1. There is no " Afghanistan," only an inchoate collection of warring tribes, factions and clans.
2. To the extent there is an "Afghanistan," its government is deeply corrupt and unable to control its own divided country.
3. President Kharzai, our "ally" and the official representative of the "state" on whose behalf we fight, would prefer that we leave -- at least when it comes to what he says for internal consumption.
4. Not that it matters what he thinks since the President of Afghanistan is for all practical purposes little more than the Mayor of Kabul -- and that's on good days.
5. The only thing that unites this otherwise disintegral non-state is that the fractious tribes that despise one another hate foreigners even more.
6. Foreign forces, whatever their intentions, will always be seen as occupiers and hence, the enemy.
7. Ghengis Khan, the British and the Russians all tried to "win" in Afghanistan, and they all failed; it would be an exaggeration to say their futile attempts brought down three empires.... or would it?
8. You can't win wars when you're killing civilians, yet in Afghanistan where the boundary between combatants and civilians is blurred you necessarily are killing a great many civilians a lot of the time.
9. Occupying places where Muslims live (and where they die at your hand) will always been seen as a war against Islam rather than a war against terrorism.
10. You can't make people free at the barrel of a gun.
11. There is no better way to create terrorists than to make war on Muslims in the name of fighting wars against terrorism.
12. America can't save the world, and risks losing what is best in America when it tries.
13. Military force and overwhelming firepower applied from the outside are more likely to undermine than sustain the development of democracy inside a developing country.
14. Al Qaeda is not Afghanistan and it is not the Taliban either; it is a malevolent NGO, and winning Afghanistan or defeating the Taliban cannot vanquish al Qaeda.
15. We can't pay for questionable wars abroad and afford justice and economic recovery at home, and trying to do so is likely to lead to losing the war and undermining justice.
Follow Benjamin R. Barber on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BenjaminRBarber
Johann Hari: The Great Bloody Hole in the British Election Campaign: Afghanistan
The British ambassador to Afghanistan, Mark Sedwill, says we will be there "for a generation" more. If we want to prove him wrong, then we have to demand it publicly.
Heidi Kingstone: Village People
The big decision facing any ex-pat in Kabul on any given Thursday, the start of the Afghan weekend, is what to do that night.
Howie Klein: Sending Democrats A Message: Draft Jonathan Tasini
Tasini can win the New York Senate primary for Hillary Clinton's old seat. It's very diverse -- white, black and Latino (mostly Dominican).
David Isenberg: Lost in Translation: The High Cost of Interpreting in the Middle East
Interpreters have some of the most high risk jobs in war zones.
16) Although the United States has the military power to destroy the Taliban in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, it does not possess the will to use the full extent of its military and is entangled with the sovereignty concerns of Pakistan.
17) The United States refuses to unleash its military power to such an extent as would be necessary because it does not have the stomach for war, fears a refugee crisis and cannot stomach the sort of savagery necessary to do the job.
First they ignored warnings about 9-11 and there are many other obvious problems with that weak investigation, so we need a new one. Then instead of only targeting the bad guys they invade an entire country, a very big one very, very far away.
Staying there and in Iraq for longer than necessary only makes a big part of the world, Muslims, angry or hate us, along with our much too blind support for right wing Israel. Especially since those governments do not seem to appreciate our sacrifice's we should get out as soon as realistically possible.
Afganistan is more of China's and Russia's problem, let them deal with it. They are already there mining while we protect them, what sense does that make.
1. Afghans have no trouble working or cooperating with foreign troops when it is in their best interest.
a. Many Afghans actively supported Northern Alliance and U.S. in the overthrow of Taliban.
b. The same Islamic warlords and their Western appeasers had no problem accepting infidel dollars, weapons and being ran by ifidel Americans, and apostate unbeleiver, the Chinese during Soviet invasion. But now-- suddenly-- it is problem for the brave defenders of Righteous Caliphate and their Westerns appeasers.
P.S.
Many Afghans NOW are supportive of the coalition efforts of preventing the return of Talib Dark Ages.
And the West and Chinese and Pakistanis and Arabs owe it to them to build what they worked so hard to destroy over the last 30 years.
By now both the Iraqis and the Afgans really, really do want America's military out of their lands since they have come to realize that more unarmed innocent civilians are getting slaughtered and maimed then those in the Taliband.
Why the HELL!!! is this country still continuing these insane, stupid wars that continue to cost so many innocent lives and cost the American taxpayers 500 billion a year???!!!
Americans should ask this question; "How would they feel if foreign troops were using bombs, bullets and gun ships to slaughter and maim their sons, daughters, moms, dads, sisters and brothers???!!!
And would you become a terrorist to avenge the slaughtering and maiming of your family???!!!!
Bush was beaten up daily fore being a war mongering, oil greedy, war criminal, but somehow, when its a Dem in the WH, the illegalities, collateral damage and dead are not blamed on him. the vanguard of freedom, the watchdog press, has become a WH lapdog!
As I listen to conversations about the issue of Iran's nuclear program, I rarely hear of anyone opposed to the idea of a preventive war against Iran if Iran were eventually to develop nuclear weapons for their arsenal. So it would appear that those who think like me are still in the very small minority when it comes to this issue of preventive war.
I don't mean to minimize the threat that places like Iran and North Korea could be with the ability to use weapons of mass destruction. But our history with the Soviet Union shows to me that there are other avenues available to deal with nations like Iran and that if a war is inevitable with a country like Iran, let them give us actual cause, as the attack on Pearl Harbor gave us cause to enter World War Two. If war with Iran is to happen, let Iran be the instigator of the war. And in the meantime, maybe, just maybe, our conflict with Iran will play out in the same way that our conflict with the Soviet Union played out. If America has to go to war, our history has shown us that we will be ready and woe to those who attack us. But until that attack, let us resist the expense of the lives of our courageous soldiers through the use of a preventive war.
So who is the real mastermind behind the chaos in Central Asia?
Pashtun, Wardak, Jaji, Tani, Jadran, Mangal, Kuchghiani, Safi, Mohmand, Shinwari, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkman, Nuristani and Baluch. And that does not even begin to address religious and lingusitic subgroups. The PM of Afghanistan is, for all practical intents and purposes (insofar as his authority has puissance) the mayor of Kabul.
I have personal experience as a soldier in two wars of this nature and I can tell you, from my own blood and the blood of my men, that fighting this nature of engagement is like attempting to nail fog to the wall.
1) The United States is a colonial/imperialist power...in this role it cannot retreat from Afghaninstan because it will look like a defeat to our enemies and weakness to our friends.
2) The American system of government is not democratic....so if there is no democracy at home, it is not likely to be in position to bring democracy abroad...what we have here is power politics and exercising power shows that our friends can rely on us and our enemies to fear us....Afghanistan has become a power case than fighting terrorism case.
3) The American Military-Industrial Complex and Corporate America feed conflict. Should America stop starting and provoking wars around the world...who will feed the machine/corporation?
4) Since America has been raised to become an imperial power, it cannot fall off the imperial throne now and let other competing powers Ascend to the Purple.
I hope I added a few extra elements left out from the Establishment thinking of Prof. Barber. We sometimes need to study the unofficial version of American development than the official version endorsed by Prof. Barber.
Someone left out Alexander the Great. He failed also.
FWIW
Maybe we should try some strategic marriages!
Alexander the Great DID NOT FAIL IN AFGHANISTAN.
He left behind the Greco Bactrian Empire. That lasted longer than the United States of America.
Why do you think he is known as the GREAT.
Because he did not lose a battle.
Jeez.