Disappeared News

by Larry Geller

As job losses mount in the USA, as millions are losing their homes and medical insurance and are driven into bankruptcy, our government is planning one more bailout—of the Taliban.

An international fund amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars will be established this week in a bid to buy off Taliban leaders in Afghanistan.

An outline for the strategy, which will be principally funded by the US, Japan and Britain, was reported to have been drafted at a meeting in Abu Dhabi two weeks ago of top-level diplomats from 20 countries. [The National, Taliban 'buy out' fund to cost hundreds of millions, 1/26/2010]

The good news is that Obama may finally be developing some appreciation of the need for job creation. From the same article:

Clare Lockhart, chief executive of the Institute for State Effectiveness, a think tank in Washington, and a former adviser to the UN and Afghan government, said unemployment was one of the root causes of insurgency and must be addressed.

“One of the reasons why young men are joining up various armed forces – whether the government forces, armed insurgent groups or just criminal gangs – is that there is no employment or livelihood. So it is very circular,” she said.

“To address some of the root causes of instability one does need to focus on job creation.”

It’s great to see so much sympathy for the young men in the Taliban. If only our president cared as much for the teeming jobless in his own country.

Permalink posted by Larry @ 1/25/2010 10:01:00 PM