in certain regions prefer checkpoints manned by the Taliban to police-run outposts. Apparently, the Taliban-run checkpoints are bargains in terms of the going rate of extortion. You gotta shop around ya know.
Interestingly, one of the pillars of the “new” strategy concocted by the Obama team is to roughly double the size of the police force over the next couple of years (a relatively short period of time considering the 8 years that preceded). Pressure to add to the rolls – and fast – will inevitably provide incentive to turn a blind eye to problems regarding the suitability of applicants and current police officers.
I hate to be a downer, but there seems to be a serious flaw (or two) in the logic underlying this policy.
December 11, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Jeebus curv3, stop making so damb much sense. This is s’posed to be a fun site!
December 11, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Logic?
December 11, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Probably, likely, but not necessarily inevitable. Corruption is always the number one enemy in all democratic or other governments, ours included. So we have to look at example were corruption has been mitigated in different developing countries. It used to be a helluva lot worse in the United States over the course of our history, and in some cities more then others, and many social and political scientists have done a lot of work at looking at how to establish better education and systems. We do need cops on the beat to enforce the law in Afghanistan, but you’re right you don’t want to exasperate the problem. We need law enforcement that can be trusted to be just in all societies. It’s process and you never reach the ultimate destination, you just try to get as close as possible.
Also we need more ponies.
December 12, 2009 at 10:21 am
You mean ‘exacerbate’, right?
December 13, 2009 at 12:06 am
No, no, he meant exasperate.
You really don’t want to exasperate that problem. Trust me on this.
December 13, 2009 at 1:55 am
No I meant “masturbate”, as in instead of talking about solving problems even though they are hard lets just continue to masturbate instead.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/EXASPERATE
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exacerbate
You know what? Choose your own adventure.
December 12, 2009 at 10:20 am
via Thers at atrios place, this is the greatest Xmas video EVAR!
December 12, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Maybe we should just send them a check instead? How much $.5 Trillion? Something, obviously they just want and need money. Or that isn’t logical either? Perhaps the Afghans are illogical… Is it logical to deal with illogical people in a logical manner? Hmm…
December 13, 2009 at 12:51 pm
though widespread drug use, lack of training and high rates of attrition haven’t been helping much either
So the Afghan police force is a bit like liberal arts college.
December 14, 2009 at 4:06 pm
I wonder what the real price of gas per gallon is, once you’ve factored in the cost of decades of U.S. Middle East occupation, support of despots who deal with us, 9/11, etc.
As long as we’re putting scores of millions of gasoline burning vehicles on the road, we deserve whatever ramifications come our way. I envision a nation of 100 million rusting vehicles sitting on the streets, highways, and mall parking lots, manned by skeletons with death grips on the steering wheels.
December 15, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Z O M B I E S
December 16, 2009 at 3:14 pm
But don’t worry, the pro-war crowd are telling us that the ANA is doing well and is really popular.
PMSL!!!