Afghan "train, advise and assist" 1984 style

[Jimmy Higgins]

Afghanistan is where Pakistan let the crazy radicals go so that they weren't trying to overthrow their own government. Pakistan is part of the solution to dealing with Afghanistan... if there was a solution.

 

[bilby]

China and Pakistan might be stepping in. I'm not sure what to think about that.

The Americans can prevent the commies from taking over Afghanistan by covertly arming and funding the Taliban Mujahideen.

It's the 1980s all over again. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[ideologyhunter]

The Americans can prevent the commies from taking over Afghanistan by covertly arming and funding the Taliban Mujahideen.

It's the 1980s all over again. What could possibly go wrong?

I favor putting Jared Kushner in a turban and having him lead an insurgent army in those dusty mountains. Yippee ki yay. Throw in Subway Jared to handle the mess kits.

 

[J842P]

China and Pakistan might be stepping in. I'm not sure what to think about that.

The Americans can prevent the commies from taking over Afghanistan by covertly arming and funding the Taliban Mujahideen.

It's the 1980s all over again. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, certainly no one would ever countenance glam metal again.

 

[Patooka]

China and Pakistan might be stepping in. I'm not sure what to think about that.

The Americans can prevent the commies from taking over Afghanistan by covertly arming and funding the Taliban Mujahideen.

It's the 1980s all over again. What could possibly go wrong?

Considering how much China needs this for their Belt and Road initiative, I suspect they'll be even less restrained than the Soviets with regards to pacification. And I don't see the US doing a Charlie Wilson 2.0.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Afghanistan is where Pakistan let the crazy radicals go so that they weren't trying to overthrow their own government. Pakistan is part of the solution to dealing with Afghanistan... if there was a solution.

Exactly. Afghanistan is a proxy war--by definition, unwinnable unless you're willing to go after the true power.

The Islamist nukes won a war without being used.

 

[bilby]

China and Pakistan might be stepping in. I'm not sure what to think about that.

The Americans can prevent the commies from taking over Afghanistan by covertly arming and funding the Taliban Mujahideen.

It's the 1980s all over again. What could possibly go wrong?

Considering how much China needs this for their Belt and Road initiative, I suspect they'll be even less restrained than the Soviets with regards to pacification. And I don't see the US doing a Charlie Wilson 2.0.

China has ambitions to become a world dominating power. And you're not truly a world dominating power until you have been embarrassingly defeated by the Afghans.

 

[funinspace]

Considering how much China needs this for their Belt and Road initiative, I suspect they'll be even less restrained than the Soviets with regards to pacification. And I don't see the US doing a Charlie Wilson 2.0.

China has ambitions to become a world dominating power. And you're not truly a world dominating power until you have been embarrassingly defeated by the Afghans.

Pakistan is already deeply involved in Afghanistan.

If only China was so shortsighted and/or dumb. In reality, I don't see China as getting their military involved in any significant way.

Secondly, the Belt and Road initiative, already has sever routes to the north of Afghanistan thru the other *stan countries, so it would be completely unnecessary for this effort.

 

[funinspace]

Meanwhile, it appears that the Taliban may be trying to topple the first provincial capital, as part of the increased tempo to their takeover. Wiki says that Qala-e-Naw has about 64,000 people. Additionally, the Taliban seems to be running the border operations towards Tajikistan collecting customs revenue.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021...pital-of-northwest-afghan-province-of-badghis

The Taliban has launched its first assault on a provincial capital in Afghanistan since waging a major offensive against government forces, local officials said, causing panic among local people and prompting prisoners to break out of the city’s prison.

Fierce fighting erupted on Wednesday in the western city of Qala-e-Naw, the capital of northwestern Badghis province, after the armed group fighters captured all the surrounding districts of the province.

 

[funinspace]

Afghanistan is where Pakistan let the crazy radicals go so that they weren't trying to overthrow their own government. Pakistan is part of the solution to dealing with Afghanistan... if there was a solution.

Yep. Though Pakistan was also always a big part of the problem. Even as we tuck tail and run, I think the flees will stay on our body for a while...

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Considering how much China needs this for their Belt and Road initiative, I suspect they'll be even less restrained than the Soviets with regards to pacification. And I don't see the US doing a Charlie Wilson 2.0.

China has ambitions to become a world dominating power. And you're not truly a world dominating power until you have been embarrassingly defeated by the Afghans.

Didn't quite lose to the Afghans, nor the Taliban. This was a fairly fought draw... like Vietnam.

But seriously, I ponder what the goal ever was for the Neocons here. They didn't give a damn about Afghanistan, so if the goal was never to actually maintain a sustainable democracy and it was flat out revenge against al Qaeda, that kind of counts as a win. The US should have just pulled out under W, of course, soldiers and over 100,000 Iraqis dying in Iraq kind of distracted things a bit for them.

