I wa sure I poste a response to what Doug said there, but it's nowhere to be seen.

Anyway, the point about linking to that story about Afghanistan was to remind us that human rights issues aren't always as straightforward as they appear. You win some, you lose some. For example, you get the KGB off your back, and the Russian Mafia takes over.

I remember Tony Blair eloquently promising how this time Afghanistan would be different - "We won't turn our bqck and walk away as we did last time". But helping the people of Afghanistan to clear up the social disaster that has enveloped their country over the past few decades doesn't seem to be the top priority these days.