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| Afghanistan |
| US Intel warns: Afghanistan gains will be lost quickly after drawdown. |
| 2013-12-29 |
| [WAPO] A new American intelligence assessment on the Afghan war predicts that the gains the United States and its allies have made during the past three years are likely to have been significantly eroded by 2017, even if Washington leaves behind a few thousand troops and continues bankrolling the impoverished nation, according to officials familiar with the report. So, new assessment.... same as old assessment. The National Intelligence Estimate, which includes input from the country’s 16 intelligence agencies, predicts that the Taliban and other power brokers will become increasingly influential as the United States winds down its longest war in history, according to officials who have read the classified report or received briefings on its conclusions. The grim outlook is fueling a policy debate inside the Obama administration about the steps it should take over the next year as the U.S. military draws down its remaining troops. Thirteen years of losing plays by a losing coach and losing host-nation team. Better call it a day. The report predicts that Afghanistan would likely descend into chaos quickly if Washington and Kabul don’t sign a security pact that would keep an international military contingent there beyond 2014 — a precondition for the delivery of billions of dollars in aid that the United States and its allies have pledged to spend in Afghanistan over the coming years. But wait! I thought we were all out in 2014. “In the absence of a continuing presence and continuing financial support,” the intelligence assessment “suggests the situation would deteriorate very rapidly,” said one U.S. official familiar with the report. Emphasis on "financial support". That conclusion is widely shared among U.S. officials working on Afghanistan, said the official, who was among five people familiar with the report who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity to discuss the assessment. A "conclusion widely shared" by anyone with an ounce of common sense. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #5 As per FREEREPUBLIC, France has approved formally approved their proposed 75% tax rate. The good news for OWG Bammerika is that its NOT the 100%-N-HIGHER that was also proposed. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2013-12-29 19:21 |
| #4 Americans believe America is the greatest country in the world in part because Amer gets things done where many others have failed. Mainstream Amer also believes that the way to stop the long march of Radical Islam is "over there", NOT "over here", so stop all this Waffling, Hyper/super-PCorrectness C *** P + JUST DEV The D **** PLACE LIKE ONLY AMERICA CAN - YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO! Might help POTUS Bammer get the AFL-CIO, etc. off his back. The DemoLeft likes to blame the GOP-Right for engaging in "imperialism" + similar despite knowing its the only way to support the Lefty-beloved, Soon-to-be-OWG-Global massive Welfare-Nanny State = BIG[GEST] GOVT, NOT JUST BIG OR BIG[GER], widout raising taxes, espec near election or re-election time. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2013-12-29 19:18 |
| #3 Unexpectedly! |
| Posted by: USN,Ret. 2013-12-29 16:12 |
| #2 'Afghanistan' lasted about four years after the Soviets left. Given this administration's propensity for successfully failing, I wouldn't be surprised if 'Afghanistan' collapses in 2016. Of course the NYT and the rest of the press wouldn't acknowledge it until mid-2017. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2013-12-29 10:51 |
| #1 My toilet starts needing cleaned again right after the brushing and flushing is done. Big surprise... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2013-12-29 09:21 |