Posted on 08/20/2021 7:16:05 AM PDT by karpov
If decades of counterinsurgency have taught us one thing, it’s that you never want to see a helicopter above an American embassy. President Biden knew as much when he gave an explicit guarantee that such an event would not transpire. Yet here we are, sorting through the wreckage of a strategic failure greater even than the fall of Saigon.
The war in Vietnam, for all its faults, was a pragmatic effort to counteract Soviet influence in East Asia. Though part of the broader ideological struggle against communism, the effort to contain Soviet expansion was undertaken as a matter of national defense. (Indeed, Henry Kissinger reportedly acknowledged that the war was unwinnable, but supported it anyway.)
Our recent escapades in the Middle East, on the other hand, started with a clear mission but eventually aimed to remake the region in the image of the West. The neoconservatives who spearheaded the war effort saw the spread of Lockean liberalism as the U.S.’s raison d’être, while Wilsonian liberals saw the defense of democracy and human rights as a prerequisite for world peace.
The Taliban’s capture of Kabul has rung the death knell for both these visions of American foreign policy, not only because democracy in Afghanistan failed, but because it failed as a direct result of the war’s ideological mission. It is hard to believe now that, at the start of the war, a coalition of U.S. forces and local militia defeated the Taliban swiftly and easily. Two months into the conflict, an alliance of Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, and Pashtun warlords had, with the help of the U.S., expelled Taliban fighters from all of their major strongholds and sent Osama bin Laden fleeing.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
Too bad American leaders forgot the prime message in Washington’s Farewell address: Avoid foreign entanglements.
Other than POW’s in North Vietnam prisons, did we leave Americans behind when we left Vietnam?
A return to realism? LOL. This country prefers fantasy.
The fall of Saigon was another Dem caused debacle. The late Ted “the swimmer” Kennedy getting funding cut off for the Vietnamese military was the prime factor in Saigon’s fall.
Yes. And if we return to realism we will “realize” that the so-called war in Afghanistan was not a war of occupation, or colonization, or for democracy building or any of the crap stories that journalists comes up with to sell copy. It was to contain the expansion of the Iranian Islamic Revolution from spilling into Pakistan, which has nukes. Realism, schmealism as the saying goes. I don’t believe any of the narratives of Left or Right. Niccolo Machiavelli once wrote if you can’t invade a country to war with them, then invade their neighboring countries to contain them and threaten them. I think that Realism was wise. That is what we were doing wasn’t it? Now what? The writers at National Review haven’t got a clue what they are writing about. It reminds me of a slogan of Judaism along with “democracy” and “internationalism” to the Jew the words mean the same - mainly a passport to anarchy.
The Fall of Afghanistan Calls for a Return to Realism>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Are you kidding?
All of the disasters perpetrated by Biden is because of the Dem Party Marxists re-imagining America.
America , you see is a colonial, White Supremacist nation that must be destroyed and then changed from within. Barrack Obama, Kamala Harris and Coery Booker have tolfd us so. Joe Biden is following the orders of barrack Obama and Val Jarrett in order to bring about the re-imagning of America.
And AMericans? Generally do not know they are being re-imagined. But one day they will knnow, and by then it will be too late to stop it.
So now is the time to understand exactly what Biden represents.Its all going according to the great re-imagination plan.
Be prepared to protest and fight as necessary.
Neoconservative conniving got us where we are today:
<><>candidate Bush2 traded war for neo votes
<><>Bush ensconced neos in a WH office
<><> neos operated in secret
<><>neo war profiteering was mind boggling
<><>neo bossman Richard Perle started an oil company
“ This country prefers fantasy.”
57 genders baby…
I chalk it up to decades in front of the TV watching the fake portrayed as real. All the way to “reality” TV (as if there is such a thing).
The Taliban’s capture of Kabul has rung the death knell for the stupidity of Wokeness
and other crackpot liberal visions attached to our military and American foreign policy.
So true. The country that invented Disney World should not be doing foreign policy.
And yes, there is a list. It was NOT used.
If any of those 800 Afghans had brought an American with them to the airport to escape I would be impressed. But most of them not only did NOT bring an American - they left their wives and children and flew out without them. Biden gave the Chinese and Pakis access to our most advanced weapons and drones... Worth billions ... I hope Biden gets is full 10%. What I'm wondering is who gets the 90% now that Hunter knows FOX is watching him?
Not one of those 800 Afghans we flew to safety brought an American with them to the airport to help them escape.
Most of them not only did NOT bring an American - they were unvetted and they left their wives and children and flew to safety and the US gravy train without them.
..................................
Excellent point.
CALL
l (202) 224-3121 for the U.S. House switchboard operator.
Leftists suffer from "magical thinking".
Why do we have so many “civilians” there? They are reporting 10-15k. That is way more than would be needed for the embassy. Way more than seems reasonable for contractors as well.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.