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I'm not sure that this shift required an American troop surge

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Yup. And I distrust polls--if a Brit is asking the question, I can all too easily imagine any Afghan saying something positive, just to please the questioner. So it means nothing to me.

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The link to more substantial answers show a different slant

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Heroin production and smuggling

In the 1980s, top U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officials believed that they would never be able to justify a multibillion-dollar budget from the U.S. government to fund the Afghan radicals, 'The Mujahideen', in their fight against the Soviet army, which had occupied Afghanistan. As a result, the Mujahideen decided to generate funds through the poppy-rich Afghan soil and heroin production and smuggling to finance the Afghan war.

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On May 13, 2009, Gil Kerlikowske, the current Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, signaled that the Obama administration would not use the term "War on Drugs," as he claims it is counter-productive and is contrary to the policy favoring treatment over incarceration in trying to reduce recreational drug use.

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Originally posted by kpo:

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I'm not sure that this shift required an American troop surge

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I would guess the 'bounce' is in response to the troop surge (the poll is 2010). Afghanistan has been a neglected theatre for many years.

And no, Afghan opinion does not requires our military presence, but it is still important (Afghan opinion).

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Yup. And I distrust polls--if a Brit is asking the question, I can all too easily imagine any Afghan saying something positive, just to please the questioner. So it means nothing to me.

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Seems a little cynical to me, but fair enough.

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The link to more substantial answers show a different slant

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There's a bit of a different tone about those opinions, and I can think of a few reasons why that might be. I would say that the poll may be representative (the basic idea) but it doesn't tell the whole story. Afghans can be hopeful for the future and desire NATO forces to stay, yet still be angry and dissatisfied about certain things.

Heads should roll

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Another weird this with this poll...


it was conducted by the " Afghan Center for Socio-Economic and Opinion Research "

which I googled and found out it is a subsidiary of D3 Systems Inc, which I googled and found out it is a US company based in Vienna, Virgina... just down the road from the CIA headquarters.

weird right ?

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Originally posted by kpo:

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Another weird this with this poll...


it was conducted by the " Afghan Center for Socio-Economic and Opinion Research "

which I googled and found out it is a subsidiary of D3 Systems Inc, which I googled and found out it is a US company based in Vienna, Virgina... just down the road from the CIA headquarters.

weird right ?

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Your last association is a bit weak, 'in the same state as the CIA headquarters'. Otherwise, quite interesting, a professional US social research company had a hand in this poll. At least that dispels your other worries about the poll not being carried out properly.

Heads should roll

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LOL it was just when I google the company name the google map popped up and showed them as right across the highway from them...

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And no, my concerns are not dispelled...

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And I'm not at ALL surprised about who did the poll, it's about what I'd expect.

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isn't necessarily cynical, KPO; it's a fair theory, given what I know of Afghan mentality.

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Originally posted by GinoBiffaroni:

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Originally posted by kpo:

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I'm not sure that this shift required an American troop surge

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I would guess the 'bounce' is in response to the troop surge (the poll is 2010). Afghanistan has been a neglected theatre for many years.

And no, Afghan opinion does not requires our military presence, but it is still important (Afghan opinion).

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Yup. And I distrust polls--if a Brit is asking the question, I can all too easily imagine any Afghan saying something positive, just to please the questioner. So it means nothing to me.

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Seems a little cynical to me, but fair enough.

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The link to more substantial answers show a different slant

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There's a bit of a different tone about those opinions, and I can think of a few reasons why that might be. I would say that the poll may be representative (the basic idea) but it doesn't tell the whole story. Afghans can be hopeful for the future and desire NATO forces to stay, yet still be angry and dissatisfied about certain things.

Heads should roll

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The problem with polls of this nature is they are easy to slant...

This poll was of about 1500 people
" The survey was conducted in all of the country's 34 provinces in December 2009. "


a really small polling number..

also what was the question ? that is the big one for me, wording can be everything in North American polls, in Afghanistan with both language and culture coming into play that becomes even more important. Which is what I think Niki was getting at...

Other things, how many of the people asked were Women ?

How many were Pashtun ? How many Tajik ?

How many live in towns, How many rural ?

was the polling even though those 34 provinces ?

The poll and the interviews do provide some insight, but without more data it is hard to see how accurate the poll is...



Either you Are with the terrorists, or ... you Are with the terrorists

Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers.
What you do today, might Burn Your Ass Tomorrow"

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