Three Cups of Tea

This is the single most useful source of information on Afghanistan that the Obama Foreign Policy Team could read.  Greg Mortenson has spent the last13 years building dozens of secular schools, especially for girls but also supporting teachers in refugee camps and others, in the areas near the Pakistan-Afghanistan borders.

As his co-biographer, Relin, notes, this is the only way to overcome terrorism.  As the devastated scenes in this book clearly show, war only fuels the jihad movement.   Saudi and Pakistani fundamentalists are also building schools to teach hatred of the Western democracies.

Greg Mortenson probably knows the terrain better, speaks more of the languages, and has the most influence of any single man on the planet.  He would not want to be on the Obama team.  He refuses to align himself with the military, because that would destroy the trust he has earned with his disinterested, self-sacrificing efforts. He has  worked for a pittance and endured incredible dangers and hardships working on the ground to enable the construction of schools as well as clinics and other supportive endeavors.

He should be used as a consultant and his advice and contacts pursued.  It takes three cups of tea with a trible leader: the first as a stranger, the second as an honored guest, the third as a family member.  There can be no power grabbing or military advantage involved.  The offer to do good must be genuine.  After the Russian retreat, the US promised aid, which was never delivered.  Yet there is a residue of ooodwill from the American effort to oust the Russians which can be built upon.

This is the only way to combat terrorism.