(CNN) - There is a well-known saying in Afghanistan: "You can rent an Afghan, but you can't buy him."
Some experts on the region believe a U.S. program to pay Taliban fighters to quit the organization is buying temporary loyalty.
President Obama on Wednesday signed a $680 billion defense appropriations bill, which will pay for military operations in the 2010 fiscal year. The bill includes a Taliban reintegration provision under the Commander's Emergency Response Program, which is now receiving $1.3 billion. CERP funding also is intended for humanitarian relief and reconstruction projects at commanders' discretion.
The buyout idea, according to the Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is to separate local Taliban from their leaders, replicating a program used to neutralize the insurgency against Americans in Iraq.
"Afghan leaders and our military say that local Taliban fighters are motivated largely by the need for a job or loyalty to the local leader who pays them and not by ideology or religious zeal," Levin said in a Senate floor speech on September 11. "They believe an effort to attract these fighters to the government's side could succeed, if they are offered security for themselves and their families, and if there is no penalty for previous activity against us."
But Nicholas Schmidle, an expert on the Afghanistan-Pakistan region for the non-partisan New America Foundation, said that while the plan has a "reasonable chance for some success," the old Afghan saying will eventually be borne out.
From CNN Politics
© 2011 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Contact us | Work for us | Help
NO........ NO..............NO..............NO................NO...............NO.................NO!
The Bush Regime has had the CIA paying the Afghan's leaders brother, Ahmed Karzai for the last......... eight years......... and what has that accomplished!
The U.S. has to learn that $$$ doesn't BUY anyone!
And which country will be LOANING us the money to do it? Everybody and there brother knows we can't pay for it! We're already in DEBT UP TO OUR EYEBALLS!!!!!!! What do you think China is gonna do when they come calling looking to be paid back and we can't......Report us to a collection agency? GET REAL!!!!!!!!!
ha ha big surprise. what do you think foreign aid to Egypt and Pakistan are, care packages?
Just what USA did with the surge in Iraq. That is how the tide turn in Iraq.. if you can call it that. When there is still bombings in Iraq I wouldn't call it successful. This is what rethuglicans call success. Buying loyalty... hmmm, I guess that does sound like the rethuglicans strategy. Want an example, look at Palin. She is a sell out.
Now we are giving money to afghans... ummm, HELO WHAT ABOUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE?!? GTFO of Afghanastan and spend that money here, in the old USA. I guess the joke will be on the afghan people when they realize the dollar is worth less than a penny today... LOL suckers... wait a minute...
A nation of mercinaries? Once you start paying them, they won't want us to stop. I don't think this'll work. It's gotta be hearts and minds, not pocketbook lining.
For the last fifty years, our government has been wasting billions/trillions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars on misguided foreign policy, spending our beloved country into the ground. They never learn and we all weep in dispair.
It sounds like to me that Obama is sending ACORN over there. Paying money to thugs and criminals for their alleigence. If it worked over here, why not over there.
Same thing was also attempted in Vietnam
Unfortunately, the long history of Afghanistan demonstrates that Afghan groups who are paid off by occupiers, do not stay paid off even while they are being paid, and get very, very angry when the paymasters stop paying them.
So let me get this straight... We're going to take money from law-abiding Americans, and use it to pay Political malcontents in some distant land (most of which have never travelled more than 150 miles from their birthplace (let alone to America)? And we're doing this so they wont, what? attack us? The idea is laughable.
The Taliban were protecting Al-Quaeda, bt did not sponser them. They currently dont have the ABILITY to do anything more than pool their resources and continue to fight our troops ... Who happen to be in afghanistan.
You see where I'm going with this? If we weren't in Afghanistan, they would not have the ability to cause us any more harm than any other third-world group of malcontents who stew about their living conditions, and find a convenient target for their grumbling in a faceless, foreign land – like the USA.
I say, leave the place altogether, and let them sit in their caves and plot. It will all come to nothing (if THAT much). And we can stop borrowing money from our grandchildren to keep this farce going.
'nuff said.
This is a good idea since poverty, and survival, compel people to act in ways they normally wouldn't. What good are words to any man when his belly is hungry, his (or his families) basic needs have to be met first.
Since this is historic there must be some type of measurement....how many have reverted back to serving the Taliban again? That would be the curious question...and tell more about the success rate of this program. Any answers to the question CNN?
The application of Obama's domestic policy to his foreign policy....spend, spend, spend. I wonder how much interest we will pay for borrowing to buy off our enemies, or how long that purchase will buy peace.
Weakness easily recognized by tyrannts. Obama is viewed as very weak by the Taliban and the upswing in violence is a response to their belief that, once pressed, Obama will retreat.
Unfortunately for the Afghans, I think the Taliban is correct.
They have had success with this in Iraq back during the Bush administration so what is the difference? I would rather try this then send 40,000 troops
This is the stupidest idea yet! Does this Naive commander in chief really think this will work? Does he plan on providing life long Welfare for them, like they do with millions of Americans. I am really wondering why the heck I should bother working anymore, the government takes more than half of it in various taxes and fees to throw it away on crap like this. Are we going to borrow this money too, or print it?
