Kabul Joe

Back in the World

2005-03-08T08:07:00.000-05:00

Well everyone, you probably figured out that Kabul Joe had gone away. He took the bird home, and is now just another faceless government contractor in the greater DC area. Check out his new ravings at http://formeractionguy.blogspot.com . So long everybody, its been fun.

The long way home

2004-12-04T15:18:00.000-05:00

Well, my friends, its been six months since I set out on this little journey of mine. I arrived in Kabul with no understanding of Afghanistan, but in love with the placel almost from the start. I think that my knowledge of this place has probably grown immensely, even though I still feel a great sense of ignorance. How can you come to know a country, anyways? Certainly, you must live there. We don't really live in Afghanistan, as I have said before we live on it. Our contact with the population at large is limited and infrequent. Our response to the dangers-real or imagined-of this place keep us seperated from most Afghans. Our lack of respect for some aspects of the culture (treatment of women, sharia law) widens the gap. I think that this frustrating sense of supericial involvement in this country might be true in any case, although it is certainly exacerbated by my position here. While I'm on the subject, there is a fundamental question which comes out of this odyssey of mine. Have I done the right thing here? This question cannot be answered by me with any amount of emotional clarity. It hinges on the unknown (unknowable?)answers to a host of other questions. When I think about some of the things which I have done here I feel a visceral sense of accomplishment, but self-interested achievement might not justify my position. I have a collection of photographs from this place, most of which I wouldn't comfortably share with my family due to the preponderance of automatic weapons and body armor. Yet, there are people here who want to kill us, which is an excellent reason to prepare to do the same thing if necessary. Who is correct here? Do we, the Americans of this occupation force, have the moral highground in this campaign? Or are we the hedonistic pawns of capitalist neo-imperialism that some would label us? Of course I am neither, and both. I am the young man who feels a sense of justice in the overthrow of the Taliban and the upcoming inaugeration of Afghanistan's first (mostly) democratically elected president. I am also a "hired gun" if you will, with the minor distinction that I am being paid for my ability to communicate, not my ability to kill people. I guess the question is, 'By what scale are these actions measured?' or more plainly, 'What perspective is the correct one?' The academic in me insists that there is a correct perspective somwhere, the soldier in me thinks the academic needs to step outside his Ivory Tower and see what it looks like on the ground. There is no satisfactory answer. I think I knew that when I signed up for this.

Opinion

2004-11-25T22:18:00.000-05:00

I think you would all benefit from reading this. Paul's blog, Adventurestan, has hit some really good points int the past six months, and proves that there are at least two former Marine Non-coms capable of forming a cogent argument.

You'd have to see it

2004-10-28T08:43:00.000-05:00

Try to imagine the following picture. Forty some-odd Americans packed into a wooden shack which has been turned into a bar. In the midst of cigarette smoke a group of optimists try to continue a game of darts which started before the swelling of the crowd. Around the room, there are retired policemen engaged in supposedly serious conversations which compare the quality of law-enforcement in their one-horse towns to that in Afghanistan. Behind the bar, a middle-aged ex-Marine Gunnery Sergeant defends his appreciation for the Boss against the occasionaly vehement protests of those patrons who consider Bruce Springsteen a traitor for speaking out against the war. In a corner, a young man desperately tries to woo one of the two women in the room, not out of real attraction so much as loneliness and desperation. In the backround, two Afghan Generals bum smokes and talk haltingly with the assistance of interpreters. One drinks a beer, though he is Muslim and this is Ramadan. There is a tension between the two main groups of this demographic. Some are ex-soldiers, who found their way here because of boredom and a desire to be in "the shit" one more time. Others are ex-cops who didn't want to live on their pensions. There are several small groups, each putting forth its own emotional vibration which can be seen and felt at a distance. One is anxious, serious. Another is gregarious. There is, among everyone, the sense of holding the outside world at bay for one more hour. In this respect it is no different from any bar I've ever entered. The walls hold in and protect a semblance of life at home. Your's truly stands at the end of the bar, listening to the conversations around him. Today in Kabul, three UN employees were kidnapped in broad daylight. None of us expect them to live.

