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Quote by Dexter Filkins

“Talking to [him] that day, and [him] and the other Talibs, it seemed obvious enough that what lay at the foundation of the Taliban’s rule was fear, but not fear of the Taliban themselves, at least not in the beginning. No; it was fear of the past. Fear that the past would return, that it would come back in all its disaggregated fury. That the past would become the future. The beards, the burqas, the whips, the stones; anything, anything you want. Anything but the past.”

Quote by Dexter Filkins

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Dexter Filkins
Dexter Filkins

Dexter Filkins is an American journalist renowned for his in-depth reporting from conflict zones. Born in 1961, he has reported from regions such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria throughout his career. His reporting is known for its thoroughness and depth, providing readers with a unique perspective on life in conflict areas. more

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“I remember that [my brother's] first question concerned the centuries-old Buddha statues that were dynamited by the Taliban in March of that year, shortly before our encounter. Two Taliban combatants from Kandahar confidently responded that worshiping anything outside of Islam was unacceptable and that therefore these statues had to be destroyed. My brother looked at them and said, this time in Pashto, "There are still many sun- worshippers in this country. Will you also try to get rid of the sun and drop darkness over the Earth?”

BuddhismTerrorismIdolsTaliban
Author:Yahya Massoud
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“In sum, while from 2001 to 2005, drugs were simply not part of the US agenda in Afghanistan, since 2005, there has been more talk about drug control, and more counternarcotics operations have taken place. However, this does not mean that the United States is moving closer to conducting a real war on drugs. It is not the intensification of militaristic counterdrug missions per se that makes a drug war real, but the implementation of strategies known to reduce drug problems. On that count, Washington has failed. Further, the United States has continued to support allies involved in trafficking, and Obama stated explicitly that his drug war is instrumental in fighting the insurgency and not about eliminating drugs per se. Indeed, in 2009, his administration presented its new approach to narcotics and elaborated a target list of 50 "major drug traffickers who help finance the insurgency" to be killed or captured by the military. Therefore, if traffickers help the Taliban, they will be attacked – but if they support government forces, they apparently will be left alone. This suggests that the drug war is used to target enemies.”

AfghanistanTalibanWar On DrugsBarack ObamaOpioidsAfghanistan War
Book:Cruel Harvest, US Intervention in the Afghan Drug Trade - 2013
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“Mainstream commentary blames the size of the narcotics industry and much of what goes wrong in Afghanistan partly on corruption. But to focus on bad apples in the Afghan government and police misses the systemic responsibility of the United States and NATO for the dramatic expansion of opiates production since 2001 and for their support of numerous corrupt individuals in power. The United States attacked Afghanistan in association with Northern Alliance warlords and drug lords and showered them with weapons, millions of dollars, and diplomatic support. The empowerment and enrichment of those individuals enabled them to tax and protect opium traffickers, leading to the quick resumption of narcotics production after the hiatus of the 2000–2001 Taliban ban, as many observers have documented. Ahmed Rashid has written that the whole Afghan Interior Ministry "became a major protector of drug traffickers, and Karzai refused to clean it out. As warlord militias were demobilized and disarmed by the UN, commanders found new positions in the Interior Ministry and continued to provide protection to drug traffickers." The United States was not interested in cleaning Afghanistan of drug traffickers either. Thus, to blame "corruption" and "criminals" for the current state of affairs is to ignore the direct and predictable effects of US policies, which have followed a historical pattern of toleration and protection of strongmen involved in narcotics.”

AfghanistanTalibanWar On DrugsOpioidsAfghanistan War
Book:Cruel Harvest: US Intervention in the Afghan Drug Trade
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“Second, many of the United States’ local Afghan allies were involved in trafficking, from which they drew money and power. Destroying drug labs and poppy fields would have been, in effect, a direct blow to American operations and proxy fighters on the ground. As Western diplomats conceded at the time, "without money from drugs, our friendly warlords can’t pay their militias. It’s as simple as that." According to James Risen, this explains why the Pentagon and the White House refused to bomb the 25 or so drug facilities that the CIA had identified on its maps in 2001. Similarly, in 2005, the Pentagon denied all but 3 of 26 DEA requests for airlifts. Barnett Rubin summarized the US attitude well when he wrote in 2004 that when "he visits Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld meets military commanders whom Afghans know as the godfathers of drug trafficking. The message has been clear: Help fight the Taliban and no one will interfere with your trafficking." As a result, US military officials closed their eyes to the trade. An Army Green Beret said he was "specifically ordered to ignore heroin and opium when he and his unit discovered them on patrol." A US Senate report mentioned that "congressional committees received reports that U.S. forces were refusing to disrupt drug sales and shipments and rebuffing requests from the Drug Enforcement Administration for reinforcements to go after major drug kingpins.”

AfghanistanTalibanOpioidsAfghanistan WarDonald Rumsfeld
Book:Cruel Harvest: US Intervention in the Afghan Drug Trade
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“Whether someone is a terrorist or not depends on how much political power they hold. Yesterday talibans had no power, so ape governments everywhere denounced them as a terrorist organization, today they are in power, so naturally the same ape governments are wining and dining with the taliban apes. Today zionists are in power, so palestinians are terrorists, tomorrow when Palestine becomes free and sovereign, and israel turns into a reservation for zionist apes, while the human jews flee to palestine for freedom, Palestinians will be celebrated as righteous. Terrorism, war crime, these are not ethical classification, these are political classification, and when the power flips, so does the classification.”

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Book:Tierra Carta: Naskar Charter of Earth
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“[High angel] Carter's fucked-up sense of humor in action.' [The angel] Lucinda flushed deep crimson. 'How can you use such language so carelessly? You sound like you're… like you're in a locker room!" I smoothed down my tank top. 'No way. I'd never wear this in a locker room.' 'Yeah, it isn't even in school colors,' said Peter. I couldn't resist toying with the guardian. 'If i were in a locker room, i'd probably have on a short cheerleader skirt. And no underwear.' Peter continued playing off me. 'And you'd do that one cheer, right? The one with your hands splayed against the shower wall and ass sticking out?' 'That's me,' i agreed. 'Always ready to take one for the team.' Even Cody[, the other vampire] flushed at our crassness. Lucinda was practically purple. 'You–you two have no sense of decency! None at all.”

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“Sugishita, do you think people can get stronger and grow bigger of they eat nothing but rice? No. That's the same with eating only vegetables. And only meat's not gonna do, either. People have to eat a variety of foods, get a bunch of different nutrients in order to grow bigger and stronger. Right? It's the same with what's inside us, too. You have to meet all kinds of people, take their effects on you and let their influences blend and mix in order to build a new you. That way, your world can grow bigger and stronger, too. [Umemiya]”

GrowthRelationshipsFriendshipInfluenceStrength
Book:Wind Breaker 14
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