Fall back, men, Afghanistan is a nasty war we can never win

[Carl]

Link

spindrifter  (1000+ posts)        Sat Feb-02-08 10:13 PM
Original message
Fall back, men, Afghanistan is a nasty war we can never win
   

From The Sunday Times February 3, 2008

Simon Jenkins

The American secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, flies to Britain this week to meet a crisis entirely of London and Washington’s creation. They have no strategy for the continuing occupation of Afghanistan. They are hanging on for dear life and praying for something to turn up. Britain is repeating the experience of Gordon in Khartoum, of the Dardanelles, Singapore and Crete, of politicians who no longer read history expecting others to die for their dreams of glory.

Every independent report on the Nato-led operation in Afghanistan cries the same message: watch out, disaster beckons. Last week America’s Afghanistan Study Group, led by generals and diplomats of impeccable credentials, reported on “a weakening international resolve and a growing lack of confidence”. An Atlantic Council report was more curt: “Make no mistake, Nato is not winning in Afghanistan.” The country was in imminent danger of becoming a failed state.

<snip>

Common sense advocates a demilitarisation of the occupation, with a withdrawal of western troops to Kabul where they can try to protect the capital and the northern trade routes. In provinces to the south and east, Karzai’s money, weapons and negotiating skills must deliver what results they can. The West cannot possibly police Afghanistan with anything remotely like the resources it has available.

<snip>

Wise heads in Islamabad know that they must withdraw from the border and restore respect for tribal autonomy. Nothing else will incline the Pashtun and other tribes to reject Al-Qaeda and its Taliban allies. The alternative is a growing insurgency that must destabilise whatever democratic regime might emerge from this month’s Pakistan elections. That prospect is far worse than whatever fate might befall Afghanistan.

<more>

Bonobo (1000+ posts)        Sat Feb-02-08 10:23 PM
Response to Reply #3
6. We could turn the country to glass and we would still lose.

JanMichael (1000+ posts)        Sat Feb-02-08 10:22 PM
Response to Original message
5. It's like nobody in America ever read "the Great Game".
   Edited on Sat Feb-02-08 10:23 PM by JanMichael
"A" IT'S NOT A ****ING GAME!!!!!


Oh and we'll lose too. Just like the rest have.

mac2  (1000+ posts)       Sun Feb-03-08 10:15 AM
Response to Reply #17
22. What troops are left?
   Since Bush and Israel are so concerned over "democracy, oil, and land" let them take up their guns. We can't win a war against Islam you pea brains. It's not that we need to either.

Yeah...they support the troops.

  DUmmies

[Atomic Lib Smasher]

I think they figure since their beloved Commies lost in 10 years to the Afghans, we will too. Idiots.

[Lauri]

some of them should read Charlie Wilson's War and learn some actual history as to how this thing started and who started it (Dems) and what the fall out was when they stopped financing it.

its an eye opener as to who the real power brokers are/were, in this country..