A weak and corrupt Afghan government with too many "leaders" propped up by corporations and the resource interests of other nations (China, India, Russia, US) that did not actually attempt to govern or attempt build a country and a middle class worth fighting for.
When the government doesn't really believe in overarching rights and legal status for everyone, then how many people are willing to fight for it?
Certainly not the majority of people coming from villages where there are few opportunities for advancement other than becoming a local "head man", who when they join the Army or become a government employee, are looked down upon because they are provincial and not from one of the "good families" or educated in one of the cities.
In our own Civil War, the South had similar problems with poor whites and the unspoken caste systems in their Army and Confederate government. Once a soldier was no longer in a "local" unit with fellows they knew or grew up in the same area, his chance of just going AWOL and heading back home significantly increased.
Respect and comraderie are significant reasons to continue to fight. The sad thing is that the average male Afghan soldier believes he will get the same rights and respect under a Taliban government as he would under a "democratic" government like the current one. His "warlord" will treat him like kin; lesser, true, but still in line for praise and rewards if he does his job. Plus, he gets to loot to offset his pay.
That's what our Army training couldn't overcome. The cultural barriers were enormous, and our State department was hobbled by Conservative and corporate interests when trying to do the hard work of turning a culture of privileged autocracy into a Democracy that would treat the various tribes in such a way that everyone saw opportunities and advancements.
Just my two cents.
Haele
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