For those who support our occupation in Afghanistan...what is our goal?

[blackangst1]

Now that we've topped 1000 dead, Im curious what our goal is. Iraq I could understand - replace Saddam's regime with something that resembles a democracy. Now, although I supported THAT goal but disagreed with execution, I find myself at a loss as to wtf we're doing in Afghanistan, other than seemingly aimlessly attempting to weed out and kill terrorists.

July of last year, even Obama said "victory" isnt necessarily the goal (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/23/obama-victory-necessarily-goal-afghanistan/). Even the far left looney websites like commondreams dont seem to have an answer. Meanwhile the body count rises.

So Im curious what you all think? Whats our goal there? We obviously dont have plans on replacing the terribly corrupt government, and really the only thing there is opium. What say you?

 

[Red Dawn]

To unfuck what Bush fucked up?

 

[blackangst1]

To unfuck what Bush fucked up?

Meaning? Can you expand?

 

[Kadarin]

To utterly crush the Taliban and prevent Afghanistan from being a haven for al-Qaida?

 

[ElFenix]

we were invited in. technically that's not an occupation.


thomas friedman's latest column from the NYT lays out what he thinks obamarama is doing
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/opinion/14friedman.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

 

[blackangst1]

To utterly crush the Taliban and prevent Afghanistan from being a haven for al-Qaida?

Do you think thats possible with the current government in place? Thats a laughable idea, really.

 

[blackangst1]

we were invited in. technically that's not an occupation.


thomas friedman's latest column from the NYT lays out what he thinks obamarama is doing
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/opinion/14friedman.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Looks like a perception issue to me:

The Bush team took this kind of “neo-realist” approach to Afghanistan. It had no desire to do state-building there. Once Karzai was installed, President Bush ignored the corruption of Karzai and his cronies. All the Bush team wanted was for Karzai to hold the country together so the U.S. could use it as a base to go after Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Frankly, this low-key approach made a lot of sense to me because I never thought Afghanistan was that important. But, unfortunately, the Karzai government became so rotten and incapable of delivering services that many Afghans turned back to the Taliban.
So the Obama team came with a new strategy: We have to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan if we are going to keep Al Qaeda in check there and in Pakistan — and the only way to do that is by clearing them out of the towns and installing decent Afghan police, judges and bureaucrats — i.e., good governance — in the Taliban’s wake. Obama’s view is that, to some degree, idealism is the new realism in Afghanistan: To protect our hard-core interests, to achieve even our limited goals of quashing Al Qaeda and its allies, we have to do something that looks very idealistic — deliver better governance for Afghans.

Neither of these examples do anything to stop the root problem - the corruption of Karzai. Funny...you change the wording a little and suddenly intentions are good, when in practice, there no net difference between the two stratagies.

 

[Siddhartha]

Now that we've topped 1000 dead, Im curious what our goal is. Iraq I could understand - replace Saddam's regime with something that resembles a democracy. Now, although I supported THAT goal but disagreed with execution, I find myself at a loss as to wtf we're doing in Afghanistan, other than seemingly aimlessly attempting to weed out and kill terrorists.

July of last year, even Obama said "victory" isnt necessarily the goal (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/23/obama-victory-necessarily-goal-afghanistan/). Even the far left looney websites like commondreams dont seem to have an answer. Meanwhile the body count rises.

So Im curious what you all think? Whats our goal there? We obviously dont have plans on replacing the terribly corrupt government, and really the only thing there is opium. What say you?

How did George Bush originally justify the invasion?

 

[Anarchist420]

Honestly, I think that it's to bankrupt us further and to make us less secure.

 

[ElFenix]

How did George Bush originally justify the invasion?

again, technically we were invited in by one of the warring factions. not an invasion.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

It appears we are acting as a placemarker so to speak, to keep terrorist groups from using Afghanistan as a base of operations until which time as Afghanistan has a sustainable government capable of policing the malcontents (which may never happen )

Not a good situation at all, but the only alternative seems to be a complete withdrawl which would surely allow the country to become a breeding ground for further terrorist attacks.

Pick your poison, a sharp stick in the eye or a kick in the groin

 

[blackangst1]

How did George Bush originally justify the invasion?

Is this a test? Or do you not know? Refusal by the Taliban to stop harboring AQ, of course. What does that have to do with now?

 

[GuitarDaddy]

again, technically we were invited in by one of the warring factions. not an invasion.

Who invited us? Taliban? Seems your combining the Soviet afghan war with the current occupation. We may have had a small (invited) presence there before 9/11 but to say we were invited to the current war is just crazy talk

 

[blackangst1]

again, technically we were invited in by one of the warring factions. not an invasion.

So Operation Enduring Freedom was a result of an invitation? Thats not what Ive read. It was as an act of self defense for 9/11.

 

[blackangst1]

It appears we are acting as a placemarker so to speak, to keep terrorist groups from using Afghanistan as a base of operations until which time as Afghanistan has a sustainable government capable of policing the malcontents (which may never happen )

Not a good situation at all, but the only alternative seems to be a complete withdrawl which would surely allow the country to become a breeding ground for further terrorist attacks.

Pick your poison, a sharp stick in the eye or a kick in the groin

This is my thinking as well.

 

[Moonbeam]

We need to teach those folk how to dress their women like sex toys, introduce prostitution, drunken lewd behavior, mini skirts for ten year olds, bag ladies sleeping in their parks, millions of single mothers and all the other refinements of Western countries, because damn it, we're morally superior.

 

[Genx87]

To utterly crush the Taliban and prevent Afghanistan from being a haven for al-Qaida?

While leaving Pakistan alone? In other words indefinate occupation.

 

[Genx87]

To unfuck what Bush fucked up?

Awesome, first post blames Bush.

 

[ElFenix]

Who invited us? Taliban? Seems your combining the Soviet afghan war with the current occupation. We may have had a small (invited) presence there before 9/11 but to say we were invited to the current war is just crazy talk

the northern alliance.

it's something i've read recently but trying to search for the quote is next to impossible.

 

[paperfist]

To establish democracy

'Cept now under Obama will be wanting to establish communism.

Yay back to full circle

 

[blackangst1]

To establish democracy

'Cept now under Obama will be wanting to establish communism.

Yay back to full circle

Establishing democracy was NEVER the goal there.

 

[piasabird]

Someoe has to protect the Poppy trade. Who will make the opium without it?

 

[blackangst1]

Someoe has to protect the Poppy trade. Who will make the opium without it?

Well, in all honesty, opiates are a very important legitimate drug.

 

[paperfist]

Establishing democracy was NEVER the goal there.

So why have we been there for so long then?

 

[piasabird]

To educate you just a little bit Al Qeda is selling opium to pay for their war on terror. Just in case you are totally ignorant of what is going on, I thought I would mention that. So they raise poppies and turn the poppies into opium and then they sell the opium and buy guns and bombs so they can then kill innocent people and force women to wear a burka and stay at home and be beaten in the streets for trying to be a human being.