INTERNET FREE KABUL

From a New York Times article about Afghanistan (an article for which I'll admit I have neither the energy nor the interest to slog through in its entirety), we learn that America is losing ground to another country in its efforts to gain influence in Afghanistan. And which nation is this that the US is losing ground to?

Why, it's none other than . . . Iran. And why is this happening? Shared Islam among the Afghans and the Iranians? A common fear of Western influences? Superficial similarities between A-Jad's shaggy beard and Karzai's well-trimmed, metrosexual version?

Uhhhh, let's just say the reason ain't quite that profound. From the NYT (H/T Cunning Realist):

Last year, the Iranian Embassy opened the Iranian Corner, a room in Kabul University's main library filled with computers, books and magazines from Iran, promoting Iran's ancient culture and modern achievements. Librarians say it is more popular than the adjoining American Corner, sponsored by the United States Embassy, primarily because it has a better Internet connection. Unlike in Iran, where the government blocks thousands of Web sites, the Iranian Corner offers open Internet access.

Faster. Internet. Connections. We've bombed Iraq back into the Stone Ages, and spent billions on contractors to rebuild what we've destroyed. We've bombed Afghanistan too, but since they were already in the Stone Ages we stopped. We've been rattling sabres about bombing Iran back into the Paleozoic Era, and rebuilding it as a mega-amusement park and shopping mall to be known as The Wonderful World of Walmart, or alternatively, Walworld.

(Ok, that last part isn't true. Yet.)

We spend literally billions and billions of dollars on defense, aggression, occupation, military technology, and the contractors who work in and around those industries. And yet we don't have the fastest internet connections in Kabul. That, my friends, is utterly absurd.

Can you hear me now?