Ignoramus11847 wrote:
On 2010-04-14, John R. Carroll wrote:
Ignoramus11847 wrote:
On 2010-04-13, Wes wrote:
"John R. Carroll" wrote:

Isn't Agfhan national army essentially a locally recruited force? Why
isn't it corrupt like everyone else?

Several reasons but one is a hangover, if you will, from the Russian
campaign.
The conscripts are young and in a country as poor as Afghanistan, are
"lifers".

They end up with a strong national identity and see the drug trade as a
threat rather than an opportunity.
They also have the example of Pakistan right next door. The Pakistani army
is nearly a entity in its own right whose primary purpose, or one of them,
is to protect the national identity when necessary from internal political
upheaval.

--
John R. Carroll