What can we learn from the British Mistakes

Humans were created as intelligent creatures that learn from their mistakes and repeat their success. Humans did this by learning from their history. However, some mistakes regardless are timeless and repeated through history. One of the main ones is the invasion of Afghanistan, no American politician have tried to take the dust off their history books and learn about the failed British occupation, or even look at how the Afghans became the Lass nail in the USSR coffin.

The British have invaded Afghanistan in 1838 to support the corrupt ruler Shah Shuja who enjoyed negligible local support. The soviets in 1979 have put a series of puppet presidents under their rule. American is doing the same mistake by their support of Karazi. He is seen by his compatriots no different from Shuja or the soviet puppet Najibu-allah.

The Afghan campaign was lead by sir William Hay Macnaghten who viewed the Afghans as savages that need western values of democracy peace and prosperity. Macnaghten failed not only to see that the Afghan culture that is built on conflict and bloodshed , he tried to create a modern western democracy and impose western values. Today, America is committing the same mistake trying to impose democracy in a fragmented country that has a culture of the rule of the strongest. Afghans tribesmen see Karazi as a weak ruler who cannot live without America, they see Karazi acceptance of a rerun as a sign of weakness.

When Macnaghten came to Afghanistan, he wanted motivate his soldiers, thus he allowed them to bring their wives and servants from India. He also tried to build theatres in Kabul and encourage the spread of western culture. This further polarized the Afghani public opinion and made them feel that those invaders are imposing their own culture. Today, the Americans are trying to support Afghan women rights and education for young girls, which is galvanizing the Afghans who are afraid that America came to force them to change.

Macnaghten was not provided with enough forces to overwhelm the strong Afghan tribes, because the British want to keep the campaign’s expenses down. Today, Mac- crystal asked for 140,000 additional troops, but Obama sent him 70,000, half the required number. Today, Afghan war-lords still as corrupt as ever and still they demand to be paid, Macnaghten died because he decreased the amount of money he paid to the loyal warlords. It is prudent to try to build an Afghan army and buy the support of the war-lords if American want to rule.

Finaly, One has to remember that out of 16000 British, only one returned home alive Dr William Brydon. The stakes are high and it is not an easy country to rule. But once, under Americans establish their dominance , it can provide a great strategic advantage bordering the former Soviet states, Iran, China, Pakistan and close to India and Russia backyard .