I didn't suggest turning a blind eye. I just don't believe sending a gunboat is the answer – not least because civilians, especially women and children, are usually the ones who suffer most in war. Diplomatic and other pressure, co-operation and education seem better and more certain ways forward in helping people in a different country with a different culture consider possible alternatives. True, this is likely to be slow but it is also likely to be lasting. Does anyone want to make a guess about what will happen in Afghanistan in the decade following the coalition withdrawal?
Greatnan Women and children are being mistreated and oppressed in Iraq now to a greater extent that they were in the days of Saddam. Of course, I didn't approve of such a tyrant but I also didn't approve of the illegal invasion of the country or the the outcome of the occupation. Death is a daily reality and many of the best educated – teachers, doctors, dentists, etc. – have fled abroad. That is not an improvement; it's just a different kind of wrong.