CNN iReport

Second Life Citizens explored the haunting realities of Afghanistan today through a lively discussion and viewing of Afghan video documentaries filmed in country. Joining us in Second Life (SL) were: Ledoof Constantineau, Castro DeSantis, Colin Claremont, Trill Zapatero, M. Wardell, Jennifer Reitveld,
Suri Juneberry, Elen Elan, Any Gynoid, Rene Swords, flaperl Aquila, and Starry Hansome. This is the fourth discussion in a SL series hosted by Afghan SL Peace. For coverage of the previous actions, see this CNN iReport: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-330829
Join Second Life for free at: http://secondlife.com
And visit Afghan SL Peace, white building up the hill, at: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Berard/87/37/35

Tne video documentaries we viewed are listed below in the Bibliography below. From the sense of our discussion, it is fair to say that human rights and peace activists in Second Life are absolutely apalled by what we have discovered in Afghanistan about women's rights, the war criminals and drug lords who dominate the corrupt government, and the entire basis for the West's war. Second Life's Castro DeSantis (Picture 1 far left) had this reaction, "These are sickening and shocking videos" to which I explained that these represent the horrifying ground truth in Afghanistan, to which she replied "Don't be sorry."

Recently, due to well known policy deliberations, there is intense media focus on Afghanistan with dozens of stories published daily [AfghanNews], and many more documentaries, videos, studies, books, and features being released. See the Bibliography below for the citations, such as [URLs]. Given the immensity of the information and complexity of the situation, I'll try to break down and concisely summarize what SL Citizens have discovered.

WOMEN's RIGHTS are getting much worse since the 2001 invasion. [RAWA1] [Rethink1]
87% of women in Afghanistan are beaten frequently. [Jones]
There is no justice for women. Marital rape is officially legal. Rape in general is effectively legal due to an extremely corrupt judiciary, corrupt police, corrupt government officials, and criminal warlord gangs who are above the law. [RAWA1] [RAWA3] [Jones] [Rethink1]
Women who enter public life, including politicians, journalists, actresses, healthcare workers, teachers, humanitarians, and others are frequently threatened, attacked, and killed. [Jones]
Afghani women have many forces against them, the corrupt government, the criminal warlords, the Taliban and numerous other insurgent groups, and the mistakes of NATO and Afghani military that result in human rights violations and civilian casualties. [RAWA4]
All of the violent forces which have torn the country apart for the past 30 years are now heavily armed and operating with impunity. For the women of Afghanistan, removing forces from the embattled country would be a distinct improvement, including withdrawal of occupying forces and rigorous war crimes prosecution of the criminal drug lords and warlords. [RAWA2] [AfghanWomensMission]

AFGHAN GOV's CIVIL WAR with INSURGENTS - There is a civil war going on, and West is taking the side of a goverment dominated by drug kingpins and war criminal warlords. [Hoh] [Jones] [Warlords] [Dreyfus] Note: Our Bibliography cites Matthew Hoh's resignation lettter, a fact based account of one of NATO's top Afghan reconstruction experts. See Hoh Interviewed on CNN TV http://bit.ly/fzhoh
70% of Afghan Citizens believe that the people running the government and parliament are war criminals, and 90% believe they should be removed from power. [Jones]
The ethnic power structure of the current goverment only grows the insurgencies.[Harrison]
NATO's presence further exacerbates and fuels the growth of insurgency. [Harrison] [Hoh]
The anti-government insurgency is a popular uprising of local militia, and growing rapidly due to the presense of outsiders throughout Afghanistan, outsiders including the corrupt government and Westerners. [Hoh]

WAR RATIONALE - The rationale for the 2001 war was based on women's rights, defeating Al Qaeda, and denying international terrorists "safe haven" in Afghanistan. Of these 3 rationale, the campaign against Al Qaeda has succeeded; Al Qaeda leadership is devastated. [Zakaria] [Dreyfus] However there has been a high cost in civilian casualties and anti-western sentiment. [Satia]

The continuing war rationale for women's rights is entirely without basis; Afghani women's situation is only worsening. See Women's Rights above.

