You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Afghanistan
Wasteful War Strategy Persists
2012-12-26
Posted by:Mike Ramsey

#9  This nonsense of nation building has got to end. Sun Tzu and Napoleon both said, when you see your enemy being destroyed by civil strife, sit back and grab the popcorn.
When that bit of civil strife looks like it is running out of steam, sow strife amongst other segment of your enemy.
Rinse, repeat.
Posted by: tipper   2012-12-26 21:53  

#8  You got it, JFM. Spot on! If only the Nazis had had poppy fields, there the analogy ends.
Posted by: Solomon Protector of the Texans5923   2012-12-26 21:09  

#7  Lesson #3:

Destroy the ideology who made them a problem: in Germany people were forcefully led to visit the concentration camps, then the Nuremberg trials exposed the nature of Nazism and last but not least we ensured the governement and the education system would tell them Nazism is evil

In Afgahaniktan we set a governement led by someone who never fought the Talibans, who in fact was quite close to them, then we allowed our aid being spent on pilgrimages to Mecca (two months after the Taliban had been expelled from Kabul, Afgahanistan spent 10% of international aid on filling Saudi's coffers), we allowed arab companies to make business in Afghanistan instead of playing on Afghan national pride bruised by the Arabs of Al Quaida , we allowed a sharia-based Constitution and last but not least we banned any kind of ideological work against Islam even Deobandi, ie taliban, Islam. In fact we encouraged intensification of Afghanistan's islamization. It is like if we had alowed in fact helped the Nazi Party to operate in post-war Germany
Posted by: JFM   2012-12-26 12:44  

#6   otherwise you get nothing more than the Crips and the Bloods...tribes with flags.

Tribes hell, Gangs of thugs.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2012-12-26 12:01  

#5  "Self determination" is one of the most insidious ideas ever. Thank Wilson for propagating it.

If you consider the philosophy where does it stop? It is little more than an excuse for tribal warfare. Are the Balkans really better off now than before WWI?

The Founding Fathers hit on the right formula. Limited government + individualism/rights, otherwise you get nothing more than the Crips and the Bloods...tribes with flags.
Posted by: AlanC   2012-12-26 11:39  

#4  Lesson #2.

Only build Nations where there are peoples.
Afghanistan is an geographic area of several nations.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2012-12-26 09:34  

#3  Lesson. You don't Nation Build till that nation is utterly reduced and knows it's defeated.
Posted by: P2Kontheroad   2012-12-26 08:44  

#2  the fundamental problems with the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan is dealing with an isolated landlocked country seemingly chockful of vicious barbarians, adjacent to a country with a shoreline, its own vicious barbarians, and NUKES.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2012-12-26 02:18  

#1  The U.S. is looking to shift its military strategy in Afghanistan, moving from a combat role to training and advising the Afghan security forces.

Can't advise if they won't listen.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2012-12-26 01:04  

00:00