From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Fri Dec 28 2001 - 22:12:45 MST
Brian D Williams wrote:
>
> It's coming up time to talk about aid for Afghanistan.
>
> What the U.S. should NOT do:
>
> 1) Give the Afghanistan government a bunch of money and let them
> figure it out.
Actually, we and the other countries should first and foremost
insure that a bunch of actual goods - food, clothing, shelter -
are delivered pronto before it is too late for large numbers of
the Afghani people.
>
> 2) Give the U.N. a bunch of money and let them figure it out.
>
That is a better solution that having us in charge of it imho.
> What the U.S. should do:
>
> Work with the government of Afghanistan to determine their needs,
> a power station here, a telecom central office there, a sewage
> treatment plant over there. Then pay U.S. contractors to go over
> and build these things at U.S. expense.
>
This is after the current state of emergency need is in hand,
yes? Why only US contractors? We are not the only kids on the
block. And I do not believe that it should be us that runs this
program. It must come more from a broader base and largely
depend on the Afghani government in its details or that
government is a sham and will be seen as such.
> Food aid will be required till at least next fall, so a primary
> concern of the new government should be the spring planting. There
> has been a drought recently, but I see plenty of rivers flowing, so
> perhaps the first aid should include irrigation
> equipment/technology.
>
The first aid is enough food to get the country through until
any such crops can be harvested.
- samantha
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