2004-10-11T09:34:00.000-05:00

The elections have come and gone in Kabul. I think most of you saw something about it on the news, probably in relation to the type of ink used to mark those who've voted. Everyone seems to be calling this a successful experiment in enforced democracy. Its a little more complex than people are letting on, the incidents of interference somewhat more widespread and violent than one might gather from CNN. People are starting to speak about the rule of law and its progress here. Eighty percent of all the heroin in the world comes from Afghan poppy, even though it is illegal to cultivate it. Several of the major candidates for president and many members of regional government are directly involved in the manufacture and transportation of opium. Some regional governors have private armies with helicopter gunships, tanks, and thousands of soldiers. The democratic process must go forward here. The fact that the constitution its based on Sharia law frankly scares me, but at least it reflects public opinion. I'm enough of a chauvinist to believe that popular consent is a necessary foundation for just government. But I don't think anyone will say that the rule of law has superseded the rule of the gun just because the elections have been carried out without massive, widespread violence. Voting is one thing, but there are many changes which will have to be made here if the central government is to assert its authority over the whole country. If effective government requires the monopolization of force and the means of projecting it, then the government in Kabul is still ineffective. But they are trying, and I think thats what really matters this year. This country is still in the hands of regional warlords. The U.S. government is proceeding with a damaging and ineffectual program to halt poppy production. The L.A. Times publishes articles which make an unfavorable comparison between U.S. Contractors in Kabul (your's truly) to the Russians. These are all things which stand in the way of progress here, but it is still being made. One day, given enough effort and attention, the rule of law will be established here.

Lost Photographs

2004-09-28T08:25:00.000-05:00

I think that much of my experience here in Afghanistan will consist of lost photographs. I don't mean the ones I've taken, those can be seen here. I'm talking about all of those moments which could have been a perfect National Geographic picture, if only I'd been able to stop. If only I'd been able to get out of the truck as the image flew by. Like the girl standing on a mud wall, the desert contrasting with her purple dress and too-old eyes. Or the camel standing on the side of a hill doing a passable impression of an oak tree. The village nestled in a canyon with desert all around, but full of trees and water, looking much the same as it must have one thousand years ago. The narrow dirt trail, almost impassable for our trucks, with the musky scent of cannabis coming from acres and acres of fields on either side. The little kids waving-little kids always wave-while their more circumspect fathers and older brothers regard us cautiously, but not with real hostility. Beautiful young girls who will soon disappear into chadderi. The curious detritus of old wars, crumbling mud castles next to burned out T-55 tanks and BRDMs. Tunnels that the Germans dug in their precise, inexorable fashion through the Hindu Kush. There are many more, of course, but these are the ones I remember. The thing about this country is that we can be driving through absolute desolation, and then within a kilometer the most incredible scenes unfold in front of us. At the end of the day we return to what passes for civilization out here, and I almost wish I were still out there, camera in hand.

Kabul is just like any other city, only more so.....

2004-09-18T05:37:00.000-05:00

Kabul is missing certain things which one would expect from a modern city. The restaurant scene is still in its infancy. The fact that many of the restaurants double as brothels does noting to improve the level of cuisine. However, progress is being made on this front. Of course we can't leave the compound after six, and this has seriously hindered my best efforts to become an authority on Kabul-gastronomique. I've been told that there is a soccer team, but there are no soccer hooligans vis a vis Manchester United. Which reminds me, Manchester aint doing so well this year. Of course, the prohibitions against alcohol and public drunkenness severely limit the possibilities for sporting enthusiasm. There is an active nightlife, which I see occasionally out the window of my landcruiser. However, most of the nightlife in the states is centered around courtship. Afghans have a ways to go before women will be allowed to go out to clubs at night for the purpose of picking up guys. I leave it to others to argue the relative merits of scantily clad, assertive women running around all night trying to get laid. Ok, enough exposition, I'll leave you with two things.

First, I want to hear from all of you on the following subject: What makes for a worthwhile occupation? A note of caution, any responses that sound remotely like "Whatever makes you happy" will be dealt with severely. Beatings are not out of the question. Nikita, don't even think of using this as an expedient for getting me back stateside. Secondly, if any of you need a really cool radio station, check out livestream from this Rochester, NY college station. Livestream radio is better than sliced bread.

