Comments on: Going Nowhere Fast in Afghanistan

By: notu

notu — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:37:54 +0000

You can call it whatever, you like, 4th gen or maybe 5.2 gen – the fact remains – this is your creation and your own particular doom. These "terrorists" are there for you thanks to your idiotic nurture and support of them just so that you could have the satisfaction of poking the russians in the eye in afghanistan – when it was still possible, in fact likely, that it may have become a slightly more civilized country albeit of a nominally socialist variety. The russians had, at great cost to themselves, actually brought terrorism there under control to the point where their client regime in Kabul would actually outlast them, the Soviet Union, by a couple of years. But even after the russians withdrew, you continued pouring stingers and $$ to Hekmatyar, bin Laden and associates through your proxy stooges in Pakistan until Najib was dangling from a rope with his testicles in his mouth and educated women, teachers and doctors mostly, were being raped, mutilated and tortured to death by your proteges who, now, it seems have decided to lower their sights on you, their mentor and benefactor. These guys got no respect or gratitude, I tell ya ! Anyway, the chickens are coming home (ever closer) to roost. Enjoy !

By: Henry_Clemens

Henry_Clemens — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:11:43 +0000

Mr. Lind, as usual, is correct in all he has to say. I especially like this line from his articleMr. Lind, as usual, is correct in all he has to say. I especially like this line from his article; ""She quotes retired Lt. Col. John Nagl as saying, "The soldiers who will win these wars require an ability not just to dominate land operations, but to change entire societies." That is hubristic nonsense."" There's that H word again; hubris. The trouble with the political-military-corporate establishment, that totally controls the central government of the U.S., is this: they're drunk with hubris and have been since the end of WWII. There perpetual wars for corporatism (facisim by another name) will eventually bankrupt the American people if not get us all killed in an all too possible nuclear holocaust. Just where in hell did America's ruling establishment come from? Maybe I just answered my own question. America's ruling establishment can only be described as satanic. God help us.

By: Blue Herald » News Roundup 06/30/09

Blue Herald » News Roundup 06/30/09 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:49:51 +0000

[...] GOING NOWHERE FAST IN AFGHANISTAN [...]

By: jbpeebles

jbpeebles — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:10:45 +0000

I'm sure this post would like to explore some key considerations in greater detail.

First, we do know that our counterinsurgency tactics cause massive collateral damage. The political consequences of getting fire on target outweigh military benefits, which seem marginal as the terrorists will likely respawn. This repeats the Vietnam paradigm not only in tactics, but strategy, and the likely inevitable consequence: defeat.

Yes, the superpower can keep its armies in the field, but what's the consequence? Ultimately, limitations are economic. The US can keep throwing men and materiel at its interventions, but the results will be politically unacceptable, and drain the economy. Military morale also crumbles as tours are overstretched without adequate relief.

As much as the US clings to the notion of exceptionalism, limits to military power mean the US will face its day of reckoning when it begins to understand the truth works no differently for us than for any previous empire.

By: Geo1671

Geo1671 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:50:22 +0000

Re: "Gen. Stanley McChrystal as America’s overall commander in Afghanistan appears to be good news. He seems to understand that in this kind of war, the rule must be "First, do no harm."

Yaah after then, as he did in Iraq–formed an elite death squads