Month: November 2017

The main governmental actor in the U.S that assisted with finding Bowe Bergdahl was the Personnel Recovery team  of the U.S. Central Command or CENTCOM. It is their  duty is to find any person who goes missing in a conflict zone.  Even after the DUSTWUN ended, members of the team worked to find Bowe for years. However, the efforts of CENTCOM weren’t enough to ensure his return…It had to be the effort of an agency much bigger, the CIA, or the President of the United States.

Should families of captives have the right to negotiate with captors ?

During the time period of Bowe’s capture, the U.S government was preoccupied with other major events that occurred. Therefore, they couldn’t divert much of their attention to a hostage …a hostage that abandoned his military base. With that being said, I do believe Bowe’s family had the right to contact captors. They were desperate, received little help from the government, and they were determined to get a loved back by any means necessary. How could you blame them?

However, for future cases, I do believe there should be some sort of regulation from the government for the families’  safety if they decide to reach out to captors. Especially, if a ransom is negotiated. We must ensure the safety of this nation as well.

 

 

Some things I learned about the Taliban in this episode:

 

• The Taliban is highly organized militant group. They have established public works systems such as; roads and basic healthcare.
• This group also has a network called Haqqani, which is based in Pakistan and they work closely with the Pakistani army and maintain order within the society.
• Local families  help to assist the Taliban with harboring captives in their homes for a time being.
• The Taliban views ANYONE who does not follow their strict interpretation of Islam as bad.

What is the Taliban ? Its Goals?

The Taliban is a group of organized crime that is comprised of a strong central command force and other networks. The Taliban works to expand its military and influence over ranges of territory. Hence, it’s connections with the Haqqanis in Pakistan. It also works to gain recognition and a reputation for its heinous crimes against humanity.

Cultural Perspective

In this episode, some members of the Taliban deemed the  journalist as impure and unclean because he was an American. They couldn’t stand to be around him at some point and attributed is sickness to his dissimilarity of their beliefs. However, there was one older man who encouraged the younger commanders to treat the journalist with  respect because it was the way of the Prophet Muhammad. Immediately, the thought that the possibility of humanity within the Taliban came to mind.(lol)

My understanding of the War on Terror

In school, I was always taught that the instability and hostility in the Middle East was due to religious differences…which is partially true. However, the west has imposed its influence on societies throughout the Middle East for years through “globalization” .Towards the end of the episode, Bowe describes one commander’s remarks and treatment of him to be contributed to the resentment he had for America…and what America had done to Afghanistan. Terrorist actions cannot be justified but perhaps understood.