War without freedom
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008Waleed Aly; 14/4/08
Afghanistan used to be our feel-good war. The regime really did turn out to have links with terrorists, and al-Qaeda suffered heavy losses there, at least until we invaded Iraq and breathed life into global terrorism. But above all, Afghanistan delivered the altruism of liberation long after similar ideals evaporated in the violent chaos of Iraq. With the Taliban gone, and Hamid Karzai installed as President, freedom would be irrepressible. The people of Afghanistan would once more be enchanted by music and warmed by the glow of television. Most symbolic were the Afghan women. No more beatings, no more repression, and especially, no more burqas. They would march in the Taliban’s wake towards the equality with which we endowed them.