As for Pakistan, it is a problem for them because a strengthening Taliban is always a danger for any modicum of progress in Pakistan. I presume Afghanistan's cricket team won't be getting much play in a year or so.

 

[Patooka]

Considering how much China needs this for their Belt and Road initiative, I suspect they'll be even less restrained than the Soviets with regards to pacification. And I don't see the US doing a Charlie Wilson 2.0.

China has ambitions to become a world dominating power. And you're not truly a world dominating power until you have been embarrassingly defeated by the Afghans.

Didn't quite lose to the Afghans, nor the Taliban. This was a fairly fought draw... like Vietnam.

But seriously, I ponder what the goal ever was for the Neocons here.

Don't worry. You'll answer your own question in a sec

The US should have just pulled out under W, of course, soldiers and over 100,000 Iraqis dying in Iraq

And there it is. Neocons had such a massive giant throbbing erection for Iraq they didn't even bother hiding it. People like Wolfowitz, Cheney and Rumsfeld started trying to hijack the 9/11 narrative to include Iraq pretty much from September 12th, 2001 onwards. The goal was bait and switch. And it succeeded. Everything that happened subsequently was irrelevant in their eyes. Rest in the opposite of peace, Rumsfeld.

 

[Swammerdami]

The Guardian has photos of U.S. bases in Afghanistan abruptly abandoned: Looters arrived before Afghan soldiers.

‘In one night, they lost all the goodwill of 20 years by leaving the way they did, in the night, without telling the Afghan soldiers who were outside,’ said Naematullah, an Afghan soldier who asked that only his one name be used.

I suppose leaving without notice was safest? What a huge fiasco the Longest War became. Primary blame must always fall on Dick Cheney and his merry band of blood-lusting neocons.

 

[bilby]

The Guardian has photos of U.S. bases in Afghanistan abruptly abandoned: Looters arrived before Afghan soldiers.

‘In one night, they lost all the goodwill of 20 years by leaving the way they did, in the night, without telling the Afghan soldiers who were outside,’ said Naematullah, an Afghan soldier who asked that only his one name be used.

I suppose leaving without notice was safest? What a huge fiasco the Longest War became. Primary blame must always fall on Dick Cheney and his merry band of blood-lusting neocons.

Because putting the safety of soldiers above the reputation and interests of your nation, the safety of those under their protection, and the long term safety of your own citizens, is what the military is all about.

 

[barbos]

Yeah, and US lost without another Super Power helping Taliban.
I wonder who will be next to try. Must be China.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Yeah, and US lost without another Super Power helping Taliban.
I wonder who will be next to try. Must be China.

Technically the W Admin surrendered the effort in 2003 for an attempt of murdering Hussein.

A ‘stable’ Afghanistan was then assured to be a long-term project.

 

[barbos]

Yeah, and US lost without another Super Power helping Taliban.
I wonder who will be next to try. Must be China.

Technically the W Admin surrendered the effort in 2003 for an attempt of murdering Hussein.

A ‘stable’ Afghanistan was then assured to be a long-term project.

What are you saying? That you won in Afghanistan?

Great Britain tried, then USSR, then USA, next must be China. And I would not bet against them, to be honest.

 

[Harry Bosch]

Yeah, and US lost without another Super Power helping Taliban.
I wonder who will be next to try. Must be China.

Technically the W Admin surrendered the effort in 2003 for an attempt of murdering Hussein.

A ‘stable’ Afghanistan was then assured to be a long-term project.

What are you saying? That you won in Afghanistan?

Great Britain tried, then USSR, then USA, next must be China. And I would not bet against them, to be honest.

It depends on how you define "won". If you define won as crushing Al-quaeda and stopping future Islamic terrorist attacks in the US, then we won. If you define winning as transforming the country into one that accepts democracy, protects women's rights, and has a thrieving capitalist economy, we lost. Big time.

 

[barbos]

What are you saying? That you won in Afghanistan?

Great Britain tried, then USSR, then USA, next must be China. And I would not bet against them, to be honest.

It depends on how you define "won". If you define won as crushing Al-quaeda and stopping future Islamic terrorist attacks in the US, then we won. If you define winning as transforming the country into one that accepts democracy, protects women's rights, and has a thrieving capitalist economy, we lost. Big time.

Well, in that case USSR won too. They prevented US occupation of Afghanistan.

 

[Harry Bosch]

What are you saying? That you won in Afghanistan?

Great Britain tried, then USSR, then USA, next must be China. And I would not bet against them, to be honest.

It depends on how you define "won". If you define won as crushing Al-quaeda and stopping future Islamic terrorist attacks in the US, then we won. If you define winning as transforming the country into one that accepts democracy, protects women's rights, and has a thrieving capitalist economy, we lost. Big time.

Well, in that case USSR won too. They prevented US occupation of Afghanistan.

Well, thanks Russia. We'll be better off returning troops to the US. Sad for Afghans though...