Oxford Man in Afghanistan

An Oxford citizen has left in September for Afghanistan, where he is now a United Nations volunteer. He reports about the deterioration of security, the lack of democracy, the American control of Afghanistan and the UN incompetency. As British politicians talk about how democracy is being supported and security is maintained in Afghanistan, this personal point of view from inside the UN, from someone on the ground in Afghanistan is very interesting and disturbing.

Here are his reports:

Afghanistan: Optimism, Fragile Peace and Foreign Agendas (03/04/2004) - with pictures
No good news from Afghanistan (23/03/2004)
Afghanistan Diary (08/03/2004)
Afghanistan: 500 women march to register (22/01/2004) - with pictures
Afghanistan: elections in the North... (17/01/2004) - with pictures
Down the bunker in Afghanistan for the second time (12/01/2004)
Down the bunker for the first time (12/01/2004)
Afghan diary (29/11/2003) - with pictures
Don't believe Bush on Afghanistan (20/11/2003) - with pictures
Afghanistan from inside the UN (16/11/2003) - with pictures
Oxford man in Afghanistan (12/10/2003)

For more information about the state of affairs in Afghanistan after the war, visit this feature from Cambridge IndyMedia.

Oxford IMC

Comments

Hide the following 4 comments

im sure he's sincere, but

17.01.2004 14:11

im sure he's sincere, but isnt there something slightly amusing about the headline and indeed the whole premise ? it just seems unfortunate that the whole 'middle east' [term applied vaguely] is once again a sort of destination for oxford chappie 'danger tourists', who are there for a quick dose of ideological praxis , rather than for the suntan and the local babes.
isnt this rather what laurence of arabia was doing ?

sincere

no

17.01.2004 18:26

If you'd ever met him you'd understand quite how much you've got the wrong end of the stick :)

UN

17.01.2004 22:48

Yeah, its not like he just popped over there for a bit of a holiday. He is working for the UN after all.
Lawrence of Arabia worked for the British militiary, and I take your comment about Lawrence being an adventure tourist. I think everybody in the US and UK army is an adventure tourist, off to fight in little war-games, over issues they don't understand, and sowing the seeds for yet more conflict and pain to come.
Jolly good chaps, lets go fight in the mountains of Afghanistan. What a roaring good laugh that will be.

Hermes

value

19.01.2004 12:16

these reports are valuable because they come from a critical voice within a UN operation often very far from our thoughts. just how our 'liberations' work out once the tv crews have left is of course essential news. paul's cynical commentaries are interesting and sometimes enlightening but no one here seems to be commenting on the importance of his photos. these give a small but honest insight into the humanity of the situation. he doesn't send enough as far as i'm concerned.

,,,

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