To understand what it will take to fix Afghanistan, one must examine Islamic extremism. Over the past several centuries, we have witnessed the rise of the West, largely at the expense of the East. The fall of the Ottoman empire after World War I which capped decades of rot and decline, marked the end of the last great Caliphate. Especially in recent years, with the advent of satellite TV, the internet, and cell phones, we are seeing the expansion of Western culture, often at the expense of local cultures. In addition, many predominately Muslim countries are dominated by a few very wealthy rulers that have partnered with the West, exchanging resources such as oil to enhance their own wealth and to buy the weapons they need to stay in power - all at the expense of the general population. This imbalance means the rising standard of living that that accompanies the rise of a middle class, has largely bypassed these Middle Eastern Muslim communities. As Western culture encroached on these communities, with the ease of obtaining TV programs, movies, books, music, and the like, it has pulled back the veil of ignorance and people started to realize there was a better life out there, and that created resentment that they were missing out on that opportunity. The benefits of modern society are large unavailable because states have failed to provide the basics required for modern society - education, electricity, security, medical care, and the like. Riding the backlash and resentment of their predicament, cloaked in religious terms, a few have tapped into this emotional stream for the purpose of obtaining power.

Of these radical groups, some are primarily local in nature, others are more global in nature, all with varying goals. The Taliban, for example, are really more like a local street gang, whose ambition is little more than petty local power. One can see that once they took over most of Afghanistan, they did little to build large state institutions, rather they sent about to cleanse their society of Western influence, almost as if to say, "we don't want your decant Western lifestyle anyway". This backlash at modernity isn't new. Other such as the Amish and the Luddites have rejected technical advances as a threat to their way of life. Certainly dangerous and a scourge for the local community, these groups are nowhere nearly as dangerous as the Al Qaeda's of the world. This second type of group is also tapping into this resentment for recruitment and cloaking their organizations in religious terms, but have much greater goal. Like the Black Panthers or the Neo-Nazis, these groups want to strike at the very foundation of the government and bring it down. Their goal is to restore the prior glory and power of the East, and the to do so requires bringing down the West. If the West falls, goes the theory, so will the corrupt governments in the Middle East, leaving open an opportunity to unite all Muslim lands and to create another great Caliphate.

As has been pointed out before, on this site and others, it's no mistake that the rise of Islamic Extremism is most often occurring in places where the local government has failed its people - places like Palestine, Somali, Northern Pakistan, Afghanistan and others. Recently, the Pakistan government turned the Swat Valley over to the Taliban and Islamic law, mainly because the government courts are corrupt and inefficient. Although the Neo- Conservatives rejected the "liberal" notion of trying to address the root causes of Islamic Extremism, the alternative requires waiting until extremists have crossed the line and picked up a gun before addressing the problem. The obvious error to this logic is that very well might be only after an attack before we learn that the person has crossed the line and turned their resentment into action.

We at the PartyofCommonSense.org would recommend that the goal in Afghanistan, which we have much greater influence than Pakistan, should be security first, and education second. Although we at the Common-Sense-Party.org reject the notion that Jeffersonian Democracy is the best type of government for all countries and all peoples, the Bush administration has forced a Democracy on Afghanistan, and barring providing a bunch of guns and providing a green light to a strongman, we are stuck with supporting this democracy. How can education help?

Education can create a functioning middle class. A functional democratic bureaucracy requires a level of educated civil servants, usually drawn from the middle class. Education provides an understanding of the wider world around them, allowing individuals to move beyond local parochialism and understand the greater good. Without an education, one may not understand the actual issues, and cast votes to elect officials based on association. Similar to what we saw with the great immigration waves to the United States, new immigrants often elected corrupt officials from their own neighborhoods, rather than voting based on issues and results. In addition, education can provide an understanding of the corrosive effects of corruption. One dollar provided to buy a voter at the polling station, will likely mean many more dollars stolen by that corrupt official, resulting in loss opportunity for infrastructure, a piece of logic that isn't necessarily intuitive.

We must remember, however, that Afghanistan is not America. Trying to use the schools to replicate America secular democracy, will be seen by many as much of an attempt to brainwash an American view of the world. It is important, when developing a curriculum to be objective, avoid Western bias when teaching sensitive topics, and should include moderate Islamic teaching. By consulting the locals, and giving them a voice in the curriculum, it would help make schools look to be "moderate" and not dominated by radical Islamic or American secular propaganda. This would provide a basis for graduates, who are taught critical thinking skills, to be able to evaluate and reconcile the radical teachings of radical Islamists with a more moderate interpretation. We at ThePartyofCommonSense.org propose that for those who are able to pass a high school equivalency test (or whatever level of education is deemed achievable) would receive $500 - paid by the US government. This amount is enough to start a business, relocate a family, buy a farm or start a new career. With an average income of the equivalent of $428 a year, $500 is a huge windfall. With a population estimated around 32 million, and a GDP of $12 billion, even if all 18 year olds in a single year were to pass these graduation exams, it would cost only $150 million - a pittance in compared to the billions in current aid. Most importantly, families and communities will have a vested financial interest in insuring that their children, male or female, attend school. Communities will rally against extremists that attempt to blowup schools or attack schoolchildren (of either gender) since any attack on those is an attack on the financial wellbeing of the community.

Hope and education is the enemy of Islamic extremists. They draw upon the under and uneducated, who feel hopeless and lost. As Western culture infiltrates their communities, they see a better world that exists and see that it is passing these communities by. By providing education, and a financial incentive to help these communities catch-up to the rest of the modern world, we can provide an outlet that is preferable to these attempts to withdraw from modern society.