Posted on 08/21/2017 5:41:24 PM PDT by HokieMom
Pakistan is going through its own domestic turmoil with its prime minister removed for “corruption”, which in many Pakistan circles has been viewed as something engineered through the judiciary by the military-intelligence complex of Pakistan - he was never their man.
However, the ousted prime minister’s party holds a clear majority in parliament and THEY will be choosing a successor. They have already chosen an interim one from their party, a cabinet official under the ousted prime minister. Within about a month they must chose a permanent replacement which is said to likely be a brother-in-law of he ousted prime minister.
The whole saga reflects so much of modern Pakistan history - the more things change, the more they remain the same. Pakistan elected leaders last as long as they don’t offend the military-intelligence complex and their very big interests in Pakistan’s economy. In Pakistan the “military industrial complex” is a network far tighter and integrated, and spread over the economy, than anything Ike ever imagined.
Chances for what Trump’s speech could be vis-a-vis Pakistan-U.S. relations?
Within the past 24 hours Pakistan has been touting the “success” it is having ousting terrorist sanctuaries on its side of the Afghan-Pakistan border as well as segments of the Hagani financing-money-laundering network (alleged to be a Taliban-Al-Queda method of getting and transferring funds) it has shut down in Pakistan lately. That was done as positioning, as if to say “See Mr Trump, we are doing as you are going to suggest we should”. Are they trying to say they really want to work with Trump?
Not likely.
Most likely they will try to employ the geopolitical blackmail they have always employed against pressures form U.S. presidents - getting more chummy with China, Russia or both. If Trump has not been told to expect this, his senior NSC staff should be fired.
And as much as I understand and agree getting India more involved is right, and maybe even appreciated by India, it cannot be said it will reduce tensions on the subcontinent. Pakistan, no matter who is in charge, does not want greater Indian influence with Afghanistan, even if Afghanistan wants it very much.
China moves to respond positively with more support in and for Pakistan are not going to lessen China-India tensions.
Russia will try to play the neutral wild card, with lots of influence on Pakistan-Afghanistan’s northern borders with central Asia; and seeking to earn more money selling more arms and equipment to Pakistan - never let someone else’s crisis go to waste (as we saw in Syria and the west non-committal commitment to regime change - something you can’t “bunt”).
I understand 100% and sympathize 100% to the sentiment to be leave of Afghanistan with something worthwhile achieved. For the deaths we have already had there, and for them alone, I get there. It asks if just leaving will be dishonor their sacrifice. I just wish I believed today that any real success, leading to the end of the military conflict, a political solution and the Taliban not in charge or building means for their violence still, is achievable. I don’t.
You’re entitled to you opinion, and I’m entitled to mine. We obviously don’t agree. I didn’t vote for him because of his comments on Afghanistan. I voted for him because I believed he was the best choice for this country, and that will do everything in his power to keep us as safe as he possibly can. If that means sending more troops to Afghanistan, then so be it. The man at least deserves a chance to make a difference, and hopefully he, and our military personnel will.
Buy a vowel.... it does not take education, understanding, or being a 5 star general to KNOW that this country is not going to kill the millions of would be terrorists in the middle east. Not unless they nuke us first.
I think those poor poppies will have seen much better days! The party is over.
If we walked away, terrorist grows and no amount of vetting, walls, etc. will protect us. Already Judges are siding with the terrorist (vetting) to let them in and Congress isn’t really supportive of funding a wall. Better to deal with 10 terrorists that might be left than 1000’s. Once the economic “walls” are in place, Pakistan, Russia and even China will help is stopping / eliminating ISIS. Then we only have to deal with Antifa here !!!
There are now terrorists in almost every single nation on earth! Should we bomb all of Europe, the Middle east, Australia, South America, central America, Canada, and yes, most places in the USA?
Thanks for posting that.
>>This has nothing to do with “nation building”<<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Not in Afghanistan . . . and that’s a good thing.
But President Trump is engaged in the third great NATION BUILDING right here in America.
The first was led by Washington, Jefferson etc.
The second by Abraham Lincoln.
Consider the grave costs, in lives and fortunes, of those two great achievements—which literally MADE the USA.
Use that as a gauge of what we (and DJT) may be facing in the near future.
If per capita Civil War deaths were extrapolated to current U.S. population, it would be about 7 million dead.
I am not predicting that, but just consider: THE USA would NOT EXIST in its present (though endangered) grandeur without the Civil War.
You’re making my argument.
This thread is a shocking example of just how much this site has fallen, since the early days.
“Obama is also betting that Americans are sick of Afghanistan, and don’t really care how American soldiers leave or what they leave behind, as long as they all leave.”
— Victor Davise Hanson, 12 Jun 2014
(http://www.nationalreview.com/article/380145/obama-quits-afghanistan-victor-davis-hanson)
Guess you and Obama finally agree on something.
He looked focused, in control and loaded for bear. Wow. What a speech! What a President!
My first post but I thought President Trump gave an excellent speech. He is letting the commanders in the field make the decisions not waiting on Washington. I like how he put Pakistan on notice which is the right thing to do.
Whether no pardons is right or wrong, he’s not worth our time. Don’t fuel the fire.
yep
“Not sure what 4,000 troops will do. Make NeoCons great again?”
By changing the rules of engagement and letting our guys kill the bastards and not waiting on Washington to get permission for every frigging move. I am will to give this new plan a chance.
The ones we miss, THERE, will soon be "migrating" to Pakistan and points west.
FYI....we didn't kill ALL of the Nazis, during WW II, nor did we even kill any of the Vichy poltroons in France!
Later on, we didn't kill off ALL of the NORKS we fought in Korean.
Your puerile query is pathetic and ridiculous.
I rode home from the hospital in a taxi (Canadian driver, of course). He was the first person I met here who likes Trump.
He said he read a prophecy by someone with the first name of Kim (a man), who predicted the president will have a deep conversion and say the word “God” twice, at first as a whisper, then in a normal voice. He also predicted President Trump would have two terms, that He put him in this role for a reason.
I believe the president had a calling to serve his country, not for power. In that regard, he is the kind of president of whom the founders would approve.
In any case, he does need our constant prayer. At least he got to take a fun ten-minute break to watch the eclipse with his wife and son. :) Breaks are probably pretty rare for him.
I agree. I know the President doesn’t want to spend blood and treasure this way yet he knows we can’t leave with things the way they are. His is a reasonable strategy that will hopefully wrap things up.
Here it is. To all of us who’ve been here, thru the Trump campaign to that glorious win, and watched as the swamp, deep state, and fake news MSM, battered him daily attempting to discredit not only him, but each of us, because Trump campaigned as one of us and has attempted to govern as an American, not a globalist or deep state elitist, let me say that this first time I feel uneasy. Great speeches don’t change the geography of Afghanistan nor the nature of its people, now Islamic. Because of our “humane nature” of war, they will outlast us, just like they have every foreign power for the last 2000 years. No amount of American spirit is going to change that, when our policy will continue to be one of occupation instead of destruction of the enemy, as in dead. This is a political decision not military. And I’m disappointed. A swamp win.
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