Saturday, June 20, 2009

The Taliban's In Trouble Now

'Cuz the Finns are on their way.

Don't laugh. Finland hasn't actually fought a war in generations, but they're always ready. And the last one they fought was against a vastly larger and better-resourced opponent. Also one who was as evil as any evil dictator ever. Perhaps you've heard of Stalin? And they beat the bastard.

The 110 Finnish soldiers serving in Afghanistan will soon be joined by 86 more. According to the Helsingin Sanomat, the participation of Finnish "peacekeepers" in the conflict hasn't been entirely successful thus far:

The Sheberghan women’s prison, which was financed by Finland, and which proved to be a brothel where the inmates were compelled to have sex with customers, is one extreme example of how sharply Finland’s good intentions can be with everyday life in Afghanistan.

The article goes on to say that Finns, both in the street and in the corridors of power, are a little unclear about just why they're in Afghanistan these days. It's easy to get confused, since "Afghanistan" and "Iraq" are easy to say in the same breath, but we hope they can remember: because that's where the enemies of civilization are.

1 comment:

mark said...

I've always wondered if there was a link between "sisu" and Sisyphus.