What make them all democrats?
And when the money runs out guess what happens!
if you can,t beat them buy them, look,s like a lot of iraqi,s just got layed off ,pay them to like you ,how manycountrys are you going to pay with china,s money
It's definitely beyond being too much involvement from politicians if someone came up with the idea that billions of dollars will be wasted giving money to our enemy! If you're going to pay anybody, how about the families of the servicemen and women who have given their lives. . . or how about the VA so they can provide better care and services . . . or how about paying the servicemembers the Democratic controlled Congress are now leaving stranded and outnumbered at the forward operating bases in Afghanistan!
What 's going to happen on Veteran's Day next week? Many federal employees will take the day off supposedly in honor of Veterans. If you support this idea of this country paying our enemies, which is similar to paying a "ransom", better stay at work!
Persians also say that freedom is paid in blood because water evaporates too quickly. Will cash make a difference?
Did anybody bothered to think ,what will happened if somebody will pay them more ?
I am will to convert from being a Taliban ( I became one about an hour ago) Please send me a check for support of the current Afghan policies.
Thank you
S ince when do we pay our enemies
T o stop waging a war of terror against
U s. This has to be the dumbest thing
P resident Obama has. done to date.
I nstead of doing what he promised us he'd
D o, Obama is paying Extortion to terrorists.
How much is Obama going to pay ME to be a good boy???
All the reprobates (both home and abroad) get rewarded for being evil in Obamaworld...and all the decent law abiding people get to write the checks...
We need a Reagan. We have a spineless circus clown.
Will they get bonuses for each American soldier they've killed? It's outrageous, offensive and disrespectful for the Administration to even consider this idea.
i can't believe you're paying money to tribal warlords and taliban..i just cant believe it they must be laughing all the way to the bank..maybe they'll send some of it to Osama!!!!!!!!!!!! this seems totally idiotic..if this is the result of Mr Obama's decision making i am completely discouraged in our leadership..God save us!
There we go, another bright move!
I wish we could just walk away from these wars. But once they're started you can't just pick up your marbles and go home. I don't know if paying these people to switch sides will work. Countries run by religious fanatics don't act like other countries. I wish that our commanders would start working on a way out of George's wars instead of trying to talk President Obama into committing yet more young lives. One thing for sure, whatever the Republicans advise President Obama to do must be ignored as they are only angling for him to fail. The do not care about America.
Well, bribes are the Chicago way. Let's see if Pay-To-Play works like it did for Obama.
Another brilliant idea made by our President.
whats this, Obama's way to play lets make a deal with a terroist.
Tax Dollars Wasted.
I do not think that is a good idea because while it may work as long as the pay is good, sooner or later the money is going to run out. I know it will because we are already broke and can't pay our own bills so I know we wil not be able to pay them for very long. We need to bring our troops home to defend our borders and stem the flow of arms out and drugs in and take care of our own first.
I am about fed up with us trying to take care of the world while our own people starve and die without health care and educations.
Would Obama's main cheerleader and former presential castoff Jawwwwn Kerry call these fine folks "the coalition of the coerced and bribed"?
Never mind, you people ought to be ashamed that you elected this lying coward of a fraud who appeases the wrong countries (Russia, Venezuela etc), slaps our friends (UK, Poland and the Czechs etc), aplogizes for bad America while NEVER saying the good we have done FOR THE WORLD and now bribing the enemy.
Ashamed, ashamed, ashamed.
Our tax dollars at work and in the mean time the Dems are actively searching for new ways to pick our wallets to fund hair brain schemes like these. Maybe our money would be better spent if we offer to pay certain liberal democrats money to leave our country and to leave us alone.
I wish I thought Obama knows what hes doing, but I know he doesnt. For that we will have Soldiers give their lives, disgraceful.
Gee now I know why I won't get a social security raise! Maybe I need to get a turban and an AK-47 and surrender to get some help in this economy. They bailed out AIG, GM, Citicorp etc, now there gonna bail out the Taliban and screw Americans out of social security, health care and jobs . I voted for Obama, I expected some kind of change, but I'll bet this system of corporate greed is so entrenched, Obama can't break it. Sad, this isn't the country I fought and bled for anymore.
This strategy was used in Iraq and would be a successful strategy here. Afganistan is a tribal nation and they fight each other as well as "outsiders." Those who can help them earn their trust enough to fight for them. We either do it or the Taliban will.
This is the sickness that has taken over our country as Commander-in-Chief. They call the illness OBAMA. If this is true this nation needs to storm the White House and ride this man out of Washington on a rail. And not a greased rail at that. But surely it is just another of the inflammatory lies started that has been used from day one against SARAH PALIN. It don't take much to get some people to banging drums and yapping like a bunch of Hyennas.
Is anyone surprised that Obama would want to give the Taliban our tax money? Did you really think he was going to limit the distribution of wealth to our country only> No,no, he told you up front he's a "citizen of the world".