Afghanistan

[nick1985]

It's time to go. Nothing is being solved there. It's hard to fight an enemy that is based in Pakistan. Their government is corrupt as all hell, there is nothing the US military can do anymore to fix it any better than it is.

 

[DesiPower]

We need to stay there and provide those idiots with a constant battleground. If we take away the battleground they will reach our doorsteps. Remember they are no longer fighting to drive us out, they are fighting to kill all of us.

 

[nick1985]

We need to stay there and provide those idiots with a constant battleground. If we take away the battleground they will reach our doorsteps. Remember they are no longer fighting to drive us out, they are fighting to kill all of us.

So stay and have our soldiers get killed for nothing, just because you fear if we don't they will show up here and start killing us?

Interesting theory.

 

[DesiPower]

So stay and have our soldiers get killed for nothing, just because you fear if we don't they will show up here and start killing us?

Interesting theory.

Its not for nothing, its the cost for freedom. Freedom is not free. And its not just a fear, its a truth, does who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. We can advance out tech faster to incorporate more drones and robots and reduce casualties...

 

[bamacre]

I warned on these forums, many years ago, that we would be putting ourselves in a situation like that of Israel and the Palestinians. One side says "we attack you because you're on our land," and the other side says "we're on your land because you attack us." It's a never-ending conflict, a never-ending war. If we want to enjoy the liberties we have at home, and want to again be a prosperous nation, we can't be in this never-ending war.

 

[Lemon law]

DesiPower is just repeating the same line we had in Vietnam, and guess what, the Vietcong did not follow the US troops back home and the Taliban will not either.

As for Nick's poll, I voted for none of the choices. I am long on record as saying we are using the wrong tactics in Afghanistan and grasping defeat from the jaws of victory as a result. Now if we are willing to change tactics it may be worth staying, if not, get out now before we dig our hole even deeper.

 

[nick1985]

Its not for nothing, its the cost for freedom. Freedom is not free. And its not just a fear, its a truth, does who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. We can advance out tech faster to incorporate more drones and robots and reduce casualties...

Cost of freedom? Banging our heads up against a wall and accomplishing nothing is the cost? We could leave and lob in a few cruise missiles when needed and get the same results we are getting right now.

 

[Throckmorton]

Finally the far left and the far right agree on something. Fucking over brown people on the other side of the earth.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Finally the far left and the far right agree on something. Fucking over brown people on the other side of the earth.

Its nothing different from the yellow people before that.

How can you win against an enemy that will fight until the very last person dies? Especially when you're not even in it 100% (mentally, physically, emotionally)? (Talking about a nation as a whole not just the military)

Its not like the Taliban are going to come out one day say we surrender to you America. They are going to keep fighting with every generation possible, raising their kids to fight and hate America and them raising their kids.

 

[Moonbeam]

I don't know. I lean toward get the f out.

 

[Fern]

I don't know the answer, but I want something more limited than now, and far less expensive.

I do not want us to engage in nation building, we need to do that here.

I want to see a minimalist type plan that will prevent another 911 type attach launched from there.

Fern

 

[jman19]

We probably need to keep some sort of intelligence operation there, but the time for a military operation like the one we currently have there needs to come to an end...

 

[sunzt]

#3

 

[Jaskalas]

Leave.

If another attack originates from Afghanistan, carpet bomb select targets of high value.

 

[Red Dawn]

So stay and have our soldiers get killed for nothing, just because you fear if we don't they will show up here and start killing us?

Interesting theory.

You guys thought it was valid.

This a rare occasion where I agree with you. They are insist on buggering and stabbing each other in the back and there's nothing we can do to change that.

 

[DaveSimmons]

We might have had a chance at nation building years ago, after we first removed the Taliban from power. Unfortunately GWB saw something shiny off in Iraq and went running away with the troops, resources and international goodwill that might (maybe) have made that possible.

Now? Between our corrupt "allies" there and in Pakistan, a populace that's seen too much collateral damage, and an insurgency that's too strong, there isn't much we can do besides leave. Feeding more lives and billions into the meat grinder isn't going to let us "win" or fix the country.

It might make sense to keep supplying the warlords there as the lesser evil if the cost isn't too high. And keep the cruise missiles available in case we need them.

 

[manimal]

I warned on these forums, many years ago, that we would be putting ourselves in a situation like that of Israel and the Palestinians. One side says "we attack you because you're on our land," and the other side says "we're on your land because you attack us." It's a never-ending conflict, a never-ending war. If we want to enjoy the liberties we have at home, and want to again be a prosperous nation, we can't be in this never-ending war.

The idea that we could fix something that has been broken for generations is frankly preposterous and the biggest foreign policy mistake that has been made in our lifetimes...im including the iraq fiasco as well...

I am all for getting out of dodge and rethinking middle eastern policy...


Imagine the butthurt the neocons would have over this...

 

[nick1985]

You guys thought it was valid.

??

 

[PeshakJang]

Based on the replies to the thread regarding the trial of the embassy bomber, the left would strongly oppose any sort of special operations selectively targeting terrorist cells in the region... the only American solution would be to have FBI agents stationed in the area that can investigate and arrest any terrorist suspects in the region who are involved in attacks on America. Those suspects will then be exported to the United States, with the cooperation of the Taliban government, at which time they will face a jury of 12 US citizens in open court to determine their guilt.

If we don't do this, the terrorists win. They want us to come and kill them... that was their goal all along.

 

[rudder]

We went to Afghanistan to root out the taliban/al qaeda groups and help create a stronger central government. With the traditions and remoteness of the country... it will be all but impossible to create a government in kabul that is capable of managing the country. There is nothing more we can do there.

sucks for the people who do not want to live under taliban rule... but with the trillions of dollars in mineral deposits in the country... maybe the warlords in control will want to stay in control of that wealth and not put up with the taliban.

 

[zsdersw]

Its not for nothing, its the cost for freedom. Freedom is not free. And its not just a fear, its a truth, does who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. We can advance out tech faster to incorporate more drones and robots and reduce casualties...

The strongest and best tactical move is always the one that provides the biggest gain for the least cost. Staying in Afghanistan is not such a move.

 

[JTsyo]

Leave and use it as a training ground for our special ops forces. Have some air power ready for quick strikes and let them pick out the targets.