We are doing what in Afghanistan?

[SHRED]

Seems to me that the Afghan Taliban along with Al Qaeda will just outlast the USA.
They will just wait until we leave and fight in the meantime.

WTF is the USA doing there?

I just do not get it.

Someone explain please?

--

[enlightenment]

1. The British Empire couldn't do it -

the Soviet Union couldn't do it -

but we seem to think we can.

Red, White, and Blue Hubris.

[Zoeisright]

11. +1

[Selatius]

13. The British Empire tried twice in the 1800s.

The first time, the British Army was sent in to occupy the land. Forced to retreat through the mountains in the dead of winter and cut off from supplies, the first occupational army was entirely destroyed in a 30 mile trek that turned into a running battle. It was the worst defeat the British Army endured in that region of the world.

The second time they tried, they were only able to extort from the Afghanis control of their foreign policy and what basically amounts to a monetary tribute to the Empire, but they simply were in no position to occupy the land directly without invoking the rage of the locals.

In the third Anglo-Afghan War, the Afghanis won their independence from the Empire after launching an attack into India at the British. While the invasion failed, an armistice was signed in 1919 recognizing the Afghanis' rights to sovereignty. The British Empire had just come out of a world war in Europe and was in no position to reassert control.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Well the stated mission eight years ago

had to do with a wanted poster... you surely remember that one...

Then came Tora Bora, where they could have met the war objective...

After that, the stated goal is to eliminate Al Qaida, but in reality there is no clear mission or objective... wait, unless you count the Oil, and oil pipeline.

Now go ahead and call me a cynic.

Oh and the great central Asian chess game... nobody has been able to conquer this track of land.

[Mojambo]

3. Losing. n/t

[msongs]

4. propping up the opium trade for the warlords mostly n killing innocent people nt

[dflprincess]

5. I thought it had something to do with a pipeline Unocal wanted

:shrug:

[branders seine]

6. We apparently still have the original goal of

ridding the world of evildoers.

As best as I can tell.

[OwnedByFerrets]

7. As defined by whom?

Or is it WHO? I never can remember.

[branders seine]

17. "Whom." Sounds more like "them."

[jgraz]

8. Justifying the bloated defense budget.

Hey, you didn't think an *easy* war would do it, did you?

[thunder rising]

9. you forgot Alexander the Great

The Pashtuns of Afghanistan : Alexander the Great also got in trouble here
This is interesting.

If anybody has seen Eddy Izard's Glorious film ... it's the same plan.

[enlightenment]

14. You're right. I did. Shame on me!

;)

[excess_3]

10. Blackwater needs the work. .nt

[A HERETIC I AM]

12. We've been there for a very, VERY long time.

My father was CIA.

One of his first assignments after he was recruited was in the Hindu Kush.

That was in 1956 or so.

His specialty BTW, was as a medical administrator/technician/field medic.

He was a WWII Vet serving on a Navy Hospital ship as a Corpsman and was a Field Medic in Korea.

We have been in Pakistan and Afghanistan for a very long time indeed.

[SHRED]

15. Timeline website

Very informative:


http://www.historycommons.org/project.jsp?project=afghanwar

---

[sendero]

16. Failing...

....like everyone else that has tried to tame Afghanistan has.

It's incredible to me that Obama is this stupid. At least he's balking at "escalation".