The SAFE HAVEN rationale is also without any basis in fact.
The Taliban who ran the country from approximately 1996 to 2001 believe that Al Qaeda caused them to be removed from power by the West. Taliban would not contemplate bringing Al Qaeda back. [Kos] [Mueller]
International terrorism is a highly distributed and loosely connected affiliation, not requiring safe havens and holding land. [Pillar] [Mueller] [Walt]
The conventional force's primary mode is terrorial acquisition, including a counter-insurgency strategy of "clear", "hold", and "build". This is a complete mismatch for the landless, ungoverned spaces affinity of international terror. [Pillar] A more effective counterinsurgency approach involves "befriend, secure, build governance, and then hold." according to active duty Cmdr. David Adams, recently returned from managing reconstruction in Khost, Afghanistan,  in his timely article "Afghanistan Doesn't Need More Troups." [WSJ]
A small effective counter-terrorism force could keep them international terrorists at bay in the region. [Zakaria] [Dreyfus]

BIBLIOGRAPHY

[URLs] There is a wealth of Internet-based information about Afghanistan, including decades of research by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and others, plus heroic women's rights groups suchas: http://www.RAWA.org
http://www.SarahChayes.net
http://www.AfghanWomensMission.org
http://www.WomenForAfghanWomen.org.

[AfghanNews] Moderated News Subscription Service organized by the Institute for Afghan Studies - republishes dozens of stories daily http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AfghanNews/

[AfghanWomensMission] Democracy Now Show: Sonali Kolhatkar, KPFK Uprising Host
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqBogn6ikG8

[Dreyfus] How to Get Out - An authoritative progressive policy guideline for withdrawal from Afghanistan and regional reform http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091109/dreyfuss

[Harrison] The Ethnic Split - Explains why the current Afghanistan government is an unworkable proposition http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091109/harrison

[Hoh] Resignation Letter of Senior Afghan Reconstruction Official because he "lost understanding of and confidence in" the entire foundations of the west's war in Aghanistan http://www.scribd.com/doc/21683575/Matthew-Hoh-first-US-official-to-resign-over-Afghan-War

[Jones] Remember the Women? A devastating and authoritative account of the status of women's rights in Afghanistan from eye witness Ann Jones. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091109/jones

[Kos] Not Enough Troops, Not Quick Enough - A Daily Kos opinion on the war with great quotes and insights http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/10/14/792975/-Not-Enough-Troops,-Not-Quick-Enough

[Mueller] The 'Safe Haven' Myth - A compelling case for why the safe haven myth is a complete hoax http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091109/mueller

[Pillar] Who's Afraid of a Terrorist Haven? A strong case against the terrorist haven myth
http://warincontext.org/2009/09/16/whos-afraid-of-a-terrorist-haven/

[RAWA1] New Women's Prison in Afghan - But All Afghan Women Are Already Imprisoned
On The Occaision of International Women's Day & How it happened in Afghanistan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-tLwREpD1c

[RAWA2] Mujahadeen Warlords Mass Killing of Civilians 1992-1996 unearthed in 2007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTh8VIYGQ_8&NR=1

[RAWA3] No Justice in Afghanistan: Aftermath of 12-y-old girl Who Was Raped by Criminal Warlord Gang http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yFiHkhv-UE

[RAWA4] Effect of Civilians Casualties in Bala Baluk, Western Afghanistan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P_DqT7BGXc

[Rethink1] Rethink Afghanistan (Part 5): Women of Afghanistan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7jAT0FAGBc

[Rethink2] Rethink Afghanistan
Afghanistan + More Troops = Catastrophe (Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r54SnuOXrY

[Rethink3] Rethink Afghanistan (Part 2): The Ring of Fire
Pakistan: "The Most Dangerous Country" (Trailer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WhQON0MiGc

[Rethink4] Rethink Afghanistan (Part 3): Cost of War - trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ2MZrltCn8