August 29th 2004

2004-09-01T01:56:00.000-05:00

It is hard to know what to tell people sometimes. I encountered this when I came back from Iraq (where I did nothing). When a story is told, the teller loses control of it. He loses control because the listener interprets the language, changing the story from the teller's reality to a different perspective. I never wanted to lose control of that experience. Any violent act which takes place halfway around the world is going to be subject to extreme interpretation. This doesn't mean that my perspective is more accurate-it may not be. Still, I am reluctant to put this event out there for scrutiny. I didn't witness the destruction of the DynCorp house down the street. We had just come back to our own compound from the gym at Camp Phoenix, a multinational base in Kabul. The bomb went off as we were walking from our car to the house. I thought it was much closer to us-I could feel the concussion and debris started falling down on us. We all got down next to the cars and tried to figure out what was going on. I remember thinking that there could be another bomb right next to us, but luckily I was wrong. We heard a few shots fired, so we kept our heads down for a few seconds. We all realized that we had to seal off the street to prevent any cars from approaching and possibly detonating in front of us. One of the guys grabbed a vehicle and drove it down the street about 100 meters to block traffic. The rest of us just ran down the street, found cover, and waited for someone to try and run our little impromptu barricade. No discussion occured, no-one issued orders, we all just reacted together. There were a few tense moments with taxis and Afghan police (in that situation its hard to trust people), and there is one reporter who has a very unfavorable impression of American hospitality. The kids, Fuad and Omed and others, were standing on the street, watching the whole spectacle until we started screaming at them to leave. None of us wanted to shoot them accidentally, and they were in our line of fire. After a while we realized that things were probably going to be okay. After about forty-five minutes some security personnel came out and relieved us. We went inside, still dressed in gym clothes. There are images from that afternoon which are fixed in my mind, like my friend Paul aiming his rifle at people over the front of the car, or the U.S. Humvees speeding down our street to get to the bomb site. Generally speaking, our experience of the event was peripheral. I think that most of those who came out unscathed would probably have to say the same.

Simulacrum

2004-08-10T09:56:00.000-05:00

Simulacrum- "a likeness, a resemblance, a sham"

I think that we have become a people of simulacrum. Many of the soldiers I have met compare their experiences of combat to movies like "Blackhawk Down". We live in a world of representations. William Gibson has brought this up from time to time, with the notion that humans create a super-reality for themselves. The idea of the superlative in motion, a thing refined past any resemblance to its progenitor. It takes some time for the American in me to quiet its desire to see things as superlatives, or archetypes. Having no real experience of life outside my own familiar surroundings, I tend to ascribe to my experiences some pre-conceived attribute in order to try and make sense of it. The real learning comes with the sublimation of the simulacrum by the real. Preconceptions fade in the continued presence of the real. The immediacy of the experience defies the abstraction. Fuad replaces Oliver Twist. South Africans become more complicated.

Jalalabad

2004-08-08T07:59:00.000-05:00

This morning my colleague Joe and I jumped on a plane to Jalalabad, which is off to the east towards Pakistan. We make these occasional forays out into the country to check on outposts set up by one of the programs for which we work. The first thing I noticed when I got off the plane was the humidity. Kabul is dry, like Martini dry. When we disembarked the aircraft (our faithful Russian-made, Armenian-piloted Antonov cargo prop), it felt like I'd somehow been transported back to North Carolina in the middle of the worst of the summer heat. The second thing I noticed was sporadic gunfire to the west. No-one seemed too concerned, so I asked one of the security guys if there was a shooting range nearby. He relied in the affirmative and advised me that they "always have to tell those guys to stop shooting when the planes come in, since the impact area for the gunfire includes the runway." Welcome to J-Bad. As we were driving around, I talked to our driver about the U.S. military presence in the area. Jalalabad sits on the major route to the Khyber Pass, which is the major route into Pakistan. It turns out there are some Marines up there, which may include some of my former students (I know there in Afghanistan). Now the only question is whether or not I can wrangle an excuse to jump on the plane again and go up there again for a few days.

