Rick Burns’ thoughtful approach to Iraq and Afghanistan
Humanitarian Rick Burns, a retired civil affairs officer in the U.S. Army, has been helping people in the war-torn countries of Afghanistan and Iraq since 2003. He’s seen a lot of good, but he’s also seen what happens when good intentions go awry.
Take the fertile grounds of Arghandab River Valley in Afghanistan, for example. Burns recalls an initiative to help fruit exporters become profitable again after the war. Cold storage facilities were built, but because no one considered the country’s spotty electricity, the facilities ended up being too expensive to maintain.
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