kav
Outstanding Member
Another very good comment piece:
Stability in Afghanistan 'do-able' 10 years on | British Forces News
I wonder how much this guy has set things back? BBC News - How it happened: Massacre in Kandahar
Another very good comment piece:
Stability in Afghanistan 'do-able' 10 years on | British Forces News
I wonder how much this guy has set things back? BBC News - How it happened: Massacre in Kandahar
Or he might get multiple life sentences like this guy:
Supreme Court turns away ex-soldier's appeal in Iraq killings, rape
I've had a look from Mai Lai onwards and I can't find any particular evidence of leniency. The head of the Pentagon says he might get the death penalty...
Still you speculate.
As for civil war etc you have once again missed the main reason for us being there. Ultimately it was about ending terrorist training camps and threatening the rest of the world. Stopping poppy production, democracy, equality for women was all a 'bonus'. To be honest sometimes a civil war is needed to sort out some countries. We had one and it gave us the parliment-monachry we have now.
I agree. The war in Afghanistan has been a total waste of time, money and - above all - lives. The advances made (and there have been some), will be transient and will evapourate once Western forces leave. Whether that takes 5, 10 or 20 years is moot - it will all reset as it has always reset. And on top of all this, one can argue that our involvement has damaged this country badly.I hope you are correct on both counts - however everything you list as a 'bonus' will disappear in a civil war and everything we meant to eradicate will in all probability re appear.......wasted lives and wasted money !!
If you think ending one war to permit another to begin is a success then I think you are very very wrong..!
And if we are invoking the example of the War of Three Kingdoms (the English/British Civil War) then I think that shows us that Civil Wars solve very little. As any historian knows, it was the Glorious Revolution that cemented Parliamentary democracy in England (and subsequently the UK).
As I said then, the Glorious Revolution was what made the change then, not the Civil War.Or as Wikipedia and its various links put it:
Although the monarchy was restored, it was still only with the consent of Parliament; therefore, the civil wars effectively set England and Scotland on course to adopt a parliamentary monarchy form of government.[133] This system would result in the outcome that the future Kingdom of Great Britain, formed in 1707 under the Acts of Union, would manage to forestall the kind of often-bloody revolution, typical of European republican movements that followed the Jacobin revolution in 18th century France and the later success of Napoleon, which generally resulted in the total abolition of monarchy. It was no coincidence that the United Kingdom was spared the wave of revolutions that occurred in Europe in the 1840s. Specifically, future monarchs became wary of pushing Parliament too hard, and Parliament effectively chose the line of royal succession in 1688 with the Glorious Revolution and in the 1701 Act of Settlement. After the Restoration, Parliament's factions became political parties (later becoming the Tories and Whigs) with competing views and varying abilities to influence the decisions of their monarchs.[citation needed]
Though Im sure the English civil war is well known to you anyway.
As is said the monarchy was restored with the consent of parliament and Britain was on course to adopt a parliamentary monarchy form of government. Britain was also spared revolutions, future monarchs had their power curtailed and then later the Glorious Revolution happened.As I said then, the Glorious Revolution was what made the change then, not the Civil War.
An interesting info bite for you - as I tell you often, I know...An interesting info bite for you - proportionally population to death-rate, the War of Three Kingdoms was equivalent to WWI in the carnage wrought.
Let's hope the same doesn't happen in Afghanistan then regardless of whether it will "sort out" (onic quote) the country.
Civil wars in the country are nothing new. There was one in 1989 and again in 1996. Saying Afghanistan might have another one is hardly news.Ironically if the end-state the West was seeking was Civil War, we could probably have achieved this at a fraction of the cost in lives, equipment and money.
A total and unforgiveable failure
A civil war might end up with the people killing off their leadership if they see them as corrupt. Or standing behind them if they agree with them. People who are willing to die for what they believe in can count for a lot when it comes to them getting the country you want.
Oh and no Bishi you dont hope Im correct. You seem to be hunting for anything negative you can find as you want to say, look, I told you so or some such. The country is in a mess from years of war (a lot of it from the Soviet invasion and from general poverty) so lower your expectations but no one is saying it will be a western democracy. Positive news tends not to make the news as it doesnt sell papers or get Internet hits but it is there if you look. Are you looking? Ever read the Isaf website etc?
As for a success the success is if we dont get terrorism hitting us here. At present we are training the Afghans to look after themselves and we have a timetable for ending the military phase. There will be a withdrawal of most of the troops. There will still be troops in the country though as ongoing training will still be happening and America wont stand for another 9/11 to happen. Ever. If it ever looks like the country is breeding terrorists to hit America then expect the US to be back there in full force again. Perhaps with us and other countries too but the US will be there again.
Pakistan? They have sent troops over the border. You remember taking out Osama perhaps? A full scale invasion won't happen, as oh I don't know, they have nukes or something.
Funnily enough its a little difficult to get terrorists to just quit. They were around before Afghanistan and will be around after.EXACTLY...!!! End result - we have driven the terrorists out of a place where we can get at them to a location where we can't.....
How exactly are you in danger? Are you afraid?And this is supposed to make our world safer.....!
Epic fail IMO..!
+1EXACTLY...!!! End result - we have driven the terrorists out of a place where we can get at them to a location where we can't.....
And this is supposed to make our world safer.....!
Epic fail IMO..!