From: Jacques Du Pasquier (jacques@dtext.com)
Date: Tue Nov 13 2001 - 04:48:45 MST
Samantha Atkins a écrit (12.11.2001/15:36) :
> > Thanks for the info. That's certainly good (I couldn't find the
> > translated transcripts of the interviews with Google though). I still
> > think that something that lasts could be useful. Words said on TV are
> > readily wiped out by persuasion from people present in your physical
> > environment.
> >
> > And answering (hostile) questions is not the same as freely choosing
> > to introduce yourself in some way. Something that all could refer to,
> > and discuss ; and that Americans would somehow endorse, too (compare
> > with talks of diplomats we don't even know about). Something a bit
> > deeper, broader...
> >
> > I heard some Afghanis were actually convinced by the Talibans that the
> > food dropped by US airplanes was poisonned, and starved to death
> > instead of eating it...
>
> Actually, I very much doubt this last as many of the Afghanis
> are now at the point of ruining their stomachs eating grass they
> are so hungry. The truth is that not nearly enough food is now
> available to prevent the deaths of millions. And no, it is not,
> or not just, the fault of the Taliban. The country has been
> ravaged by war and various repressive regimes for 3 decades.
> Its agricultural and economic understructure is a total shambles
> and was even before the bombing. The vast majority of food aid
> used to come by truck convoy from Pakistan. We stopped those
> convoys on or around September 16. The food packets we have
> dropped have been only a drop in the bucket of what is needed if
> millions are to avoid death by starvation, malnutrion and
> opportunistic disorders as a result of that and/or exposure.
I know about that.
The example was to point the depth of the misconceptions that people
of the Arab nations can entertain about the US, and how you can easily
convince them of how evil and malevolent the US are.
It was not to say : ah, if only they would take this food, that would
solve all the problems...
YOU know that it's not likely that the US drop poisonned food to kill
the Afghans. But they don't seem to know it for sure. That's the surprise.
I do think, and made the experience in a dialogue a few weeks ago,
that misconceptions of the US' intentions (whatever their wrongs, and
you did insist on them very much already here) are very deep in the
Arab public.
And that something should be done about it.
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