Evil and Hope
I stayed up until 4am last night finishing Greg Mortenson’s book, Stones Into Schools, and have read more than enough to understand why he’s received over 10 honorary doctorate degrees from universities nationwide and was nominated alongside Obama for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. He is an inspiration to me and to many and I cannot get enough information about what he’s doing, and moreover, how it reflects and in several cases compliments, current efforts of the US Military in Afghanistan. Afghanistan and the US’ involvement is a very complex myriad of good and evil, of course revering controversy of opinion at home and abroad. After a few hours of research, there’s a lot to be learned on the issue, and I think educating ourselves is what can make us better understand and form opinions on the matter. There’s a lot of people participating in the situation from different angles. I’ve found some fascinating information online, and have collected it here.
- NPR’s interview with Greg Mortenson, author of “Stones Into Schools”, and Ahmed Rashid, author of “Descent Into Chaos”, offers insight into what’s going on on the ground in Afghanistan now. Dec. 8, 2009: Direct link to the audio segment
- The Economist’s review of Rashid’s most recent book, among other reviews.
- A very introspective and personal account of Greg Mortenson’s work, by Good Housekeeping magazine. Mentions of his relationship with his family, and his daughter’s interest and involvement in Greg’s work.
- General Stanley McChrystal’s 66-page report on what the best strategy is for the US to take in Afghanistan: (PDF link: http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/Assessment_Redacted_092109.pdf)
- A blog post from a veteran of the Vietnam war who sees the solution has always been the same, in Vietnam and in Afghanistan now, that helping build a self-sustaining civil society abroad is the most powerful security force for the US at home.
- Quote from the report: “U.S. and NATO forces must change their mind set from killing the enemy alone, to protecting the entire civilian population from the Taliban, Al Qeada, violent ethic extremists and internal criminals. The change in mind set would require U.S. troops to blend in with the population, getting closer than ever before and risking immense danger by trusting local leaders who may double cross them.“
- MIT TV’s video segment on the election controversy in October, 2009, the McChrystal report and the Taliban
Reading “Stones Into Schools” is essentially a crash course on the complex dynamics occurring on the ground in Afghanistan, with staunching realism and a more powerful message of hope. I feel like a better human being after reading it. And that doesn’t even begin to reflect on the degree of impact that Greg Mortenson has made to lives of people from the end of the road to reading chairs in the US.
