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Should we be fighting in Afghanistan?
Posted by wordsmith36 • 8/31/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: afghanistan, al qaida, Foreign affairs, opium, Osama Bin Laden, pakistan, politics, Soldiers, Soviet Union, war
Afghanistan is a rugged dark place, with nothing but jagged mountain ranges and hard terrain. I'm worried about our strategy there. I just keep thinking about the Soviet Union in the 80's and how they were beaten badly there. The ironic part of that is we (The U.S) supplied weapons to the Afghans, including a rebel fighter named Osama Bin Laden. What do you think? Should we even be there?
User Comments
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Well, with the name of terrorism Afghanistan was attacked and innocent afghans were killed. 1000's of afghans were killed who had nothing to do with any terrorist organization. the number of afghans killed by American war against them outnumbered the innocents killed in sep 11 attacks. According to me, those who conducted Sep 11 attack are terrorists and also those who killed innocent afghans in the name of terrorist are also TERRORIST.
Why then the killing of afghans is being justified as the war for peace. I just don't get that shit of media.-
This is USA time, There is a time for everything and for everyone. Where is the Roman EMpire now?
Something funny! US was the one who supplied arms, train them- the so called Holy warriors now known as terrorist.
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fighting them with books, most of them can't read and write.
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@ burisfa
what do you mean by "fighting them with books?"
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After the Soviet War in Afghanistan had been raging for awhile, Gorbachev promised Glastnost (Transparancy) and Perestroika (Change)
hmmmmmmmmm... o_0-
We have to have some type of exit strategy.
And Agit8r, I see what you're trying to say. It may be little different though. -
let's hope
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No. -
If the ultimate end result is a safer America, then yes we should be there. If the result is just to help the Afghans then no we should not be there.-
For safer America, you cant make the life of innocent Afghans unsafe in the hands of troops, who in the name of terror have killed many innocent Afghani peoples who had nothing to do with any terrorist attack, who are illiterate, who just know their world around them.
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I personally think that the outcome there will not be worth the cost of human lives lost. I have read several articles about the war in Afghanistan and every single one says the chances of America accomplishing their goals is fairly small. The US armed forces seem to think they can accomplish their goals, but I have doubts.
AS I can not offer any kind of substantial alternative method for stopping terrorism, I will not completely condemn the war there, but I really have doubts that our presence there will be effective. And, I hate to see Americans and Afghanis losing their lives when in the end nothing much may change.-
I totally agree with jaybetee. I expect this from every American. I personally condemn the killing of innocent peoples, either it be by some groups at sep 11 or by some nations government in some other poor country.
You ask an Afghan native, what do you think abut terrorism? for him the terror is what he saw in his neighborhood, bombs burning down his house, farms and cattle's, killing his family. For him this is the terror activity done by none other than US. Ask him who is terrorist, and he will point to a nation called US. But who will ask him? which media will cover his tragedy? media will cover and show only the things created by some powerful person sitting at some high office ranks. He has power, and hence he can control the media and tell the whole world who is terrorist and what he did is justified... -
aslam, you make some very relevant and valid points here. Thanks for the post.
If you accept it, I would like to award you my personal award for posting the "Post Of The Day". the "crazyTsu Post Of The Day" if you will :-)
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I don't see how Afghanistan will be any different in the long run than Vietnam or Iraq. All these wars are pointless, monstrous and stupid
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So, can you ever justify going to war?
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wordsmith36 it is all too easy to justify war. Human history is typified by war, there probably hasn't been a day when a war hasn't been raging in some place or other and those fighting have always felt justified.
So if we accept that justification for war is not a problem, perhaps the question we might as is: can you ever justify not going to war?
Because that question is apparently much more difficult. -
@NP--I really agree with you. I just don't feel that there will be any fruitful outcome. And it will just cost more lives--for all parties. It's a terribly sad situation over there.
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Wordsmith 36: there is never any real justification for fighting a war, but the people in power are good at inventing them.
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I don't think anyone should be fighting anywhere but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Human nature is not perfect and never will be. -
The great Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, "War is the Father of us all." In other words it was built in from the start of our evolution. Terrible, awful, bloody conflict has been the rule. We have never been able to put it aside because fear whispers in our ear and hate fills our hearts and we blindly follow. It matters not why or when, we are born killers, individually and collectively. Only the individual can stop his fear and defy his hate and say no to the collective compulsion. Did the Russians have an exit strategy for their occupation of Afghanistan? Do we? Is there one? Could there be one?