[Rethink5] Rethink Afghanistan (Part 4): Civilian Casualties
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krHV9iT20zw

[Rethink6] Rethink Afghanistan (Part 5): Women of Afghanistan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7jAT0FAGBc

[Rethink7] http://gridapps.appspot.com/mp4redir?vidid=hjE2wMWMJwI
Rethink Afghanistan (Part 6): Security
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjE2wMWMJwI

[Satia] The Attack of the Drones http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091109/satia

[Walt] High Cost, Low Odds - Explains the policy tradeoffs for the West in the lose lose situation in Afghanistan http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091109/walt

[Warlords] Warlords of Afghanistan http://www.warlordsofafghanistan.com/index.php

[WSJ] Cmdr. David Adams and Anne Marlowe, "Afghanistan Doesn't Need More Troups," Wall Street Journal, Opinion, 28 Oct 2009. http://www.wsj.com/

[Zakaria] The Case Against a Surge: More troops won't solve Afghanistan http://www.newsweek.com/id/217109

DISCUSSION TALKING POINTS

Picture 1 and 2 are some long shots of the discussion. Picture 1 shows Castro DeSantis, Trill Zapatero, Colin Claremont, and Any Gynoid (left to right);

In our Afghan SL Peace discussions, a memorable exchange occurred regarding the role of economic development in Afghanistan:
[15:02]  Trill Zapatero: Much stability is gained when the economy improves.
[15:02]  Colin Claremont: agreed, it is unfortunate taht the sole glimmer of structured justice has to come from the Taliban
[15:02]  any1 Gynoid: yes.... security is the most important need... and even Taliban does better than NATO or the Warlords at that
[15:02]  Colin Claremont: Trill, I feel this is a crucial point
[15:03]  any1 Gynoid: with security... education becomes possible... and economic activity...
[15:03]  Trill Zapatero: Is this like a chicken or egg thing maybe?
[15:04]  Colin Claremont: perhaps, though I think they can lead to very different outcomes
[15:04]  any1 Gynoid: there is 1 model village in Afghan... that is Gen. McChrystal's experiment... they have literally... 72 foot patrols every day 24x7... giving the ppls a feeling of security..
[15:04]  Colin Claremont: how has that affected the community?
[15:04]  any1 Gynoid: business blossomed
[15:04]  any1 Gynoid: from nothing to bustling... markets and stores...
[15:04]  Colin Claremont: retail mostly?
[15:05]  any1 Gynoid: now the businesses are doing their own reconstruction projects... putting in hydroelectric etc...
[15:05]  Colin Claremont: that's great
[15:05]  any1 Gynoid: hydro is very appropriate tech for Afghan... mountainous with wild rivers throughout
[15:05]  Colin Claremont: but its tied to such an, i dunno, false sense of security, you know what i mean?
[15:06]  any1 Gynoid: exactly... it cannot be maintained
[15:06]  any1 Gynoid: and only works in 1 village of 75K now
[15:06]  Trill Zapatero: Perhaps it's important to tackle each aspect similtaneously, security, redevelopment, education
[15:06]  Colin Claremont: I agree
[15:07]  any1 Gynoid: to spread that model... would take 560K security forces... and Gen. McChrystal would like to do that.... he's got plans that are only about 100K short
[15:07]  Colin Claremont: I didnt realize that
[15:07]  Trill Zapatero: that's great, and he's someone with power to do that
[15:07]  any1 Gynoid: the Daily Kos article... turned me on to that....
[15:08]  any1 Gynoid: [Kos] Not Enough Troops, Not Quick Enough - A Daily Kos opinion on the war with great quotes and insights http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/10/14/792975/-Not-Enough-Troops,-Not-Quick-Enough
[15:08]  Trill Zapatero: I also like the model that starts with we the little people making a little effort and seeing what we can all accomplish together