The Lure

2004-08-05T12:05:00.001-05:00

It's Thursday night. Thursday night is our one real night off, the time when we drink too much and tell each other about how it used to be when we were "In". This guy that I work with used to do the job that I wanted to do, the job that I signed up for. This may seem obscure to some, but for those of you who know, just consider my past profession and you'll get the idea. Tonight he told us, "Yeah, if you want to do it I could make it happen." This is a dangerous temptation for me. We come from a field where the options are limited, and the job we all wanted to do is done by members of others services, more elite groups than our own. It is neither a question of training, nor ability, it is a simple question of opportunity. We, who spent long years in the Corps, working harder than our peers to acheive a modicum of respect, we desired above all else to be this unique thing. "Operators" is one word for it. Now, we have left this concept behind, understanding that it will never be realised for us. I left this idea behind, because I knew that it would not happen. Now I have met someone who went down the path that I wanted to take. I would not take it now, there are other things which make the decision too complicated. But part of me will always wish that I had become that thing, the pinacle of our profession. Part of me will always know that I could have been, but chose not to be. In the final analysis, some sacrifices are not worth making. This is mostly directed to my family, who can be thankfull that I did not chose the path I could have taken. In the end it was a simple choice.

Quote of the Day

2004-08-05T06:06:00.000-05:00

"AMTRACK? You mean they carry people, too? I thought they just carried, like, freight."
-The Revelations of Matt Heath

Ron Reagan

2004-08-02T02:15:00.000-05:00

I grew up thinking that Ron Reagan's dad should probably be that third guy in the last ring of Dante's Inferno. I may have become more politically moderate than I was in my wayward youth (ages 2-6), when nukes were bad (no other description necessary) and picket lines were just what families did together. Later, I joined the Corps, spent some time propogating "American Imperialism" and went to far-off lands with a uniform and a gun. So maybe I've fallen a little farther from the tree than some. Ron Reagan (the younger) wrote this article about the mendacity of the current administration. I really don't mind if people vote for Bush. I believe fervently in the democratic process and the value of dissent. I just want people to know what they're voting for.

Mazar e Sharif

2004-07-15T07:54:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a little trip to Mazar e Sharif, which is way up north near Tajikistan. We left at 4 am from Kabul airport on this ancient Anatov cargo plane. It's only about an hour's flight, but you fly over a spur of the Hindu Kush, and the mountains are incredible. The plane was actually flying around the sides of mountains, so that we were looking up at peaks from the windows. Mazar e Sharif is home to a famous blue Mosque, which is located in the exact center of the city. It is one of two or three buildings in the city which are more than one storey tall. There was some intense fighting there during the latest installment of the Afghan civil war, but most of the damage has been repaired. The roads are horrible, particularly inside the city. There was a huge market where day-laborers gathered in the morning to find work. I guess this sight had a comforting familiarity to it, being something one might see in many towns in the states. When I got back to Kabul, after a brief stop in Konduz, I felt a remarkable sensation of being home. I had not expected it, but in the last month I've become accustomed to this place, and I missed Kabul even though I'd only left for a day. Kabul is a beautiful city, if you can look past the dirt and the signs of past wars and present occupation.

Negligence

2004-07-13T09:44:00.000-05:00

I got an email from a friend of mine who has some concerns about how his life is turning out. I know how he feels, though I don't exactly share the sentiment. As I told him, when we were in the Corps we had purpose. Even when life was miserable, we could always say that it was for a reason. Its hard to leave that behind. I guess the important part of this is that the Marines gave us an external purpose, which was applied to us. Now, its up to us to struggle along and figure it out. This is, of course, the whole point, but that doesn't necessarily make it any easier to get out there and do it. I'm sure that one of my loving family members would jump into the conversation at this point and tell me that its not so much about finding the purpose as it is living your life and figuring it out along the way. This is of course entirely true. Tonight I was reminded of how tenuous the whole work situation is over here. I guess the point is to get back up, live as best you can and not let the momentary setbacks get you down. So.....Buck Up, Johnny! I'll catch you back in the world.

13 signs of job burnout

2004-07-12T03:31:00.000-05:00

One of my colleagues pulled this off of MSN. Let's see how life in Kabul measures up......

1. chronic fatigue - exhaustion, tiredness, a sense of being physically run down
Nap-time has become an important part of our daily life.
2. anger at those making demands
You wouldn't believe some of the things we're asked to do.
3. self-criticism for putting up with the demands
Self-criticism is not part of our work-ethic. We're awesome, its everyone else....
4. cynicism, negativity, and irritability
Only in the morning.
5. a sense of being besieged
In our case its merited, but yes.
6. exploding easily at seemingly inconsequential things
Inconsequential things seem to explode easily, does that count?
7. frequent headaches and gastrointestinal disturbances
Well, we are in Afghanistan and on anti-malarials.
8. weight loss or gain
See number 7.
9. sleeplessness and depression
Not yet.
10. shortness of breath
Only at altitude.
11. suspiciousness
Again, I think we are allowed a 'gimmee' on this one.
12. feelings of helplessness
Only when unarmed.
13. increased degree of risk taking
Define risk....

