“The idea of a permanent U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, as opposed to an economic presence, is going to create a new wave of hostility toward the United States.”

The Afghans can’t point and say, “Oh, the Americans built that road. They built that telecommunications facility.

The key to breaking the Taliban taboo against women and the cultural brainwashing that the Taliban imposed upon many Afghans is to get women back into the workforce.

They are simply not capable of promoting the indigenous economy. Many billions of dollars flooded into Afghanistan, but without any significant effect.

Our Pakistan elites are spoiled by permanent foreign aid and therefore find it difficult to change course. Pakistan needs someone who stands up and says: Fundamentalism is bad, capitalism is good.

Some Pakistanis fought for the Taliban. Pakistani extremist groups provided infrastructural support to Al Qaeda. There was a coming and going of Al Qaeda militants and leaders between Afghanistan and Pakistan for several years.

The problem right now, which I’ve been pointing out very bluntly to American officials in Washington, is that the U.S. has no economic presence in Afghanistan.

America does not hold to the colonial tradition. America came, liberated Afghanistan from the Taliban and al-Qaida, came to an arrangement with Hamid Karzai, wanted to organize elections as soon as possible and then withdraw.

There’s a sense of desperation in Afghanistan because of the lack of funding and the fact that the U.S. only has a one-track military strategy. It doesn’t have an economic and political game plan.

Dysfunctional states like Afghanistan need business people who are deeply rooted in their country and invest in it. They can add stability.

They built that electricity powerhouse,” because nothing has been built so far.

That window, which has stayed open for nearly five years, with amazing good will from the Afghans, is threatening to close unless the world wakes up and deals with the crisis.

But all development programs of the United States and the European countries unfortunately exclude the private sector, which could make investments based on profitability.

Russia is now becoming increasingly nervous about a more permanent U.S. presence in Central Asia.

In these extremist groups, which then provided them with safe houses, cars, and not just in the border areas but also in the cities. Rooting out Al Qaeda in Pakistan now is where the main battle is being fought.

This year we watched the collapse of Mali, a consequence of the Libyan civil war. The south of Libya and Mali, and Niger too, are well on the way to becoming a no-man’s land. After 9/11,

We never had reports of Mullah Omar living luxuriously or making money in large quantities or anything like that.

History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict.

Victory is always with economics.

The political system is not for the people. The people are secondary to the economy. It’s about what generates money, not about what benefits the people.

Feminism is equality: politically; culturally; socially; economically. That’s it, that simple.

The last thing they want is a revitalized economy now. I’m not saying the Democrats don’t want a strong economy. Don’t misunderstand. They just don’t want it now.

We need an economy that works for all, not just the few.

Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

The election is not just about the economy, climate change, education and health care. This is about whether we retain American democracy.