Don't Build Up

New York Times ^ | October 28, 2009 | THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

[kralcmot]

It is crunch time on Afghanistan, so here’s my vote: We need to be thinking about how to reduce our footprint and our goals there in a responsible way, not dig in deeper. We simply do not have the Afghan partners, the NATO allies, the domestic support, the financial resources or the national interests to justify an enlarged and prolonged nation-building effort in Afghanistan.

I base this conclusion on three principles. First, when I think back on all the moments of progress in that part of the world — all the times when a key player in the Middle East actually did something that put a smile on my face — all of them have one thing in common: America had nothing to do with it.

America helped build out what they started, but the breakthrough didn’t start with us. We can fan the flames, but the parties themselves have to light the fires of moderation. And whenever we try to do it for them, whenever we want it more than they do, we fail and they languish.

...

The Oslo peace accords started in Oslo — in secret 1992-93 talks between the P.L.O. representative, Ahmed Qurei, and the Israeli professor Yair Hirschfeld. Israelis and Palestinians alone hammered out a broad deal

...

The U.S. surge in Iraq was militarily successful because it was preceded by an Iraqi uprising sparked by a Sunni tribal leader, Sheik Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, who, using his own forces, set out to evict the pro-Al Qaeda thugs who had taken over Sunni towns and were imposing a fundamentalist lifestyle. The U.S. surge gave that movement vital assistance to grow. But the spark was lit by the Iraqis.

....(snip)

[kralcmot]

i must be asleep and dreaming

can i possibly agree with Friedman?

yes

please read the whole article

then flame

ps...i have to go to work...cannot monitor this thread...sorry....Kralcmot

also i searched the title got nothing...sorry if its been posted before

[DugwayDuke]

I read the whole article. I suggest you wake up and read it again. Friedman wants to pull out of Afghanistan so Obama can devote the resources to ‘nation building’ here in America.

[nuconvert]

Yeah? you agree with this crap? > “I base this conclusion on three principles. First, when I think back on all the moments of progress in that part of the world — all the times when a key player in the Middle East actually did something that put a smile on my face — all of them have one thing in common: America had nothing to do with it. “

So I guess you and old Tom didn’t smile when you saw 10’s of thousands of Iraqis defying terrorists in their midst to vote in an Iraq without Saddam?? Or when Afghans wrote a new constitution for themselves? Or when you saw photos of Afghan girls going to school for the first time or women running businesses?

Why is it that every time I think about these countries, I see the good that AMerica has done for them and that makes me smile?

[Nuc1]

First, when I think back on all the moments of progress in the world...

I know the New York Times was no where to be found.

[nuconvert]

P.S. You want to ask our forces fighting over there if they agree with with Friedman?

[nikos1121]

mental masturbation

[y6162]

“We need to be thinking about how to reduce our footprint and our goals there in a responsible way, not dig in deeper. “

How to surrender responsibly? Hmm, by not leaving any marines on the roof of the embassy in Kabaul during the panicked evacuation?

[YOUGOTIT]

I do not agree with any mental offspring of Hitler or Stalin and I consider all who work for the anti-American new york times to be such.

[TXnMA]

Translation -- NYT/Friedman:

"Now is the time for all good men to Wimp Out!!!"

[castlebrew]

when lard-@$$ Friedman puts on a helmet and picks up a rifle, THEN (and ONLY THEN), does he get a “vote”.

whatta puke...

[Gritty]

We need to be thinking about how to reduce our footprint and our goals there in a responsible way, not dig in deeper

That's easy, Tom.

1. Pull our troops out and cede the place to the enemy

2. Lose the war

You're a great strategic thinker, Tom. Of course, the enemy will only be emboldened by our running and will simply follow us home. Just think, we will get to fight them in New York City and Michigan instead of Kabul and Helmand! That will be much easier!

What Islamic fundamentalism plans to achieve (and it has made no secret of it) is a righting of the great wrong of 1492, when the Muslims were expelled from Spain: a return of the Caliphate, the destruction of corrupt Western values, and the establishment of Sharia law in all countries where Muslims reside. That is what we are up against. ~Janet Daley, UK Telegraph

[She hits a grand slam tonight]

Tom, how do you explain then that the moderates in Iran haven’t stepped up since 1979?

Let’s face it, Iran wants to take over the entire Middle East. In the East they’ll run into India & China, they are not stupid enough to take it further. In the North, they have Russia, again, they are not that stupid. So it is to the West they’ll move. I wonder how the Europeans will react with all the Muslims in their mist.

[EternalVigilance]

light the fires of moderation

This article is further proof, as if we needed any, that in order to become a famous liberal writer you have no need to understand the actual meaning of words.