Did we learn anything from Viet Nam? Was Heraclitus right? Have you ever put your life rather than what you think on the line? We must find a way to stop this universal madness. -
Remember the days when Taliban government was recognized prior to American war. Clinton,ordered firing some cruise missiles into Afghanistan, that was a good strategy, now America dragged itself into the war, it should also drag itself out of the war. Is staying there all the time a goal, it is 8 years now, 179 Americans alone + thousands of afghans + 100's of NATO died there only this year. Achievement a presidential election tainted with outright fraud. Latest two more American+ two UK citizens died on monday due to bombs. -
I think its going to get much worse. I can't help but see the parallels between this war and the Vietnam conflict. I wrote about this on my blog earlier this month: On this date, August 3rd 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced plans to ship 45,000 additional soldiers to Vietnam.
August 3rd, 2009: Tens of thousands more U.S. soldiers may soon be needed in Afghanistan to quell the raging Taliban insurgency, top American generals are preparing to tell President Barack Obama
Very eerie.-
yo, yo, BHO, we've seen this quagmire befo'!
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afganistan not a young country.the problem in there is so many people can't read and write.don't bite them with weapons but bite them with education, open their view of world.just education can increase their life.
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We should be making love, not war. Oh, they're not into casual, premarital sex? Never mind. -
For one, I don't remember asking anyone to fight for my "freedom" over there. And if its just because Afghanistan is a "rugged dark place, with nothing but jagged mountain ranges", then I would say at least it makes things a bit more fair. Sure, it is easier to occupy cities and bomb the hell out of people from the skies. But how fun is that? -
We are in Afghanistan (short version) because we helped engineer the Soviet Collapse, left the country fractured, the Taliban ( recruited many trained by our CIA), took over, we had to go fix that by promising to do this and that - develop an "economic and social infrastructure". Almost 8 billion dollars later they are worse off. Why? This was a money making opportunity for the free market capitalists. As OF 2005 eighty six percent of the Aid to Afghanistan was what they call "phantom aid", the money had no local impact, and at least half of it never left this country. Large contracts awarded to cooperation who charged 4 times the average amount to build a road in rural Afghanistan, for example, In the 80's under Bush 1 USAID changed "from a pass through that ran it's own projects into a pass-through for tax payer money, non-profits and corporations", many formed seemingly just to get government contract, contracts often not fulfilled or fulfilled over budget.
So we've made billions, or some corporations have, with nothing to show for it after helping engineer the fall that allowed the Taliban to take over, left some places in much worse shape, actually funded a poppy field or two and so on. What do you think?-
Hmm there is some insight in this. And to add to it, they didn't risk their own people in the road projects. It was people from poor countries and many have been killed/kidnapped
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What are they trying to do in Afghanistan anyway? When they can't define what victory would be how can they hope to win? And what is this strategy of fighting terrorism? This is a radical new plan that wastes human lives and resources. Just get out! Leave them alone! They cant harm you - not if you are vigilant enough. Money spent in vigilance is much wiser and protects from threat from the world over.
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Great discussion everyone.
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they should have mcdi there! its a good strategy. a happy one -
What, for Karzai and his corrupt clique in Kabul? It's not worth the bones of a single British or American soldier. -
We should definitely be fighting there. The home court advantage is always over-rated when it comes to war. -
We have to be there. Or they will make bigger weapons and plan stupid crap to come to USA and do what they want to. Like a nuclear missal...But that is jusy my opinion.
I'm an Army Wife. And my husband is deployed right now. My son did a tour in Afghanistan and almost had to go IRAQ after he got out of the Army they called him back. but He was injured so didn't have to go.-
Tell your govt not to make war with anyone or play politics with other countries. Why would anyone hate someone for no reason in the first place.
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@weblogian---sure let me just get right on the phone and call the president while I'm at it.
Everyone is at fault. This world is so Flaking messed up it's ridiculous.
I just live for the moment. When they pass out tickets to another plant. I'm buying a first class one way ticket...
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I think you should leave other countries alone, and let them to decide how to live... You think you are peacemakers? BS.. you are an aggressor -
Even if the so called 'Goals are archived it will be difficult for USA to build a real friendly relation with the Muslim world. The wound and mark are big. It may take a century to heal it and it can happen if only USA mend their imperialistic policy around the world.
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Well if they'd stop going suicidal and blowing crap and other people, but whatever
USA will still kick their asses!
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