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Why Afghanistan Fell
How the baby-sitter’s dilemma leads the USA to nourish corruption and failure abroad
In 1944, as the US military fought its way up through Italy, its commanders were resolutely focused on success, which they defined as a rapidly-executed invasion with as few US casualties as possible. In pursuit of that end, all means were considered legitimate. One rather excellent ploy was to co-opt the local gangsters by paying off the leaders to ensure the rank-and-file would provide provisions for the advancing US soldiers and warn of any potential German counter-moves. So successful was this system of bribery that the local gangster organizations rapidly swelled in size, influence, and power. Not only did these gangsters embed themselves into the very heart of the nation that emerged from the ruins of the war, but they established highly profitable subsidiaries in the USA itself. In short, the USA was largely responsible for empowering and growing the Mafia and all the other criminal organizations that still to this day plague Italy and, to a lesser degree, the older cities of the USA.
Feudal societies are organized around family and clan. No abstract concept such as nation really holds much sway over the day-to-day lives of citizens. A complex interdependency of mutual favors and fear dominate all life, both social and commercial…
