-- On 14 Sep 2001, at 12:28, Ken Brown wrote:
When we British used to run the biggest empire the world has ever seen, we used to call them "punitive expeditions".
They never did anyone a bit of fucking good, except a few colonial administrators.
Although the british never succeeded in imposing a ruler of their choice on Afghanistan, they were highly successful in keeping rulers they did not like from ruling Afghanistan. I predict that the American government will have a go at imposing a proconsul on Afghanistan, letting the Russians have a free hand to exterminate the chechens in in return for the Russians letting America have a free hand to do as it pleases in Afghanistan. Whether it succeeds or fails, taliban will be history. --digsig James A. Donald 6YeGpsZR+nOTh/cGwvITnSR3TdzclVpR0+pr3YYQdkG r4rO4lUMHCQma/1hrcESiwZKJn1ulwjRaYQGA+5x 4ZaQyNVUcOMbQE6oA4Hjd7cTtzfWvpQR9ppdUgzSM