Posted on 10/14/2010 9:19:34 PM PDT by Eyes Unclouded
NATO’s confirmation that its forces are facilitating talks between Taliban leaders and the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai is a sign that the Afghanistan balance could be shifting from warfare to settlement – and the eventual withdrawal of Western combat forces. With President Obama’s surge of US forces in Afghanistan complete, this was supposed to be the time for breaking the insurgency’s momentum to create more favorable conditions for peace negotiations. Though those conditions have clearly not yet arrived, NATO decided to guarantee safe passage to senior Taliban leaders taking part in the talks – though NATO is not taking part in the talks itself. It is an indication that the surge has not progressed as planned, forcing the US and its allies to open the door wider to other options, says Lawrence Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress in Washington and a former Pentagon official. “What happened is that, even though we may have wanted things to move in a different manner, this is what Karzai wants and what he was determined to do,” says Mr. Korb. The Western facilitation of the talks joins other recent pointers suggesting the war may be more “wind down” than “ratchet up” – with Western nations focusing on a military-to-civilian shift. Among the signs: * New National Security Adviser Tom Donilon is known to be an Afghan war skeptic who opposed Mr. Obama’s “surge” in Afghanistan. His predecessor, Gen. James Jones, also opposed adding troops to Afghanistan, but supporters of US military engagement in Afghanistan fear that Mr. Donilon’s appointment is writing on the wall that Obama intends his withdrawal of US forces
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
I smell Viet Nam.
Or you could be smelling Iraq. Time will tell. GEN Petraeus knows how to meld the political and the military. After Iraq, I trust him.
Exactly-—I smell capitulation, Obama style! This outcome is NOT what the American people and GI’s wanted or PAID for!
Oh those moderate Taliban
/s
So Iraq is a success? How so? As soon as we leave they will revert right back to their infidel hating tribal savage ways. Soon, some Iraqi Colonel will step forward, draw his sidearm, shoot it above a crowd and bellow out: “I’m the new Saddam! Death to the Infidels!”.
Back to zero.
I think Iraq will pull through and transition to a moderatly stable democracy. There will be flareups and killings but thats to be expected. Afghanistan is a completely different story. No one will ever be able to unify that country. The best thing one could do is balkanize it support the stable states and contain the more radical ones.
At any rate - Afghanistan is a problem. Do we continue this for years to come or find some other way. I vote for better policies and if they again become terrorist states, we fight them. Sorry, but this continues war against an enemy that has no idea of Democratic justice is just plain insane...
Yes, that means we leave this unfortunate State to their normal processes - and it is not good. We can not change the world here...Some people are just too backward to understand that freedom is a good thing...
Yes.
How so?
Go back and read the news prior to, during, and after The Surge. Hop into a time machine and serve a tour or two in Iraq in those time periods like I did.
As soon as we leave they will revert right back...
What do you expect? That they'll become the U.S.? That they'll suddenly love us all with all their hearts? They'll be a typical Arab country. As to your assertion of the Iraqi Colonel...well, your crystal ball works as well as mine, and I don't see that happening.
Euro Generals chat while our soldiers die.
He lead the troops in and tied their hands. Then he stirred up waziristan with drone strikes.
I am coming to agree with this to a point. I just don’t think Obama will do it that way. Obama will choose the most damaging (to the US), embarrassing (to the US) way out.
Just remember everyone...
Center for American Progress is the enemy of America
Then al queda will use the place as a sanctuary to plot against is again.
We are there to stop Afghanistan from being a free haven for al queda
Getting opposing militants to stand down was something to behold. For me, it is difficult to believe these kind of things until they really happen. It is hard to over look the concept that the Taliban is buying time. However the idea that Taliban is experiencing staffing shortages is an attractive idea.
I doubt it matters who the President is... You can not change a country like Afghanistan unless they want to change. They have and are living in the past (maybe a century or more) and can not be brought up to the ideas of today regardless of our desires.
We could win the war, but these backward folks would go right back to their own ways within a few short years. Winning means nothing to us and losing means absolutely nothing to them...
These folks are barbarians in the true sense and will not be changed by us or anybody else...
You can NOT stop barbarians from being barbarians... They will continue to do what they know... They are will seem to want to be living in the past and they will do whatever they want to do regardless of civilization...
Success? Yes, Many of the Iraqis have come to understand Freedom and it is a wonderful thing! It can happen in some Countries (and this is one), but not in others (Afghanistan) where only tribes succeed... They are not ready for Anarchy, much less for Democracy...
Oh those moderate Taliban
Oh, well, the Taliban might not be moderate but, you will never be able to convince them to becom like democratic, so your only choice is to give in to them or KILL all of them,
because short of killing all of them you cannot winn,
It seems clear to me they all belive they are following a direct order from Allah, and will be rewarded in Heaven, not so unlike the Roman Catholicks during the Inquisition in the middle ages, enlightenment comes slow. forgive spelling errors pl.
I concur
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