Kabul Joe's Photos

2004-07-07T23:24:00.000-05:00

Ok everyone, I've finaly posted some photos online. Not being the most computer-savvy guy on the planet, this was something of a task for me. So, if you want to see pictures of my crew and I, check it out. In other news, I was watching the Tour de France yesterday and was reminded of my brother Nick, who is the most impressive athlete I've ever met. Gotta go, I'm not really getting paid ridiculous amounts of money to sit around and blog, no matter what Nikita thinks.

Independence Day

2004-07-04T06:37:00.000-05:00

There are no parades here today. Hopefully there will be no fireworks tonight. I guess the Fourth is as good a day as any to reflect on what our country is doing abroad and at home to further the spirit of this 'noble experiment' which started over two hundred years ago. I would imagine that if I could still recieve my Economist subscription there would be lengthy articles undertaking a measured examination of American democracy in this week's issue. Freedom has become a buzz-word of the right, used as a justification for unilateral action. Now that I am no longer in the military I can say that we are creating more enemies than we kill, and one day we may pay a real price for our arrogance. Of course, some of my acquantances and family members might uncharitably point out that I am profiting from the role our country has given itself in the world. I remember joining the Marines in part because I'd read John Locke and The Federalist Papers in college, and in doing so had developed a healthy respect for the value of democracy. But I also read Machiavelli, and The Prince more often informed what I saw in the Marines than did The Republic. I guess its hard for people at home to see what's going on in the world, and most of them wouldn't want to if they could. This morning a US Marine was beheaded in Iraq. In remote sections of Afghanistan election workers are being killed and women are being terrorized because the decided to take part in a process that many of us disdain so much we don't even bother to cast our vote. Locke brought forth into the political consciousness of Great Britain the revolutionary concept that government is only suffered to rule by the consent of the governed. If this is true then we are ultimately responsible for what is done in the name of our country. I love my country, and more importantly I love the principles upon which it was so imperfectly founded. I think that we have grown as a nation, and made progress towards an egalitarian society even though we have also faced setbacks in civil liberties at home and abused our power abroad. I see a lot of xenophobia from many Americans over here but that is not the full story, either. I'm not going to express my opinion on what we are doing here in Afghanistan, I haven't yet been here long enough to form an educated one. But I do have an absentee ballot coming to me here, and I will be voting. When you watch your fireworks tonight, remember that part of the Star Spangled Banner about the land of the free and the home of the brave. Ask yourself if that's true today.

Gun-Brutes

2004-06-30T07:37:00.000-05:00

One of my co-workers just got back from a little road trip up north. In addition to seeing some awesome scenery, including the cliffs where the Buddhist statues used to be before the Taliban blew them up, he had the chance to meet some of the aid workers who are out there doing good deeds. His rather apt description of their view of us was, 'Gun-Brutes'. The fact that he travel armed was enough to destroy his credibilty (and some of his humanity) in their eyes. This in a country where ten-year-olds sometimes carry AKs, and warlords have personal fleets of working tanks to secure their opium production. I would suspect that certain people within my own circle of acquaintances might easily share the perspective of these earnest, hard-working people who are just trying to help this nation recover. I was once a Quaker, and I still call myself one, though perhaps I've strayed from the fold. It is unfortunate that we should feel the need to carry weapons here, but I would sooner go naked than not carry. After all, its hard to ignore the fact that most of the westerners getting killed over here are unarmed UN election workers, who are out there with the best of intentions. "Carrry thy sword as long as thou canst." I guess I'll be carrying mine little while longer.

Airport

2004-06-29T01:00:00.000-05:00

I rode out to the airport today to pick up some things, and I was struck by how different it looks from the first time I walked through the doors into Afghanistan. I guess I'm just used to being here now. We put up a big front at the airport; jump out of the car with guns ready and try to look tough while we do our business. I guess it makes sense, since there is a lot of traffic there and its a good place to spot us internationals as we come in. The real trick here seems to be letting everyone know that there are easier people to mess with than us. I have quickly become accustomed to looking over my shoulder, scanning people for threats, taking my anti-malarial dailies and always drinking bottled water. I think the differences only become apparent when, months from now, I pack up and leave this place and go back to the states. Then I'll have to learn to once again obey traffic signals and not reach for my gun all the time.

