5 thoughts on “Tuesday Open Thread”

1. Don’t go listenin’ to that freakin’ old commie . . . 

   Like many other similar projects at its heart lay the exaggeration of a threat and poorly defined geopolitical ideas. To that were added unrealistic attempts to democratise a society made up of many tribes.

   Gorbachev, leader who pulled Soviets from Afghanistan, says U.S. campaign was doomed from start

   https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gorbachev-leader-who-pulled-soviets-afghanistan-says-u-s-campaign-n1276954

   . . . don’t ya’ get it — we’re sposed’ to be exceptional over here!??!!

    

    

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   1. By most serious and sane measure, we are.

      Here is a conclusion from a friend with twenty seven years of active service, numerous tours and deployments, 3 combat commands and widely perceived to have a sane, serious perspective: 

      – same as it ever was
      – Bush invaded (late) with no clear goal, Trump signed a bad deal
      – Biden is correct to exit
       
      Long live the Taliban or pave the place. There is no middle, there is no win, there is no good choice. 

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      1. If you are an Afghan, the best choice may have been living in a permanent US protectorate. But that is not a reasonable option for the US. If there was going to be a change of power, and it seems the Afghan government was useless, the quick, relatively bloodless takeover may be the preferred option. 

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         1. “If you are an Afghan…”

            Aimaq, Brahui, Pashtun, Hazara, Kyrgyz, Nuristan, Oizilbash, Pamiri, Sadat, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek,  or one of the others?

            I would argue it makes a difference.

            And, by the way, this is the regional challenge.  Most Americans, and the rest of the nationalized world think of the national identity. But the people in what we call Afghanistan identify with their ethnic, tribal or regional affiliation.  And then there are the gangs, the Taliban being the largest and most powerful since the early 1990’s.  

            I do blame the US so called foreign policy for problems in the region. But the source was the knuckleheaded criminal conspiracists masquerading as the National Security Council in the Reagan administration that abandoned the region after the Soviet departure. (See Charlie Wilson’s War). 

             

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Taliban

             

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2. Today is #2 Pencil Day.

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