Comments on Profile Post by purr1n

  1. spwath
    spwath
    Not with greed, corruption, and the thought "this time is different, it won't go the way it did before".

    Tough stuff though, that video of the US military cargo plane leaving with all the people running along side it, jumping on to later fall off, anything to flee, can't even imagine what it is like where you decide your best option is to grab onto the outside of a plane.
    Aug 16, 2021
    obsiCO, rhythmdevils, purr1n and 3 others like this.
  2. YMO
    YMO
    Nope, it was a giant waste of time 20 years ago and billions just went poof. Disconnect with my friends. The Older/Vets/GOP buds were super pissed and calling Dems weak on security, while the Younger/Underemployed/Dem buds didn't care since they want to afford rent/housing and the situation there don't help their livelihoods.
    Aug 16, 2021
    obsiCO, crenca, purr1n and 2 others like this.
  3. YMO
    YMO
    China and Russia is having a party (even if the USSR failed back in the 80s).
    Aug 16, 2021
    crenca and Tchoupitoulas like this.
  4. rhythmdevils
    rhythmdevils
    The US is different, we are the best ever and history doesn't apply to us.
    Aug 16, 2021
    Tachikoma, crenca and spwath like this.
  5. Jinxy245
  6. Azteca
    Azteca
    Sad to say this was finally ripping the band aid off. The writing was on the wall from the beginning.
    Aug 16, 2021
    crenca likes this.
  7. rott
    rott
    Damn shame, awful for Afghanis who might have had some hope of emerging from the tribal stone age, and US vets that sacrificed so much during the engagement. Disastrous exit strategy when dealing with an "enemy" that is clearly willing and able to play the very long game.
    Aug 16, 2021
  8. Azimuth
    Azimuth
    I think the deal was made in March of 2020 under a different US president.
    Aug 16, 2021
  9. rott
    rott
    I'm no Trump fan, but that's a disingenuous excuse for piss-poor planning and execution and clear lack of insight into the actual situation.
    Aug 16, 2021
    dasman66 and spwath like this.
  10. spwath
    spwath
    I think this is a problem with 20+ years of presidents and others decisions
    Aug 16, 2021
    Jinxy245, nishan99, DigMe and 2 others like this.
  11. purr1n
    purr1n
    @YMO: Not billions. Trillions. I feel for the freedom loving people of Afganistan. The situation makes me want to hurl. But hey, the Taliban was willing to fight, and that's what wins at the end. No different from the idealized world of Star Trek's Federation.
    Aug 16, 2021
  12. Claritas
    Claritas
    "I think there's nothing more dangerous than mislearning lessons of history, and we do it perpetually. After the '30s, we said, 'no more Munichs.' And it got us in a lot of problems. Then we said, 'No more Vietnams.' Now if we say, 'No more Iraqs,' the next one won't be an Iraq. It will be something different. You can't learn lessons." — Brent Scowcroft
    Aug 16, 2021
  13. m17xr2b
    m17xr2b
    Learning from history isn't a priority.
    Aug 16, 2021
    penguins and rhythmdevils like this.
  14. Azimuth
    Azimuth
    @rott I think they are just following the treaty. Unless they negotiated another treaty. I dunno. I agree it is something we probably should not have gotten involved with unless we were going to see it all the way through,.
    Aug 16, 2021
  15. spwath
    spwath
    I think we found out over 20 years there is no "all the way through"
    Aug 16, 2021
    Erroneous, rhythmdevils and Azimuth like this.
  16. crenca
    crenca
    American's of almost all types - left, right, middle, really do believe that deep deep down their won Classically Liberal beliefs about what it means to be human are universal and what "everyone" wants.
    Aug 16, 2021
    nishan99, YMO and spwath like this.
  17. crenca
    crenca
    Until this presupposition is critically examined (on a cultural level) we will continue to "spread democracy" when we can afford it, and even when we can't.
    Aug 16, 2021
    penguins, YMO and spwath like this.
  18. spwath
    spwath
    Maybe we should just spread democracy to people who want it, and not force our people into places that don't even want us
    Aug 16, 2021
    nishan99 and rhythmdevils like this.
  19. rott
    rott
    It's the double-edged sword - if you don't get involved, you potentially lose a strategic sphere of influence (vs. Iran/China/Russia), but once you're in it, you better be in it for the long haul. Oh, and to fight terrorism. But history shows that the Middle East region is too volatile to be shaped or controlled by "outsiders". (Like I'm some kind of expert as is everyone else on the Interwebs..)
    Aug 16, 2021
    Thad E Ginathom likes this.
  20. dasman66
    dasman66
    It bugs me when people use the billions/trillions of dollars and 20 yrs wasted. It wasn't wasted until about 2-3 wks ago.

    How long were we in Europe after WW2 to balance the USSR?
    How many billions/trillions did that cost?

    How long have we been in South Korea to balance out North Korea? How many billions/trillions did that cost?
    Aug 16, 2021
  21. rhythmdevils
    rhythmdevils
    Think of the good we could have done with all that money. We could have built schools and infrastructure in Afghanistan with a fraction of that money and at least they’d have something beneficial and withstanding. And we could use it to invest in the US. Meanwhile Congress squabbles over fractions of the cost of this useless war that will go towards benefiting and helping Americans mostly poor and middle class.
    Aug 16, 2021
  22. Merrick
    Merrick
    The arms dealers and war profiteers in board rooms got exactly what they wanted out of it. Once the situation was no longer profitable for them, they set up the pullout.
    Aug 16, 2021
    Claritas likes this.
  23. DigMe
    DigMe
    The way that we initially took Afghanistan (population centers I mean..we never took the Hindu Kush) was very telling and should have allowed us to predict exactly this. A small band of green berets went in and teamed up with some Afghanis. There was some fighting but mostly there was just reaching agreements with mullahs and whatnot to hand over the keys to the city.
    Aug 16, 2021
  24. DigMe
    DigMe
    That all happened in a very short amount of time and this is exactly what just happened with the Taliban. They’ve been reaching agreements for the last few months with relatively little fighing culminating with Kabul. This is how their culture operates. Just like Vietnam we went in with little understanding of the people and culture and then left just the same.
    Aug 16, 2021
    rhythmdevils and dasman66 like this.
  25. DigMe
    DigMe
    I’m also pretty sure that much like Vietnam, history will not view this as one man or another’s flub. Just like Vietnam was a long term problem that became worse and worse under multiple presidents from both parties, Afghanistan was a bipartisan effort. Started by Bush, Obama had 8 years to do something, Trump cut the deal with the Taliban and Biden made good on that deal.
    Aug 16, 2021
  26. DigMe
    DigMe
    But they all bungled stuff along the way for sure. Having consumed a lot of Afghan war books and documentaries has made that clear.
    Aug 16, 2021
  27. nishan99
    nishan99
    @dasman66 when it fell that smoothly in a freaking days then you didn't do shit for 20 years. So yes I feel sorry for your wasted efforts, money and sacrifices.

    Taliban is a bigger and tougher enemy than what the west is willing to deal with. I say leave them for China maybe a conflict can spark something but again I think China is too pussy to invade another country let alone Afghanistan.
    Aug 16, 2021
  28. dasman66
    dasman66
    "Taliban is a bigger and tougher enemy than what the west is willing to deal with." this is something I completely agree with..
    Aug 17, 2021