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Thoughts?

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by eathen lord, Dec 20, 2018.

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  1. eathen lord

    eathen lord Active Member

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    eathen lord, Dec 20, 2018
    #1
  2. Giftedone

    Giftedone Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Giftedone, Dec 21, 2018
    #2
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  3. scarlet witch

    scarlet witch Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    You had limited choices... you were never going to get anywhere in Afghanistan;

    1. Maintain status quo, keep troops and spend billions every year maintaining a peace that's never quite achievable.
    2. Send in the Mercs, mine it's resources to pay for it and get hammered with bad press and leftwingers when they screw up
    3. Leave Afghanistan, let Russia, Iran and Pakistan sort it out
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2018
    scarlet witch, Dec 21, 2018
    #3
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  4. The Don

    The Don Well-Known Member

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    Regarding that last point, IMO they cannot "sort it out". I think it's been demonstrated for at least 170 years that Afghanistan is ungovernable by a foreign power. British India managed some kind of quasi-peace by stuffing tribal leaders' mouths with gold to encourage them to keep their squabbles among themselves and not let the troubles flow over the Khyber Pass. This approach wasn't entirely successful but it was less disastrous than the events of 1842.

    The Russians gave it the good ol' college try back in the 1980s and ended up with their collective tails between their legs.

    The coalition has been there for 15 years and although there are areas around Kabul and some of the larger cities where the government has some kind of control, large parts of the country are under the control of the Taliban who, lest we forget, were deposed as leaders of the country for the support that they offered Al-Qaeda.

    I fear that Afghanistan is now, and will be for the foreseeable future, a complete mess. I cannot explain why Mohammed Daoud Khan was apparently successful in bringing Afghanistan into the 20th century but the fact that he started to lean towards the Soviets apparently meant he had to go.
     
    The Don, Dec 21, 2018
    #4
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  5. cerberus

    cerberus Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Good post - the Talibas are playing with us like a cat plays with a mouse. My prediction - as soon as the withdrawal starts the taliban will ramp up the action so much the yanks will have to stay - and I'd put big money on that. How they've been laughing at us for the last 18 years - and god knows how much this disaster has cost in terms of money and more importantly lost and maimed lives of brave (or misguided whichever way you look at it) young kids. So it isn't over yet, nor will be for years to come I'm afraid to say.
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2018
    cerberus, Dec 21, 2018
    #5
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  6. Derideo_Te

    Derideo_Te Well-Known Member

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    Invading Afghanistan is the biggest mistake that any nation could ever make.

    Pulling out now is better than staying there so let's withdraw ALL of the troops.

    There is no valid reason for staying and no one is willing to try an alternative means of stabilizing the nation so it is time to cauterize this wound and move on.
     
    Derideo_Te, Dec 21, 2018
    #6
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  7. fmw

    fmw Well-Known Member

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    We agree. The Russians were smart enough to get out of there. History teaches lessons. Somebody has to look at it. Leaving is smart.
     
    fmw, Dec 21, 2018
    #7
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  8. eathen lord

    eathen lord Active Member

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    I agree that we should be entirely out of the middle east but the manner of our withdraw is appalling.
     
    eathen lord, Dec 21, 2018
    #8
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  9. fmw

    fmw Well-Known Member

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    You think we should sneak out?
     
    fmw, Dec 21, 2018
    #9
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  10. doombug

    doombug Well-Known Member

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    doombug, Dec 21, 2018
    #10
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  11. eathen lord

    eathen lord Active Member

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    no, we should withdraw in a manner that allows our allies to also responsibly withdraw with us, not alert them through twitter.
     
    eathen lord, Dec 21, 2018
    #11
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  12. NMNeil

    NMNeil Well-Known Member

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    It means no more Americans returned in bodybags. Who can argue against that?
     
    NMNeil, Dec 21, 2018
    #12
  13. LangleyMan

    LangleyMan Well-Known Member

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    The last time we walked away from Afghanistan, the Taliban took power, allowed al Qaeda to set up, and the jihadis attacked us with this result...

    [​IMG]

    You want to go for Round Two? The Taliban and ISIL waiting in the wings.
     
    LangleyMan, Dec 21, 2018
    #13
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  14. scarlet witch

    scarlet witch Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    What they will do... Iran, Russia and Pakistan is potentially stop destabilising it because the Americans are there.

    Likely scenario is the Taliban will be back in power and women and children will suffer enormously.
     
    scarlet witch, Dec 21, 2018
    #14
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  15. Crawdadr

    Crawdadr Well-Known Member

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    About time, if we will not invest the resources to truly pacify that country then we should leave.
     
    Crawdadr, Dec 21, 2018
    #15
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  16. NMNeil

    NMNeil Well-Known Member

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    There's nothing you can do to stop terrorists attacking a city. I lived in London in the 70's and 80's when Irish terrorists were setting off bombs. No way to stop them.
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2018
    NMNeil, Dec 21, 2018
    #16
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  17. LangleyMan

    LangleyMan Well-Known Member

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    We slowed down the perps who planned and executed 9-11 by keeping them busy defending their home turf.
     
    LangleyMan, Dec 21, 2018
    #17
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  18. Steady Pie

    Steady Pie Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    No good options, 3 seems preferable.
     
    Steady Pie, Dec 22, 2018
    #18
  19. Derideo_Te

    Derideo_Te Well-Known Member

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    We STOPPED further terrorist attacks by DEFENDING our own home turf!
     
    Derideo_Te, Dec 22, 2018
    #19
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  20. scarlet witch

    scarlet witch Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    scarlet witch, Dec 22, 2018
    #20
  21. Steady Pie

    Steady Pie Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    That's a pretty big claim for a vague magazine advert to be evidence.
     
    Steady Pie, Dec 22, 2018
    #21
  22. scarlet witch

    scarlet witch Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Last edited: Dec 22, 2018
    scarlet witch, Dec 22, 2018
    #22
  23. cerberus

    cerberus Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    And that's the real reason 'we' went in - it was **** all to do with getting OBL, it was purely to make the Russians look impotent, in a kind of 'Those Russkies couldn't tame the Taliban but we can.' arrogance. But now who's bogged down and looking impotent against a rag-tag bunch of warrior fighters armed with AKs and a few RPGs? Why, the smart-arsed West, that's who? The humiliation of it!
     
    cerberus, Dec 22, 2018
    #23
  24. Derideo_Te

    Derideo_Te Well-Known Member

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    As I recall the "smart-arsed" British Empire had their asses kicked by the Afghanis and that was BEFORE they had AK47s and RPG's.
     
    Derideo_Te, Dec 22, 2018
    #24
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  25. LangleyMan

    LangleyMan Well-Known Member

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    The 9-11 attack was planned and organized in Afghsnistan.
     
    LangleyMan, Dec 22, 2018
    #25
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