Sometimes, the world saddens me.

The Taliban is unhappy with the fact that the US is using drones in the ongoing war. This is unsurprising, as it gives the US a basically insurmountable tactical edge. Their solution? Refusing to give local children the polio vaccine. In doing this, they basically cede the moral high ground to the US – ‘we are so evil we’ll kill our own kids and we’re counting on the fact that you’re not evil that this act of moral depravity will be so distressing to you that you’ll capitulate to our wishes’. The U.S. is by no means a pure moral agent, and the civilian casualties and collateral damage caused by drone attacks are deeply troubling and a burden on the collective American conscious. But this sort of behavior by the Taliban is a stark reminder to folks who vilify US military behavior (Chomsky, I’m looking at you…) that there are many worse things out there, and taking down the Taliban is a worthy goal.