Article

2022-01-23 Africa Subsaharan

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by badanov 2022-01-23 00:00|| || Front Page|| [7 views ] Top

#1 Damn fine cinema.

Posted by M. Murcek 2022-01-23 07:45|| 2022-01-23 07:45|| Front Page Top

#2 Yet another foreign military misadventure with financial origins gone terribly bad. Yes, the US was involved in logistical support. England had run out of horses, and those which were available were unsuited to the task.

Posted by Besoeker 2022-01-23 07:55|| 2022-01-23 07:55|| Front Page Top

#3 Despite the ending (Which is true) it's still a great movie about the way in which governments speak out of both sides of their mouths and shaft those they have on the sharp end.

Posted by Silentbrick 2022-01-23 11:36|| 2022-01-23 11:36|| Front Page Top

#4 Summary executions were common on both sides. Spies were shot. Farmers wearing pieces of British Army uniforms or boots were shot. Farmers found to have 'dum dum' ammo were shot (cartridges with the tips cut off).

Posted by Besoeker 2022-01-23 11:56|| 2022-01-23 11:56|| Front Page Top

#5 Can't remember which well-known Clausewitz-grade war scholar said it, but the quote sticks with me: "Killing is the sine qua non of war." As soon as the political authorities get queasy about the optics of this or that killing, the spiral continues until you get the US in Afghanistan, where almost all killing was considered icky to the point there was no longer any chance of a decisive outcome other than the pathetic surrender that actually occurred.

Posted by M. Murcek 2022-01-23 12:00|| 2022-01-23 12:00|| Front Page Top

#6 "Killing is the sine qua non of war."
More like, destroy the enemy's ability to make war. That's the sine qua non of victory in war.

We'll never kill all the Taliban. We should have focused a strategy on working with their neighbors incl Russia and India to contain the Taliban in their caves and mountain lairs

Posted by Merrick Ferret 2022-01-23 12:33|| 2022-01-23 12:33|| Front Page Top

#7 To really stop the Taliban we would have had to do very unpleasant things to Pakland/ISI

Posted by Frank G 2022-01-23 12:56|| 2022-01-23 12:56|| Front Page Top

#8 Back in 80's I believe everyone officer basic course should have required the viewing of the Breaker, Paths of Glory, and Gallipoli.

Posted by Procopius2k 2022-01-23 14:19|| 2022-01-23 14:19|| Front Page Top

#9 You poor fools. Nobody was ever trying to win in Afghanistan. They let Bin Laden get away at Tora Bora and then began the forever war. Victory would have meant pulling out. You think they could have squeezed $2 trillion out of us with a win? No, the goal was to continue the war indefinitely. There were generals furious at the withdrawal, saying we must stay in Afghanistan for another 50 years.

Posted by Punky Elmigum9411 2022-01-23 17:18|| 2022-01-23 17:18|| Front Page Top

#10 Nomo "poor fools" Punky. First and last warning.

Posted by Besoeker 2022-01-23 17:58|| 2022-01-23 17:58|| Front Page Top

#11 There were generals furious at the withdrawal, saying we must stay in Afghanistan for another 50 years.

The Wall came down in 1989. The reason for American participation in NATO ended. We're still there. All we've done is feed Russian natural paranoia.

Posted by Procopius2k 2022-01-23 19:51|| 2022-01-23 19:51|| Front Page Top

23:54 CrazyFool
20:55 NN2N1
20:26 NN2N1
20:13 trailing wife
20:08 trailing wife
20:03 trailing wife
19:51 Procopius2k
17:58 Besoeker
17:32 Frank G
17:18 Punky Elmigum9411
16:51 irish rage boy
16:41 irish rage boy
16:23 Sock Puppet of Doom
16:21 Sock Puppet of Doom
15:55 M. Murcek
15:48 Besoeker
15:29 Bangkok Billy
15:11 M. Murcek
15:06 746
15:02 Merrick Ferret
15:00 Merrick Ferret
14:58 Merrick Ferret
14:58 Canuckistan sniper
14:56 Omolung Juns5303