Current Affairs Afghanistan

[Yank]

How long did USA station troops in Germany, how long did U.K. have troops in NI. 20 years just allowed the taliban to train their next set of kids to become fighters….

I think the difference between N.I., Germany, and you can I think include Japan.

I actually think Japan is an interesting comparison as they are quite different from the west culturally yet we're rebuilt by the US relatively quickly and quite successfully from the US point of view...


The issue with Afghanistan is that things like democracy and much of what we are trying to implement there are learned socializations. They have no political or societal infrastructure to build off of. We were trying to make a country do something it has no history of. That kind of evolution takes 100s of years.

On top of that, they have very little educational and social infrastructure so making that change is even harder without these tools.

It just was never going to happen in our lifetimes. The leap we need Afghanistan to take to "assimilate" (I'm half asleep, using it for the lack of a better word at the moment" into a western style democracy and ally in the region, is just so much greater that of N.I. or Germany. I don't think it's applicable to say the length of time 20 years, is why it didn't develop.

 

[Blue 1]

I think Hezbollah have ran Lebanon too.

They've been part of the government, but not outright led it, I think.

 

[Yank]

I agree with most of that Pete.

The one bit I disagree is that terrorist attacks on the West are more likely to resume significantly once The Taliban get full control of the country. That will happen a lot more quickly without air support and intelligence.

Taiwan and China is a completely different set of circumstances than this, and I'm not looking forward to what happens there.

I believe the timing of the withdrawal of the troops in Afghanistan is tied to concerns in the Pacific with China becoming more aggressive.

I think you're woefully ignorant if you think China is just going to be allowed to waltz in and take Taiwan.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

The government are trying to get interpreters out. But the whole thing is going to be a bleeding shambles because of the USA pullout. The Taliban were not in control, people were safe, the western forces provided a backbone for the Afghan military and police. Having gone in to begin with, and that’s another debate, staying the course was required…

The Home Office has directly said that they're limiting the numbers because it might "encourage other people" who are in dire need to seek help.

 

[Del-boy]

The collapse was coming as soon as the US withdrew. I remember watching them train the Afghans. They pretty much didn’t know their left from their right, couldn’t march or follow simple instructions. No way they could form a capable army.

I think they only had around ten thousand “capable” troops. No where near enough to defend a country of that size given the Taliban had been attacking from both sides of the country.

As soon as the air power was removed, the game was up.

The question now is, does this make or less safe in Western Countries. Thousands of Afghans have died over the two decades because of western involvement. Now they have more weaponry that they can count and at least some military training.

 

[Deleted member 48881]

This is a different Taliban to the Taliban we saw 20 years ago. This Taliban is as extreme as the Hindu extremists in India or the Shia fundamentalists in Iran.

Sorry mate..Not buying that. Afghans are filling Iran and Turkey as we speak. Loads of Afghans already emigrated illegaly.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

The Home Office has directly said that they're limiting the numbers because it might "encourage other people" who are in dire need to seek help.

Which may not be unrelated to this



Now I "know" Brexit really, really, really wasn't about immigration, but still...

 

[Paulie]

Which may not be unrelated to this



Now I "know" Brexit really, really, really wasn't about immigration, but still...

Says a lot about Conservative voters.

 

[Deleted member 48881]

 

[Lapeno77]

These are my feelings. Someone said this was poor from Biden. However, any president that eventually made this decision was going to look bad imo.

But I really don't understand why policy makers seemed so clueless and inept regarding Afghanistan. It wasn't just nation building, you're essentially society building and trying to make their society take an evolution of 100s to 1000s of years.

I was 11 when this war started so that's where I give myself a pass for my ignorance. It's just confounding to me how something that just requires the most basic level of historical awareness was ignored by 4 presidents, their joint chiefs and other advisors.

It's really disastrous what is happening to the people who just want to try to make a life for themselves. Feel terrible for them, the soldiers of all the nations in the coalition who lost lives, their families, it just goes on and on.

Afghanistan requires a multi generational commitment that unfortunately is not compatible with the American Presidential cycle.

 

[Yank]

Afghanistan requires a multi generational commitment that unfortunately is not compatible with the American Presidential cycle.

Thank you. I was talking in circles. You made it concise. You're spot on in my opinion.

 

[Kurt.]

Is this the first time a terrorist organisation will be in charge of diplomatically recognised capital? I don't think I ve ever witnessed it.

No, the tories have been in charge here for a while

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

The similarities to Iraq with ISIS and the Iraq army are glearing

Who do you think is swelling Taliban ranks, audiences from the Disney channel, It's displaced ISIS fighters. 5 years ago it was the other way round.

It was noble idea that was done on shoestring budget, and thus failed. Can't say we aren't warned about these endeavours

This needed to be a generation of full occupation to even sow the seeds of recognisable democracy not just military but state and craft and plenty in this country who see no or little need of the state let alone that of a foreign endeavour!

And you can't just waltz into a country with the experiences of the Afghanistan people and all that they have suffered, and expect them to doff their caps and say thank you kind sirs, they are little bit affected by all the very real war has to offer.

 

[Deleted member 48881]

Taliban sweeps through Afghan capital as president flees

Hundreds of Afghans crowd Kabul airport after Taliban enters city and seizes control of presidential palace.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[Yarrgh]

Behold Biden's legacy.

The death of Afghanistan's fragile hope for a better future. The blood is on his hands from this.

Trump may have been derisable but did he do anything so devastating in his presidency?

Our government don't get a pass either.