Spies, Warlords & Viagra

ABC’s Stu Schutzman from New York:

As you moan and groan about what to get Aunt Martha and Uncle George this Christmas season, consider the CIAs conundrum–What to give to an Afghan Warlord? It’s a gnawing question for the CIA as it struggles to get the upper hand on the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan; how to get those powerful tribal Warlords on your side without causing a stir. You don’t want them jingling down the street with bling or parading around in new sports cars. Too much of a dead giveaway of new-found wealth. You need to be more subtle, more nuanced. And so the agency has apparently been doing some thinking outside the box. "Whatever it takes to win friends and influence people," said one agency veteran to the Washington Post today. So what’s a spy agency to do? Maybe there’s a clue in Dale Carnegie’s runaway 1936 bestseller "How To Win Friends And Influence People".

In Part one, Carnegie suggests you "arouse in the other person an eager want." In part four he advises you "make the other person happy about doing what you suggest". So what we have here is "arouse’ something in the person whose support your seeking and make him "happy" Hmmmm! I think we’re on to something and according to the Post that something is Viagra. "CIA Finds RX for Befriending an Aging Afghan With 4 Wives", reads the Post headline. Among other gifts according to the Post, the agency has been handing out Viagra to various influential Warlords. Makes sense. Much more subtle than a satchel full of cash or a new gold chain. And it jives perfectly with Carnegie’s advice. So next time you see an Afghan Warlord and he’s smiling, you can reasonably assume……he’s on our side.