Current Affairs Afghanistan

[Yarrgh]

The twenty year war is coming to a close in September with the withdrawal of NATO troops from the country. Save for a few to be left as security for Embassies, should any be placed there.

NATO can concentrate what it's good on. Expanding across Eastern Europe against its word and blaming Russia for aggressively deploying an army within its own borders.

 

[RANMAN]

I am glad we are starting to fly Afghans to the UK due to their work alongside the UK Forces, these guys have put their life on the line and will no doubt now be searched for by all the extreme Islamist groups in Afghan. These guys helped us and it is right we now support them in return.

 

[Del-boy]

NATO can concentrate what it's good on. Expanding across Eastern Europe against its word and blaming Russia for aggressively deploying an army within its own borders.

What about the Crimea?

 

[Yarrgh]

What about the Crimea?

Direct response to the western sponsored overthrow of Ukraine removing access to its warm water naval port and not so coincidentally all the shale oil fields in the region.

Ukraine is the closest European equivalent to Afghanistan - a bit of a basketcase that won't be repaired by Western or Russian interference. Don't see that happening for a long time which is a shame as it is well positioned to take advantages of connections to Russia and access to non-Russophile Europe.

But I do have a problem with NATO. We should have been working our b@#!ocks off to get Russia on side after the fall of the Soviet Union. It would have opened the former Soviet countries right up and likely curbed the tyrannical powers of the likes of Putin. NATO needs its familiar ally to rattle sabres at, as does Russia to rattle them back against. If Russia and the west were onside together they'd also provide a uniform relationship with China which would help against their expansionist behaviour as no one would support them over it.

Anyway, Afghanistan... no idea how to sort that out, even in hindsight.

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

I am glad we are starting to fly Afghans to the UK due to their work alongside the UK Forces, these guys have put their life on the line and will no doubt now be searched for by all the extreme Islamist groups in Afghan. These guys helped us and it is right we now support them in return.

It's the moral right thing to do, which is always a worry with Britain now. However, pefidious albion is a thing and practiced for centuries.

 

[peteblue]

Direct response to the western sponsored overthrow of Ukraine removing access to its warm water naval port and not so coincidentally all the shale oil fields in the region.

Ukraine is the closest European equivalent to Afghanistan - a bit of a basketcase that won't be repaired by Western or Russian interference. Don't see that happening for a long time which is a shame as it is well positioned to take advantages of connections to Russia and access to non-Russophile Europe.

But I do have a problem with NATO. We should have been working our b@#!ocks off to get Russia on side after the fall of the Soviet Union. It would have opened the former Soviet countries right up and likely curbed the tyrannical powers of the likes of Putin. NATO needs its familiar ally to rattle sabres at, as does Russia to rattle them back against. If Russia and the west were onside together they'd also provide a uniform relationship with China which would help against their expansionist behaviour as no one would support them over it.

Anyway, Afghanistan... no idea how to sort that out, even in hindsight.

Totally agree that good relations with Russia should be a key objective…….

 

[spectateur]

What about the Crimea?

Should have been included in the "new Russia" after the break down of the soviet Union.

 

[Hickson9]

I am glad we are starting to fly Afghans to the UK due to their work alongside the UK Forces, these guys have put their life on the line and will no doubt now be searched for by all the extreme Islamist groups in Afghan. These guys helped us and it is right we now support them in return.

Agreed.

It is the honourable thing to do.

 

[peteblue]

Should have been included in the "new Russia" after the break down of the soviet Union.

Absolutely. Anyone believing that Russia would allow the Crimea to fall under control of a potential EU or NATO member is seriously deluded.…

 

[peteblue]

Direct response to the western sponsored overthrow of Ukraine removing access to its warm water naval port and not so coincidentally all the shale oil fields in the region.

Ukraine is the closest European equivalent to Afghanistan - a bit of a basketcase that won't be repaired by Western or Russian interference. Don't see that happening for a long time which is a shame as it is well positioned to take advantages of connections to Russia and access to non-Russophile Europe.

But I do have a problem with NATO. We should have been working our b@#!ocks off to get Russia on side after the fall of the Soviet Union. It would have opened the former Soviet countries right up and likely curbed the tyrannical powers of the likes of Putin. NATO needs its familiar ally to rattle sabres at, as does Russia to rattle them back against. If Russia and the west were onside together they'd also provide a uniform relationship with China which would help against their expansionist behaviour as no one would support them over it.

Anyway, Afghanistan... no idea how to sort that out, even in hindsight.

The west will be sending troops back in there within a decade…….

 

[Kurt.]

So glad I never joined the army …. Instead I learnt how to wash my bollox by myself and retained the power of being able to think for myself. I couldn’t be bothered travelling around the world to fight rich men’s wars for them.

 

[Yarrgh]

Should have been included in the "new Russia" after the break down of the soviet Union.

Shouldn't have to have seen such a deterioration in relations to even make it an issue. We should have been integrating Russia into the west from the moment that communism fell.

 

[Yarrgh]

Absolutely. Anyone believing that Russia would allow the Crimea to fall under control of a potential EU or NATO member is seriously deluded.…

This is 100% correct. To belabour the point I keep making, NATO is not a protection against Russia but a provocation that seems to be there just to justify itself.

Getting Russia into the fold via economic and cultural means and tying her closer to the west this way will do more to remove the unsavoury elements of who is in power, westernise its democracy and legal systems, and move its human rights situation towards what we should be moving to in the west given we are far from perfect too. An EU with Russia in... now there's a concept!

Anyway, Afghanistan...

 

[Yarrgh]

The west will be sending troops back in there within a decade…….

Afghanistan, probably.

Ukraine - I sincerely hope not as that will just create more heat and tension. I think you could argue the same for Afghanistan.

 

[Del-boy]

Direct response to the western sponsored overthrow of Ukraine removing access to its warm water naval port and not so coincidentally all the shale oil fields in the region.

Ukraine is the closest European equivalent to Afghanistan - a bit of a basketcase that won't be repaired by Western or Russian interference. Don't see that happening for a long time which is a shame as it is well positioned to take advantages of connections to Russia and access to non-Russophile Europe.

But I do have a problem with NATO. We should have been working our b@#!ocks off to get Russia on side after the fall of the Soviet Union. It would have opened the former Soviet countries right up and likely curbed the tyrannical powers of the likes of Putin. NATO needs its familiar ally to rattle sabres at, as does Russia to rattle them back against. If Russia and the west were onside together they'd also provide a uniform relationship with China which would help against their expansionist behaviour as no one would support them over it.

Anyway, Afghanistan... no idea how to sort that out, even in hindsight.

Hard to be on side with Russia when they are poisoning British citizens on UK soil. Russia has had plenty of chances to come on side but it’s not in Putins interests to do so.