I believe the tali ban are prevalent in Afghanistan. In Iraq I think AQ are moving in, two different people/organizations. And other than some of their religious justice, Afghanistan had it pretty peaceful and better than it had been for decades(arguably by some) under tali ban rule. Once 911 happened we brought chaos back into that country. Also I'd have to do some research but I don't think AQ used to be as big or publicly known as they are today. I wouldn't be surprised if there is evidence out there which shows our invasion and war on terror caused the ranks of AQ to swell.
1) Absence of widespread physical violence is not "peace." "Peace" under the heel of a boot is not peace. It is oppression, and oppression is psychological violence. Ask any woman in Afghanistan who had the gall to try to learn how to read. If you can find one that hasn't had acid thrown in her face. 2) I don't think anyone would argue with that. AQ used it as a rallying call. We disrupted a tyrant who held great power, and created a power vacuum, and nature abhors a vacuum and will try to fill it. It points to a lack of political will on both ours and the will of the Iraqi people to continue to prop up the new "democratic" government. Our politicians don't seem to understand the philosophy "you break it, you buy it." People forget that 50 years after the Korean War, we still have thousands of service men/women there supporting the South Korean government. For the better part of 20 years after the end of WWII, we remained in Germany and Japan as an occupying army, not as allies as we do so currently. Nation building takes time, money, and political will. We currently have none of those three luxuries when it comes to the middle east.
