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Subject: Curse of Afghanistan
Le Zookeeper    7/22/2008 3:24:34 AM
From Alexander to the British to the Soviets everybody lost in Afghanistan. NATO next??
 
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The Lizard King       7/22/2008 4:16:08 AM
NATO currently can not lose militarily, but can lose will.  Europeans today have no resolve.  Look how quickly Spain buckled after a single terrorist attack on her soil.
 
 
 
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Le Zookeeper    Lizard   7/23/2008 4:17:36 AM

NATO currently can not lose militarily, but can lose will.  Europeans today have no resolve.  Look how quickly Spain buckled after a single terrorist attack on her soil.

 

 


The rumor is Taleban and ISI is back, Iran counters them though.
 
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xylene       7/23/2008 2:36:52 PM

What is the strategy in Afghanistan? I assume it is to train the Afghans and then let them be in control of their security. Thing is we have been there for 7 years. Does the Karzai government have direct influence outside Kabul? I just assumed that within 7 years multinational forces would be sweeping through areas and bolstering the influence of the national government. Is it not enough troops, is it lack of will of Allies, or lack of will of Afghans? Seems as if we are tying ourselves in knots trying to pacify locals by allowing Sharia, turning a blind eye to heroin, trying not to offend Pakistan by allowing it to be a safe haven for enemies and allowing them to harbor Bin Laden, trying to keep warlords in our graces by allowing autonomy from Kabul government. What is the way forward?
 
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theBird       7/23/2008 11:08:28 PM
The main question is who in their right mind wants Afganistan, its just a bunch of desert and mountains.  The whole point of the operations in Afganistan was to disrupt the current lease agreement Bin Laden had with the Taliban.  The Taliban can rule Afganistan for all we care, just as long as they don't rent it out to and support terrorists.  The only thing left do in Afganistan is spray the opium poppies with herbicide (they are a major source of revenue for the baddies) and stop believing that Pakistan is on our side and hunt for the bad guys cross the border.  Clamping down on the Saudi's who send oil money there wouldn't hurt either.
 
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Godofgamblers       7/24/2008 12:14:06 AM

The main question is who in their right mind wants Afganistan, its just a bunch of desert and mountains.  The whole point of the operations in Afganistan was to disrupt the current lease agreement Bin Laden had with the Taliban.  The Taliban can rule Afganistan for all we care, just as long as they don't rent it out to and support terrorists.  The only thing left do in Afganistan is spray the opium poppies with herbicide (they are a major source of revenue for the baddies) and stop believing that Pakistan is on our side and hunt for the bad guys cross the border.  Clamping down on the Saudi's who send oil money there wouldn't hurt either.



Agree completely, theBird.
 
And as long as Pakistan plans to dominate Afghan completely with a fundamentalist muslim gov't ----solely to keep India out of the picture--- little can be done.
 
The question of LeZookeeper though is a good one: why can't NATO, one of the most powerful and best equipped fighting forces on the planet, resolve the Afghan problem? Is it tactics? Numbers?
 
As always, it is a political problems. Politicians are always a step above the Generals; they decide when a war is over, won or lost. There is no timetable and no clear realistic winnable goal, so although NATO wins every engagement, the politicos don't know how and when to declare victory or what even constitutes victory.
 
Success will continue to be elusive.
 
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The Lizard King       7/25/2008 3:42:33 AM


The question of LeZookeeper though is a good one: why can't NATO, one of the most powerful and best equipped fighting forces on the planet, resolve the Afghan problem? Is it tactics? Numbers?
It will take will, resolve and money....
 
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neutralizer       7/29/2008 6:18:16 AM

From Alexander to the British to the Soviets everybody lost in Afghanistan. NATO next??

Oh dear, why do these quaint myths keep getting repeated?
 
Alexander roamed around Central Asia without undue interference from anyone, and doesn't seem to have had any particular notions of permanently taking over anywhere in particular. 
 
The British successfully maintained their strategic policy for Afghanistan for the better part of 150 years.  That policy was that Afghanistan should be independent and neutral.  In particular Russia should be kept out. 
 
The last war between Britain and Afghanistan was the result of a palace coup in Kabul, and the new regime needing a foreign enemy so they attacked British India, the result of which was the defeat of the Aghan forces (the King sued for peace) and another regime change that was pro-British.  Thereafter good relations to the extent that there was an agreed plan for the British to enter Afghanistan to assist the government if they were invaded by Russia (or Germany in WW2).
 
 
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