Posted on 08/23/2021 11:38:46 AM PDT by Kaslin
America has just made one of its worst foreign policy mistakes in its entire 245 year history. If left as is, the negative ramifications will mushroom for decades. As such, this situation must be fixed — and the only way to do so is via a massive airlift of U.S. combat troops back into Afghanistan.
Human nature has a characteristic which often proves fatal to those who succumb to it — that being "we are inclined to see what we want to see, instead of what actually is." Investors and government leaders the world over did this in 2005 - 2007, and paid dearly in the Financial Tsunami which followed.
In the wake of our current Afghanistan catastrophe, many U.S. government leaders (and media personalities) are falling into this same trap. The widely respected Peggy Noonan just did so in her Wall Street Journal weekend column, What Biden Can Still Save in Afghanistan:
"If the [Taliban] leadership is thinking strategically and tactically—if—they will see the reasons it’s in their interests to let a U.S. rescue succeed. They’re on top of the world, delighted at their victory. They’ve already humiliated us; they don’t have to do it again right away. There’s no reason for them to want to keep a built-in simmering opposition around. It’s easier to run the country without them. They can always kill the stragglers later. Why should they want the picture of their triumph to be marred by new pictures of vengeance and carnage? They enjoy thinking they’re not barbarians. They want the world to think they’re not the Flintstones dragging their clubs but Taliban 2.0, cool players, real big boys. More violence will only complicate future requests for foreign aid."
I have news (which isn't really news) for Ms. Noonan, President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and all the others who are seeing what they want to see, instead of what actually is — the Taliban couldn't care less about "complicating future requests for foreign aid" or being recognized by the United Nations. Besides, Iran, China, Russia, Pakistan and others are already back-channeling support to the Taliban. And ISIS and Al-Qaeda fighters are en route en masse to join the new caliphate.
Taliban leaders aren't stupid, nor are they ignorant, they simply have different motivations and interests than we do. As such, our leaders (and media) need to stop viewing the Taliban from the narrow prism of their beliefs and world experiences. What makes an American think the Taliban would share their Brooklyn-born viewpoints, or that they can persuade battle-hardened Muslim mountain fighters on what to do next? The Taliban knows exactly what is in their interests, not Peggy Noonan.
Taliban leaders are more likely to be viewing their current situation from this perspective:
Peggy Noonan is dead wrong?
When has she ever been dead right?
LOL
Peggy who? That snobbish RINO?
She looked up from her drink to call for more death.
Retake Bagram airbase, kill everyone there. Then expand out from there and kill ALL Taliban, All of them.
Peggy Noonan built her reputation writing for Reagan. That was at least 35 yrs ago. She hasn’t been right since.
Nevertheless, it is remarkable that she has been able to spin a career out of a 35 yrs (and counting) losing streak.
How could we possibly deploy 100,000 troops quickly at this point?
America needs a 100k poor boys to descend on Wash DC.
That is EXACTLY what needs to happen
the Taliban couldn’t care less about “complicating future requests for foreign aid”
Mullen, IMHO, is dead wrong. All one has to do is look at guys like Arafat to see the fortune he amassed by duping the world. All the Taliban has to do is turn all their people into victims like the PLO did the Palestinians, and the money and aid flows. And one by one, they can build up their nest eggs and head to Dubai.
And also let the opium and hash flow unabated to Mexico, with help from the Russians and Chinese, to further destroy this country.
No. Absolutely not. 20 years thousands of dead tens of thousands wounded and trillions spent is enough.
Both of the writers are wrong.
Peggy Noonan is wrong to contend that the Taliban cares about pretending to be civilized.
George Mullen is wrong to contend that sending a massive number of American soldiers back to Afghanistan is a good idea.
The thing that matters right now is to get Americans out.
It’s their country
Riiight.
100,000 troops in Afghanistan.
100k troops we can’t easily move into the country.
100k troops we can’t supply.
100k troops led by the perfumed princes that were promoted by Obama or survived Biden’s purges.
Neah.
This is already a clustereff.
Get the people out who we can. Figure out what we can do for the rest later.
20 more years of war and death. Thousands of dead American soldiers, thousands of dead Afghans. Oh yeah, that’s what the world needs.
You can’t at this point without signing the death warrants for everyone stuck.
The US can’t touch a Taliban head right now. The Taliban can cut off that airport and everything within 3 blocks. And then go door to door cutting throats.
No more Brits or French rescuing folks.
And you can’t bomb Kabul, too many hostages, too many ‘innocent civilians’.
Too late for that, but I do agree with your sentiment.
I tend to agree with you..... except I might use some of the very big bombs
I've wondered exactly the same about Bill Kristol and Max Boot. Kristol had a failed magazine which practically no one read, he's written a few books that no one buys, he gives speeches that no one attends - yet he's constantly appearing on TV and is asked his opinion. He's got to be paid and put forward by the CIA or some such organization.
No way we could.
Even if we had the capacity to do so, it would be an act of war.
Something we’re trying g to avoid, right?
They’re gonna go door to door eventually anyway.
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