It’s been a little over a month since the murder of International Red Cross worker Ricardo Munguia in Afghanistan, but it warrants a second look now that it has been confirmed that the murder was executed by the Taliban.

According to the Associated Press, the Taliban gunmen stopped a three-vehicle convoy and made a satellite cell phone call to Mullah Dadullah, a Taliban leader notorious for his viciousness, asking if they should murder Munguia. The order came back to kill him.

Ironically enough, Dadullah wears an artificial leg supplied to him by the Red Cross.

This raises two very important issues. First and foremost, the very same Taliban President Bush’s Cabinet so often boasts is no more, is not only still in existence, but also has recovered considerably since being ousted from Afghanistan 18 months ago.

Second, the Taliban – whose worldwide monetary assets have been purportedly frozen – can still apparently afford to give its gunmen expensive, fancy satellite phones that make mine look like a rotary.

It is a problem that has plagued our country’s foreign policy for decades: the valiant United States rides into the oppressed country on its mighty steed, slaying the horrible dragon of dictatorship … and then quietly leaves for the fair people of the land to fend for themselves.

Yes, the United States did promise to help build Afghanistan’s democracy after taking the Taliban out of power. Yes, the United States promises to do the same once Saddam Hussein’s regime is taken out of power. But will Iraq’s people be doomed to be yet another repeat in this downtrodden and hypocritical history?

The fact that Dadullah has ordered the remnants of the Taliban on execution missions in Afghanistan comes as no surprise to the Afghan people, who have seen a resurgence of the Taliban thanks in no small part to the Afghans’ lack of finances necessary to maintain control. Much of Afghanistan’s army and police force have been unpaid for months, prompting many of the country’s officers and soldiers to simply give up and go home. But the student body of UW-Eau Claire knew all about this already, right?

So, why haven’t we heard about this lately? Up until reading this article, I had innocently assumed our government was taking an active part in Afghanistan’s recovery. On those rare occasions when the major news channels tear away from the war coverage in Iraq, I’ve never heard or seen anything about this ongoing crisis plaguing the Afghan people. This leads me to only one possible conclusion: no one cares. Not the media, not our government and maybe even not our own people.

America is funny in that way. We always seem to want to solve other people’s problems in the most half-assed way we possibly can. We always seem to become so emotionally invested in something important, but our interest always seems to quickly fizzle after the initial success.

But, who hasn’t felt that sort of capitalistic, apathetic interest? Who hasn’t pushed themselves to pull an all-nighter in the library, only to end up studying for an hour and then spending the rest of the time chatting with friends?

The U.S. government, like the All-American suburban mother, has punished the Taliban for bullying and picking on the friendly neighborhood Afghan child. Then, thinking everything is all right, not understanding the most basic principle of playground law, America has left the defenseless Afghan child to play nice with his new Taliban friends.

But like any resentful bully, angry to have received any sort of discipline, the Taliban is now punishing the defenseless Afghan child for telling on them and getting them in trouble. Mommy, as always, is nowhere to be seen.

I am by no means anti-war. I support our troops and I recognize the fact that Saddam Hussein and his sons are a war-mongering, murderous family and I’ve read enough background on his reign to know he needs to be taken out.

What I am worried about is what could possibly be going through the minds of our leaders. They seem to assume that these fledgling new democracies can sustain themselves without any outside involvement, as if it’s not our fault if they fail.

And they will.

Afghanistan will continue to fall apart at the hands of greedy warlords if America does not take an active involvement in its democratic investment.

Iraq will be next.