tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882537619389851611.post1274104810264492215..comments2023-11-03T05:09:47.246-07:00Comments on Ramblings ~: PEACE NOW! or An eye for an eyeFranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14198689517878201943noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882537619389851611.post-47177773606554151722009-01-29T12:07:00.000-08:002009-01-29T12:07:00.000-08:00OMG - are you suggesting *gasp* diplomacy? Non se...OMG - are you suggesting *gasp* diplomacy? Non self-interested interaction with a bunch of brown skinned poor people? From Uncle Sam? Perish the thought - there is no profit in that...Dr. Knowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08035212475787264261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882537619389851611.post-47770477377023271742009-01-29T08:44:00.000-08:002009-01-29T08:44:00.000-08:00There are several things about Afghanistan:• Large...There are several things about Afghanistan:<BR/>• Larger land mass than Iraq<BR/>• Zero oil<BR/>• 86% rugged mountain terrain vs Iraq desert<BR/>• Afghanistan is landlocked- Borders w both Iran & Pakistan 6 countries total.<BR/>• Previous war failures Soviet Union & Britain.<BR/>• Has the Sunni 80%/Shia 20% split<BR/>• Afghanistan living standard is among the lowest in the world<BR/>• 40% unemployment- 53% poverty<BR/>• Average lifespan Iraq=69.62, Afghanistan 44.21<BR/>• Opium trade up 42%- $3 billion trade<BR/><BR/>The U.S. presence in the MIddle East and the brutal illegal takeover & occupation of Iraq, has the Muslim world perspective of the U.S. as a lethal bully, rogue out of control superpower. <BR/><BR/>The locals know the lay of the land, and they work together. No other superpower has been successful in Afghanistan, and we've logged 6 years there already. <BR/>The biggest contention is you can not judge the success of a surge until you remove the troop saturation & see IF it holds. We still don't know the final result in Iraq, until that happens. <BR/><BR/>All that right wing celebration & legacy talk about how Bush was right about the surge, may turn out to be another failure. <BR/><BR/>Beyond all those reality factors, I am sick of the cycles of death & destruction. If moral high ground is not a consideration, then how about the fact we are broke. We don;t have the money to be in a war, and I really fear that Pakistan will get dragged into it. On & on...... there has GOT to be a better way.Franhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198689517878201943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882537619389851611.post-89216984942963033642009-01-28T23:20:00.000-08:002009-01-28T23:20:00.000-08:00At the end of Vietnam, we had no idea what the tru...At the end of Vietnam, we had no idea what the true number of casualties were. I'm not sure we ever will, though I've read of 2-5 million. It will probably be the same today in Iraq & Afghanistan. At the end of Vietnam, we realized we hadn't accomplished anything, except a lot of death & disabling of a generation. Another history repeating "opportunity"? <BR/><BR/>"Iraqing Afghanistan" ... interesting choice of words. Man-oh-man, I sure hope that is not what we end up with there. I think it's a different situation, what with Afgh being an actual Al-Queda base and the Taliban and all, but I still don't see why it is up to US alone. Surely other countries in the U.N. have a vested interest in controlling that kind of violent repression.<BR/><BR/>hmmm...I will read Dr Know's link now.D.K. Raedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01451065603615752038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882537619389851611.post-56260685144770332632009-01-28T22:01:00.000-08:002009-01-28T22:01:00.000-08:00Wow Dr K~ That is a hell of an overview. Long, but...Wow Dr K~ That is a hell of an overview. Long, but worthwhile.Franhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198689517878201943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882537619389851611.post-75717074269047797172009-01-28T10:36:00.000-08:002009-01-28T10:36:00.000-08:00Our ignorant and arrogant policies are to blame fo...Our ignorant and arrogant policies are to blame for Afghanistan - as much as anything. Here is an interesting view from a self-professed "conservative":<BR/><A HREF="http://www.belgraviadispatch.com/2009/01/what_would_real_change_in_us_f.html" REL="nofollow">What Would Real--Rather Than Rhetorical--Change in U.S. Foreign Policy Look Like?</A><BR/><BR/>FWIWDr. Knowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08035212475787264261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882537619389851611.post-60115729661566314502009-01-28T09:34:00.000-08:002009-01-28T09:34:00.000-08:00The problem with the surge strategy is this:Is it ...The problem with the surge strategy is this:<BR/>Is it sustainable?<BR/>That question remains unanswered in Iraq, and we won't know until the saturated level of troops (surge) are withdrawn. Will the violence & unrest just flare up again?<BR/><BR/>The L.A. Times reports:<BR/>In Kabul, President Hamid Karzai condemned the strike, saying that repeated American military operations in which civilians are killed are "strengthening the terrorists."<BR/><BR/>And the Taliban's continued ability to operate from bases and staging areas across the border in northern Pakistan, with relatively little opposition from a weakened Pakistani government, adds to the problem for U.S. strategists.<BR/><BR/> The ( U.S. troop) increase -- at least 20,000 this year -- will significantly bolster the existing force of 32,000. But it will be far smaller than the roughly 140,000 serving in Iraq and only a fraction of what experts say would be needed to dominate the region.<BR/><BR/>Add to this Afghanistan's long history of bloody but successful resistance to outsiders. Remote, mountainous and riven by tribal loyalties and a network of local warlords with shifting alliances, Afghanistan has been a graveyard for foreign military forces, including the Soviet Union and imperial Britain.<BR/><BR/>On the border with Pakistan, where many militants move easily back and forth across the rugged terrain and where Al Qaeda leaders are believed to be hiding.<BR/><BR/>Biden, who traveled to Pakistan shortly before being sworn in as vice president, declined to comment on reports that a U.S. drone crossed into that country last week and attacked an Al Qaeda post -- but he reiterated Obama's statements during the campaign that he would not hesitate to strike within Pakistan if there was "actionable intelligence."<BR/><BR/>The war there could fast become Obama's most time-consuming overseas problem -- with U.S. military involvement rising just as troops begin to draw down in Iraq."<BR/><BR/>One war leads to another. We've already logged 6 years in Afghanistan.... Enough!Franhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198689517878201943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882537619389851611.post-51756434501729150422009-01-28T02:28:00.000-08:002009-01-28T02:28:00.000-08:00Obama is obsessed with Afghanistan and this worrie...Obama is obsessed with Afghanistan and this worries me.<BR/><BR/>No Viet Nam 2.0, please.Christopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15788931352232874850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882537619389851611.post-56029288764169797282009-01-27T22:33:00.000-08:002009-01-27T22:33:00.000-08:00I do agree with most of Obama's policies &...I do agree with most of Obama's policies & programs, but I have never liked the idea of military/violent escalation in Afghanistan. <BR/><BR/>I cringe to hear Biden nonchalantly say there will be an uptick in U.S. casualties. Like people's lives are an expendable commodity. Certainly there would be pain, suffering and loss of lives of innocent Afghani civilians as well. there already is now. <BR/><BR/>Enough of the endless warring and destruction. I want Obama to live by his own words of the inaugural speech.<BR/><BR/><BR/>• "On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Yes! Let's walk the walk on this one.Franhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14198689517878201943noreply@blogger.com