The war between the Taliban and NATO is a dual between might and pride, between Western values of democracy and time-tested tribal rule, between soldiers hiding behind tanks, bogged down by heavy baggage and boots fighting only for survival and light footed nomads fighting for their soil and for their tribal dignity. The Pashtuns, the dominant tribes of Afghanistan, of whom the Taliban draws their men and money, see this war as another battle in their long history of resisting and defeating foreign occupiers.

The Taliban soldier sees himself in a win-win situation. If he dies, he is a martyr and if he survives he is defending his tribe, his soil and his faith. But in contrast, the NATO soldier does not see a patriotic cause for his war. His only concern is to stay alive. This is a war that went awry from the start because the U.S.-led coalition forces, with their notion of democracy as being a medicine for all political, economic and social ills of any society regardless of their unbridgeable differences with the West, have ignored the complex and delicate tribal balances and traditional ways of running their affairs.

The Pashtuns, the traditional rulers of Afghanistan, saw themselves as defeated, humiliated and sidelined. Like any tribal society, the Afghan people's trust and loyalty lies with their elders. They are the custodians of the clan's identity, property, sovereignty and above all honor and pride. If the elder's opinion is ignored the whole clan feels humiliated and rallies behind him. It is on this issue that the U.S-led West always fails in all its engagements in tribal societies. By imposing their prepackaged fit-for-all ideologies they disregard the traditional role of the elders and rely on men that enjoy little or no respect from the tribe. Baffled by the white man's sheer ignorance of the value of men, a Somali poet once said: " Allahayow faranjigii muxuu doqon fariideeyey, Muxuu faydalaawiyo nin rag ah fayl u wada joojay" (Oh my God! how often the white man adorns fools with wise qualities, how often he places inferior men in the same rank as men of sagacity). This ignorance of the value of men is indeed the reason for the failure of the U.S. and its allies in Afghanistan and Iraq and before them in Somalia.

As I have presented in an earlier piece, the issue boils down to respect of local tribes. The common sense strategy, therefore, should be to approach the Pashtun elders, win their trust and include them in the decision making process. Give them confidence-building measures such as developing their areas. Show respect and care for them and for their clan. Once the confidence of the clan elders is won the battle is won. They know how to rein in their sons and how to clear foreign terrorists from their areas. NATO will then be spared from being drawn into a prolonged war with humiliating consequences. Hence, while Presidents Karzai and Musharraf are cozying up to President Bush in the White House, the real men who have the keys to stop this war may be hosting dinners for the Taliban fighters in their humble houses in Kandahar.