Cricket

2004-06-27T06:52:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know this blog is supposed to be about Afganistan, but le me digress:

Cricket, that noble sport which was obviously invented to make Americans feel even more stupid and unsophisticated.....I was sitting around today, waiting for somethings I needed for a job to show up and I happened to see some guys on the TV playing cricket. I guess our DirectTV comes off of Arabsat, or something. Anyways, these guys in ridiculous-looking helmets kept running back and forth, throwing balls at each other and swinging what may well be the most cumbersome bludgeon ever devised (thank the British, the same people who brought us the MG, the Vincent Black Shadow and driving on the left). If anyone can and would care to explain the rules (if there are any) and perhaps the origin of this noble pursuit, I would appreciate it greatly. Oh, and Nikita, pass my condolences on to the boy, it looks like the Sox are going to have to wait until next year. Cowboy Up!

Little Uzbekistan

2004-06-21T06:10:00.000-05:00

The other day we were driving through Kabul on our way back to the compound and decided to try and circumvent the rush hour traffic by taking the road less traveled by. This can be a big mistake in any major city, but Kabul has a particular lack of deliberate urban planning once you leave the major thoroughfares. So we wound up in this mud-brick barrio of winding alleys which is entirely populated by asiatic Afghans. Afganistan is supposed to be a place of incredible ethnic diversity, but I hadn't really seen any illustration of that before. I think the people there were a little surprised to see us: four white guys with guns in a ford Excursion which was almost larger than the streets on which we were driving. In retrospect the stares were not hostile, those people were just unacustomed to seeing us in their neighborhood. Feeling ourselves to be on the verge of being hopelessly lost, and with the walls literally closing in around us, we found a wide spot at an intersection and turned around. When I climbed out of the truck -gun in hand- to assist the driver in turning around a young man on a bicycle gave me a little nod as if to thank me for being careful of the houses on either side of the narrow street. Throughout this adventure I was reminded that we are precariously situated among these people, and it is only with their consent that we are suffered to remain here. As a former marine I am used to having a lot of strength behind me; air support, artillery, reaction forces. Here we cannot afford the same level of arrogant detachment that our more heavily armed brethren often demonstrate. Today the kids brought us T-Shirts with Afghani hero Ahmed Shah Masoud on them. For six shirts they received sixty dollars, which is a reasonable monthly salary around here. I don't mind getting hustled though, because at least these children smile at us when we roll down the street.

Afghani Traffic Laws

2004-06-18T23:30:00.000-05:00

Here are the rules for driving in Kabul, near as I can make them out:
1. The biggest car has the right of way, unless the little car is being driven by someone with a suicidal level of courage.

2. Honking your horn repeatedly is a good substitute for all signals.

3. One-way roads are always one way, unless you are in a hurry.

4. Traffic police are more of an adornment to the intersection than something to take seriously.

5. Donkeys always have right of way....for exceptions to this rule, see rule number one.

6. Under no circumstances should you ever let someone into your lane....ever.

Come to think of it, its a lot like Boston

Eclipse

2004-06-15T00:06:00.000-05:00

Last night we were on the roof of the DynCorp house downtown. The dust kicks up all day, so you can't see the mountains. The sun was setting, casting no more light than the full moon for all the dust in the air. Then a crag appears in front of the sun, invisible to that point in the haze. It was an alien sight, the dust blowing across the sun. Meanwhile, down in the street, the little kids were yelling up at us to come down and buy wooden snakes and cheap sunglasses.

Kabul, June 14th

2004-06-14T06:48:00.000-05:00

The mountains of Afghanistan look the way mountains are supposed to. They rise steeply out of the valley just outside of Kabul, nothing but rock spires and talus slopes. I don't look up at them much- in the daytime you can't really see them for all the dust in the air. Kabul is amazing, a crush of humanity surrounded by absolutely barren land. Everyone has carved there on little pockets in the city, maintained by walls and guards with guns. Private security, US soldiers, International peacekeepers all driving around on streets overwhelmed by taxis and bicycles. On the way through town you can drive by a dozen compounds with armed guards and have no idea who is in any of them. We went to a US base yesterday to buy some things and had to walk through a metal detector, which was hilarious because we were all carrying submachine guns.