ptown_trojans_1;1102605 wrote:On Afghanistan, just read the COIN manual and doctrine and you understand why the U.S. and NATO apologized.
The support of the local population is crucial, and support for the local government even more so.
The U.S. had to make the move, otherwise, **** really hits the fan.
The key to Afghanistan is the warlords, the local chiefs. If the U.S. alienates them, by wreckless things like burning a copy of the Qur'an, then the war is lost. Saying the President should not have apologized fails to understand the very concept of how the war is being fought. It is easy to say the President should have stood up and demanded Karzai apologized, but it is not that easy.
The U.S. cannot force Karzai into anything really. Without him, the war falls apart, but with him, he fails to control the warlords and has little support.
Karzai should make a gesture and statement regarding the U.S. and NATO allies lost. But, I doubt he will.
As to the villains that killed the Americans, the Afghans and Americans are working together to find the bastards. When they are caught, they will be thrown in jail for murder.
Afghanistan is a complex mess that involves many ethnic tribes, radicals, straight mobs and warlords, and Pakistan. The U.S. is currently doing better than it has over the past few years, but still has a long way to go.
Bottom line, if the U.S. did not apologize, things would be much worse, much, much worse.
I was able to follow this until the bolded part. I have yet to read anywhere whereby "we are doing better" and have something substantiating that claim.
For eleven years we have heard the same thing. What has changed? Nothing has changed. And nothing will change. When Russia went bankrupt, in part because of their Afgan occupation, they went home and Afghanistan did what Afghanistan does. They are who they are and if they want to change, then only they can change. If they want to remain the same, then wish them well and GTFO.
I don't see China nor Japan investing in global police work. Yet, each of those 2 countries apparently had a trillion dollars plus laying around which they lent to the global empirists. Is there not a problem with this equation?
Moreover, why can't the MIC tell us what the mission truly is over there? The end game if you will. Please define victory...or at least spell out to the American people exactly what progress has/is being made. The truth is...there has been no progress made. None. COIN..or no COIN.
We are witnessing the inevitable occur in Iraq now. We brought home most of our troops and violence has sky-rocketed. Had we left Iraq in 03...or 23...violence would have skyrocketed. The same holds true in Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Whereveristan.
Yet, the most easily understood position and by far and away the most logical solution of withdrawal is espoused by only one presidential candidate...encompassing both parties. Yet, this sole standing candidate is continually labeled a foreign policy wacko....particularly by the media...which is owned by the likes of GE....one of the largest benefactors of endless wars.
My only logical conclusion is that the MIC cash cow will never let go of their vice grip hold on the Pentagon and Capitol Hill. The moral hazzard of such foreign policy is the continuing growing hatred for our once great country....and not only by the Middle Eastern bloc. Putin's Russia and even China are now picking sides...and it ain't our side. The bullseye on America and Americans continues to grow...and will never cease, until Ike's warning is finally heeded, and a permanent stop is imposed on the madness.
