Will Greens name this more effective way?
NZ Herald reports:
Green Party leader James Shaw said there should be no more New Zealand troops sent to Afghanistan.
“Pursuing peace by military means has not fundamentally changed the situation in Afghanistan for 16 years – it’s not clear how sending more troops now will make a difference.”
He said the Green Party would seek the return of any troops should it become part of the next government.
“There are more effective ways of supporting the people of Afghanistan to achieve peace and stability.”
We only have 10 soldiers in Afghanistan,but it is nice to be helping contribute towards making it more secure for the locals. I’m fascinated by James Shaw saying there is a more effective way to get peace and stability with the Taliban. Could he share with us what that is?
As for his assertion the situation hasn’t changed for 16 years. Well that is not true. Here are some differences between Afghanistan today and in 2001.
- 2.9 million girls now attending school compared to zero in 2001
- Six million refugees have returned home
- Life expectancy up from 56 to 60 years
- Population with access to safe drinking water gone from 5% to 61%
- GDP gone from $5 billion to $20 billion
Without military intervention the entire country would be under Taliban rule. So again what is this magic solution James Shaw has to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan without military force?