Bin Laden is dead, and we are coming up on ten years of engagement in Afghanistan with no clear solution in sight. I believe we need to try something different.

This is my solution for bringing peace to Afghanistan:

• Divide the country into the Southern 2/3^rd and the Northern 1/3,
• Round up all the men, every one;
• Move the men to the northern third, assure them they are still in charge as they presumed and name their country  Af-Man-Is-Tan;
• Send the women and children to the southern 2/3rds,  put the women in charge and call it New Afghanistan – it will be a Taliban free country;
• Build a wall, fortress style, between the two countries just like the Great Wall of China but call it the Great Wall of Change, US troops and their allies will secure the wall, built as a fortress to keep them as safe as possible;
• Mandate a free market for New Afghanistan and Af-Man-Is-Tan and the means to create, acquire and finance private property;
• With the women in charge of New Afghanistan we will sell them the resources to create their own government, economy and culture – they are in charge of everything;
• Do the same for the men;

After functional government and economic infrastructure has been established in New Afghanistan the men will be allowed to petition for integration into New Afghanistan.  The women will decide who is allowed to immigrate based on their own rules, created and enforced by them.  The same will be true for women wishing to immigrate to Af-Man-Is-Tan. While it is obvious why men would want to immigrate to New Afghanistan, you can be certain there will be women who will petition to immigrate to Af-Man-Is-Tan.  Think Tina Turner as Aunt Entity in “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.”

My theory is this – the women will create a balanced, productive society and I doubt Af-Man-Is-
Tan will survive.  I predict Af-Man-Is-Stan will quickly embrace traditional ways and devolve into a nation of warring tribes.

There are undoubtedly thousands of good Afghan men who could go into their wilderness with a pocket knife and a magnifying glass and create a shopping mall.  But the women will more quickly organize, work cooperatively, build a better shopping mall and everything will be on sale!

Does this sound stupid?  Maybe not.  The British, Russians and now us (so far) have failed miserably in the region.  I say we put the women in charge and get out of their way.

I call it Lysistrata 2011

PS  I read this to a very dear friend of great intellect and she asked, why can’t we do this in our country.  I quickly replied, ‘no!”  The overwhelming majority of men in this country are good, mean well and in no way, shape or form do they resemble the Taliban.

PPS  Who would I send as envoy’s from the United States to assist New Afghanistan in their new venture? May I suggest a team from the Women’s Council of the National Association of Realtors.  They know how to get thing done and they have a great national leader in Margo Willis.