Posted on 07/19/2021 10:50:51 AM PDT by Kaslin
In the end, all America’s troops and dollars can’t build a cohesive, peaceful democracy out of nothingness. The future of Afghanistan needs to be up to the Afghan people.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., is speaking out in favor of extending America’s longest war, even as most Americans overwhelmingly favor pulling out of Afghanistan. Kinzinger recently gave an interview to NBC’s Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press” in which he lamented America’s looming withdrawal from Afghanistan and compared the 20-year war to a simple peacekeeping mission.
“I’m proud of the American people for sticking by this mission for 20 years. We actually needed to do it longer,” said Kinzinger.
President Biden says the military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on August 31, and America’s withdrawal is already 90 percent complete. By getting America out of Afghanistan, Biden is accomplishing something President Trump talked about doing during his term but was ultimately unable to accomplish.
Even before America’s withdrawal started, the Afghan government based in Kabul began losing ground to the Taliban as its fighters—the U.S.-trained Afghan National Security Forces, or ANSF—began laying down their arms. Since early May, the Taliban has seized more than a quarter of the country’s 421 districts. Meanwhile, Afghan military leaders complain that they didn’t have a plan for when the United States leaves, even though before Biden, Trump ordered or sought an Afghanistan withdrawal on several occasions.
Kinzinger and other interventionists say the Taliban suddenly gaining ground is all America’s fault. “We only had 2,500 troops there, 5,000 NATO troops, and the Afghanistan government was doing 98 percent of the fighting against the Taliban. It’s no wonder they’re collapsing when the U.S. says, ‘We’re gone.’ But it was really a small price to pay for frankly holding off the inevitable bad that unfortunately we’re going to see,” Kinzinger said to Todd.
This argument is extremely silly. The reality is that Afghanistan is far more than a peacekeeping mission. America has spent hundreds of billions to nation-build in that country, and 2,312 U.S. military personnel have been killed there, along with more than 71,000 civilians.
Despite our efforts, the situation on the ground didn’t change for years, and before America even started to withdraw, the Taliban controlled the same tracts of land that it did years ago. But America’s generals misled the public about the war, saying there was progress when internally they knew there was none.
The government America is backing simply may not have the support of a large enough portion of the population. That’s partly because Afghanistan is much more complicated than good versus bad, and much more complex than a choice between the Taliban instituting strict Islamic law and little girls going to school.
Many Afghan officials defended by American soldiers are completely corrupt, and many warlords and Afghan security forces practice ritual child abuse called bacha bazi, or “boy play.” American soldiers have been instructed not to intervene. One soldier, Gregory Buckley Jr., told his father he could hear Afghan police officers sexually abusing boys they had brought to the base.
“At night we can hear them screaming, but we’re not allowed to do anything about it,” he told his father. Buckley Jr. was killed when one of the boys got ahold of a gun and shot up the base. Another U.S. soldier, Dan Quinn, was relieved of his command after he had a fight with a U.S.-backed militia leader because the warlord had a boy chained to his bed.
These examples are far from isolated. The widespread abuse boosted the popularity of the Taliban, which does not tolerate the practice and brutally punishes abusers.
Even the narrative about staying in Afghanistan to fight terror is mistaken. Twenty years since 9/11, the United States has improved its ability to monitor and disrupt terror groups, through raids and precision strikes when needed. Going forward, America can use diplomacy and a targeted approach to take on terror, not permanent boots on the ground.
Step back and add everything together. If the narrative of good versus evil falls flat, if there is no anti-terror objective, if the Afghan security forces aren’t willing to fight because the government has little popular support, and if the whole situation is hanging by a thread without America’s endless commitment, then America really shouldn’t be there.
In the end, all America’s troops and dollars can’t build a cohesive peaceful democracy out of nothingness. The future of Afghanistan needs to be up to the Afghan people. As President Biden said, responding to critics of the Afghanistan withdrawal, “The current security situation only confirms that just one more year fighting in Afghanistan is not a solution, but a recipe for being there indefinitely.”
The future of Afghanistan is up o he Afghans. Yes. but we need to maintain a large military base there so long as we are not pulling back to Fortress America. But we don’t have to try to model the government or the society. That cannot be done.
Why? Let them sort themselves out. What have we to do with them?
“In the end, all America’s troops and dollars can’t build a cohesive, peaceful democracy out of nothingness.”
I’m sure the people in Germany and Japan will be happy to hear this.
It starts with - TAKE OFF THE GLOVES AND WIN THE WAR.
When I see Kinzinger grab a rifle and a flight to Afghanistan I’ll start to take him seriously.
Give us just one reason, Mr. Kinzinger: 2,312 Americans lost their lives, and for what?
He’s welcome to volunteer I’m sure General Milley will welcome him with open arms and a pinch to the but
Cui bono, Kinzinger?
Rules of Engagement with Muslims -
If Infidels are present, Sunni with unite with Shi’a sects to enslave (physical, sex, monetary), convert, and annihilate all Infidels.
If no Infidels present, Sunni will turn against Shi’a until one or the other is enslaved or annihilated.
The rising population of Muslims over 1200 years shows the effectiveness of their tactics.
Pray this man will never be elected to office again.
> but we need to maintain a large military base there <
As long as you have a base there, you invite mission creep. Bases need to be secured. Well, okay. But what do you do about the Taliban guys who are lobbing mortar rounds into that base? Air strikes? That can be tough to do if the mortars are mobile, and are being fired from a heavily populated area. So how about a quick infantry sweep?
The next thing you know...
“I’m sure the people in Germany and Japan will be happy to hear this.”
The shock therapy for Germany required total devastation of the country followed by the Soviets’ rape of about half of its female population. Japan just required total devastation by fire bombing capped off by two nukes.
“The shock therapy for Germany required total devastation of the country followed by the Soviets’ rape of about half of its female population. Japan just required total devastation by fire bombing capped off by two nuke
Whatever it takes.
Both of those countries are richer (and probably happier) then we are. Germany’s slide toward socialism is concerning though.
That possibility was always in the back of my mind and the reason for my continued support of the involvement. British India dealt with the issue through punitive expeditions against the tribes.
I can’t wait to work against Kinzinger.
L
Another one for whom the song applies: “Don’t know much about history....”
In Germany and Japan, we were dealing with modern industrial nations with long established culture, literature, philosophy, identity, etc.
We had to set aberrations right and simply put them back on the right track.
In Afghanistan it’s trying to civilize backwards inbred people stuck in circa 700 AD.
There is nothing to “win” there. There is no Afghan Army, no Afghan Air Force, no infrastructure. All you can do there is endlessly wallow around in the backwards ignorance. This is especially true when you slavishly “respect” and nurture their ignorant and violent culture and religion.
All we need is one air base in Da Nang. And some troops to protect the perimeter...
Afghanistan and Iraq provided staging areas for containment of Iran.
We can assume that containing Iran Iraq and Afghanistan is no longer required and is being accomplished by other means
I think we should send Kinsinger there forever. Good Idea IMHO.
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