Tonight on Rachel's show she did a brief interview with Sarah Chayes. Ms Chayes first went to Afghanistan in 2002 as a reporter for NPR. She has lived in Kandahar, Afghanistan since 2002. Longer, I believe, than any other American.
She was recently asked to serve as special advisor to General McChrystal. I'm still reacting to my feeling she's one very impressive human being.
Also, in this day and age, we most often belittle the mission having been set for our troops in Afghanistan and question the purpose or futility of such. Sarah's statement of why she accepted the offer - because of the humanitarian work done by our wonderful military personnel over there - really moved me. h/t Wanda517
Here was Ms Chayes praising the humanitarian and social consciousness of our troops in Afghanistan. The transcript and video are not up as I write this (see below for the video links), but I feel it was an impressive representation in a positive light and seen through the eyes of someone who may speak to it with the authority of experience.
Citing Wiki:
Wiki
Sarah Chayes is the daughter of law professor and Kennedy administration member Abram Chayes, and is of Jewish heritage.[1] She graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover, in 1980, and Harvard University in 1984, with a degree in history. She later served in the Peace Corps in Morocco, returning to Harvard to earn a master's degree in history and Middle Eastern studies, specializing in the medieval Islamic period.
Chayes began her reporting career free-lancing from Paris for The Christian Science Monitor and other outlets. From 1996 to 2002, she served as Paris reporter for National Public Radio, earning 1999 Foreign Press Club and Sigma Delta Chi awards (together with other members of the NPR team) for her reporting on the Kosovo War.
A reporter on the ground and hands on. Steeped in an academic background and further educated by living the experiences before her.
Having learned to speak the Pashto language, she has helped rebuild homes, set up a dairy cooperative. In May 2005, she established the Arghand Cooperative, a venture that encourages local Afghan farmers to produce flowers, fruits, and herbs instead of opium poppies, by buying their products and producing soaps and other scented products from them for export. The cooperative is a member of the Natural Perfumers Guild.
Arghand - Hand crafted products from Kandahar
Sarah Chayes Net
Bill Moyers 2/2008
It has been startling to witness the parade of international policy-makers, not to mention members of the Afghan government, now opining that way out of that country's gut-wrenching situation is to cut a deal with those who are victimizing its population. For, make no mistake, no matter how this prospect may be packaged, "reconciliation" with Taliban, at the level at which exploration is now underway, will involve some kind of power-sharing.
A continuation of those thoughts, the blog may be found here.
Following the Moyers
interview.
VIDEO Maddow - March 2009 - Reaching out to the Taliban?
I'd love if one of our front pagers (meteor blades?) might grab a hold of her before her return to Afghanistan. An in depth interview, conversation.
Please, if anyone sees the Maddow interview on video or the transcript SCREAM. Thank you.
Tonight's Video - Maddow - Afghanistan expert speaks out