+1 Undoubtedly it is a long and hard road, it's worth trying to remember how steeped in tradition and religion places like Afghanistan are and therefore by "western world" standards they can be viewed as out of step with us.
It is hard for countries to "grow up" and shake off long standing traditions and practices that others regard as unacceptable. I like to put it into perspective by remembering that it wasn't that long ago that females in this country were subjugated because it was believed that was correct. Add religion/beliefs into the mix and it will never be a quick fix.
That's true but we need to be careful not to allow religion and tradition to be used as excuses for morally wrong acts (I'm not saying you are doing that). Having watched a story this morning about a girl who had her nose and ears cut off for running away from an abusive husband (and let's not forget the girl in Pakistan shot in the head for insisting on going to school) I couldn't care less about the traditional or cultural context of these acts - they are wrong in any country. And on the basis of the what I saw in the Panorama programme, to think that somebody in that girl's position, in a country where domestic violence and corruption is endemic, will very soon only have the Afghan police and army to turn to for help depresses me greatly. Whether it was right or not to be there in the first place, it seems mad to leave them in such an unprepared state to fend for themselves. It feels almost inevitable to me that within a few years of pulling out, the Taliban will be back in control.
Exactly.