Also related to the issue of the insurgency, I had this interchange with Trill Zapatero (Picture 3):
[14:42]  any1 Gynoid: the actual composition of insurgency is quite complex... 3 main branches of Taliban in Afghan... Pakistan now has it's own Taliban groups
[14:42]  any1 Gynoid: most of the insurgency... is local people... defending their rural valleys
[14:42]  any1 Gynoid: okies.. i'm starting this one now Effect of Civilians Casualties in Bala Baluk, Western Afghanistan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P_DqT7BGXc
[14:43]  any1 Gynoid: this top expert in NATO reconstruction quit this week.. was all over the news... Matthew Oh... he's like saying.. hey i ain't no hippy... and never thought i would do this.. but the war must stop
[14:43]  Trill Zapatero: Can they actually be defined as insurgents, if they are locals , defending their homes?

See Hoh Interviewed on CNN TV http://bit.ly/fzhoh

Second Life's Colin Claremont is new to SL and had a lot to say about Afghanistan. Colin describes himself as: "I am actuallly a researcher looking at community in SL, in addition to pursuing my own poltical interests here."

Colin reacted to the video speech by Sonali Kolhatkar (Picture 4) [AfghanWomensMission], saying: "I think Sonali's comparison to media imafes of liberated Paris is VERY accurate. It nicely encapsulates the psychologicall effects of armchair liberation. More to the point, the [Bush] administration liked to conflate Western-imposed 'freedom' and the 'rights' of wahtever group they could coopt. So the plight of these women just becomes a bullet point on the Justifications of Action."

Colin has a larger question for Second Life Citizens: "I am curious about the wider view you have of the political goals here. That is, it seems that what these people need (as does anyone) is a justice system that is not corrupt and functions. Of course, this can take many forms. Anarchist, US-style, myriad possibilities really. What I am curious about is what you think about the path to change. I'm sure their are diverse ideas Personally, I think many of the problems point to the inherent unacceptability of hierarchical forms of rule, that is, anything other than self-rule
agreed, it is unfortunate taht the sole glimmer of structured justice has to come from the Taliban."

Second Life Citizen Suri Juneberry shared, "Thank you for inviting me here, and I hope you will never stop doing this and sharing this to others. I'm from Germany..."

In this dark haunting story about the world's most dangerous country, there was at least one very positive, optimistic cause that came to light. Famous SL and real-life artist Trill Zapatero is working with Juliee Landar, owner of Born Museum of Fine Art in SL on a charity campaign for the Central Asian Institute (CAI). Trill explains, "Education for girls is totally a priority. I'm here, because the gallery I'm showing paintings at, is having a drive to raise money for schools for girls in Aghganistan.  All my paintings are for the charity, we're raising money for the Central Asian Institute
It's an organization that starts comminity based schools in remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan." CAI was founded by real-life Greg Mortenson, who successfully established dozens of schools, and promote girls’ education in rural Afghanistan and Pakistan. Greg has a book out now, and is publishing a second book on his CAI projects on December 1st, 2009. I'll be writing more about Trill, Juliee, and Greg's cause in a future CNN iReport. Greg is a very active touring speaker in RL. See his calendar on CAI's website at: http://www.ikat.org

In Picture 5 is a preview of Trill Zapatero's new line of authentic Afghan fashions in SL. She is working on additional patterns and plans to make some styles available for free in support of CAI SL. In picture 6 I visit the CAI information center in SL at Born Museum of Fine Arts. What am I standing on? (Hint: CAI donation box, but there is something more) Pictures 7 and 8 is a young spokesperson for the Central Asian Institute in SL, the subject of an upcoming CNN iReport (Photo Credits to Trill Zapatero on Pictures 7 and 8). Visit the Born Museum of Fine Arts in SL and Central Asia Institute information / donation center to find out more: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Born/95/16/39

Finally, on a light note, Trill Zapatero wanted us to share this video. She says, "Can I share a little video? it's the best thing I've seen in ages." Yay! Girl Power! Do something for peace today and every day!  http://www.girleffect.org/

--- Any Gynoid for CNN iReports, contact me In-World SL or email story leads to any1gynoid (at) gmail.com