"Yep. They accuse the Americans of using aid as a political tool, you know as a reward and punishment thing - reward in terms of aid if you do what the Americans want you to and punishment in terms of aid withdrawal for doing what they don't want you to.""So, what's the big deal about that?"
"Its wrong - aid is for the needy and not for political purposes."
"And which planet are you coming from?"
"Same planet as the MSF, I guess."
"Why would the US give money or assistance to any warlord who is not doing what they want him to do?"
"Him or her - you have to be gender neutral."
"Never heard of a woman warlord in Afghanistan."
"Yeah but the day Afghanistan accepted a US nominee as their President that was the day they had to become gender neutral - and it's a good thing. Besides wouldn't it be cool to have a woman warlord in this part of the world - I mean there was Xena the Warrior Princess and there maybe Dosta, the warrior war lady."
"You are being facetious. Any-way what you are saying is if you vote for Karzai your province may get aid, if you annoy Karzai then sorry...your people can die for lack of humanitarian assistance and..."
"How will the US explain that to the rest of the world?"
"They don't need to explain anything to the rest of the world."
"That's true."
"Besides, the US has vehemently denied that they are using aid as a tool but the funny thing is that their ardent supporters are providing justification for this. They say there are two kinds of aid: humanitarian aid must be provided without strings attached and MSF assistance comes under that category and then there is reconstruction assistance, the bulk of the money, which understandably can only be provided where there is no conflict and America is the only coalition member that can define a conflict free area."
"But of course we believe everything the Bush White House and their band of merry neo-conservatives say, right?"
"Right."
"But the MSF also said there is conflict all over Afghanistan except in Kabul."
"Everyone knows that but no one is talking about it - it is election year after all."