Afghanistan

[justplugit]

What are we really doing there? I understand the reasoning for going in to get Bin Laden and knocking out the training camps.
Our being there has kept the Taliban out allowing a freer country,
and that's all good.

However, the country is run by a corrupt government with it's main
economy growing poppy. Imho they need to decide to defend themselves
if they want this freedom.

I can see our roll in traning their military and using special forces, air strikes and drones to knock out camps etc. but we need to learn from
the history of the Russians fighting in that terrain. Never learned from the French about fighting in the Vietnam terrain either.

Petraeus is a great general ,and I have complete convidence in our troops, but tying their hands with this administration saying we will be out in a year is crazy.
While I have mixed feelings, if it's possible to win, the current poltical actors need to stay out of it.
What say you?

[JohnR]

I say we're in a tough position. The thing that kills the most is the corruption of Karzai's guvmint. Part of our strategy is to say we're the good guys, work with us. And then the local afghani sees both us maybe leaving in a year and corruption of the Karzai gmint - all knowing the taliban will wait us out. How does the US overcome that?

[Karl F]

and WHO was funding the afghani freedom fighters, and covertly, the poppy (H) industry...waaay back.... when the Russians were getting their asses kicked there for a decade or so...
the so called enemy is of our own doing, be it above board, or thru the back door of the CIA...we are merely sewing the seeds we planted there.

[spence]

I've always thought we should have hit the Taliban hard and left, keeping a carrier group offshore to punish any new training camps or centers of terror suspects.

I think the real problem with leaving isn't even Afghanistan but rather Pakistan. It's quite possible that they will move to assert influence via proxy like they did with the Pakistan, undermining any effort to establish any central authority.

At the same time they'll blow smoke up our rears while they demand money for their efforts to fight terrorism.

My guess is that Obama's strategy is to secure as much of Kandahar as possible as it's such a critical city...hand things over and get out. We'll negotiate a deal with Pakistan for right to continue overfly rights and keep the special forces/drone attacks going based on available intel.

Hard to believe it's been nearly a decade.

-spence

[stcroixman]

We have been there for 9 years and the job still isn't done! Russia was there for 10 years and then withdrew without finishing.Come on now, WWII only lasted 5 years. Either fight to win or don't bother.

As soon as we leave there and Iraq it will be mess due to corrupt weak gov'ts.
Let's get out and let a UN force take over with some troops from other countries too.

[Nebe]

The people who really pushed for this war were the contractors. As far as they are concerned, we should be there for 1,000 years.

[striperman36]

We will be there that long to achieve the POTUS mandate.
Or Pakistan will take over the country