Simple Solution to Afganistan...

[SQUACKEE]

The U.S. doesn't want to leave this region of the world, they are there protecting their interest in the oil. Many lives have been lost for that cause, let's not kid ourselves.

Of course your right but we are so stoopid we attacked Afganistan when we should have taken over Saudia Arabia, DOH! Idiots!

[Speedfirst]

The U.S. doesn't want to leave this region of the world, they are there protecting their interest in the oil. Many lives have been lost for that cause, let's not kid ourselves.

[lovetorun]

Hopefully, sound reasoning and a feasible plan will prevail...and, hopefully, it will allow the removal of most troops, favoring cutting edge military technology i.e. a new way to accomplish our mission there. Our mission being, as stated above, to keep terriost camps from operating in Afganistan.

[jazzcyclist]

I'm beginning to think that trying to conquer these complex ,fractionated (is that a word?) countries is more damaging than a terrorist strike or two...

I guess it would depend on the severity of the attack but in the end you might be right.

We cant allow terrorist camps to thrive in Afg. and we have to get out of there, asap, horrible situation.

My biggest worry is countries that have no governement like Somolia and countries that have weak governemnts like Afghanistan. We're a lot better off with a country run by Saddam Hussein than a country with no government, because guys like Saddam aren't going to let Al Qaeda-types set up a base of operations using his return address when they go and wreak havoc abroad.

[SQUACKEE]

I'm beginning to think that trying to conquer these complex ,fractionated (is that a word?) countries is more damaging than a terrorist strike or two...

I guess it would depend on the severity of the attack but in the end you might be right.

We cant allow terrorist camps to thrive in Afg. and we have to get out of there, asap, horrible situation.

[jazzcyclist]

George Will agrees with lovetorun.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 02912.html

[Rye Catcher]

America a screwed up when Russia was trying to do the Afghans in. We were on the wrong side. With our help, we could have taken all the Afghans out. If you've ever been to Afganistan, you know there is is nothing there worth keeping. Anyhow, we had our chance and blew it years ago, so now we pay the price.j

[lovetorun]

For more on this read this recent article by Andrew Bacevich.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/177374

Half way thru the article it got distorted...but, what I did read made sense. Thanks Conor Dary for the link.

I'm beginning to think that trying to conquer these complex ,fractionated (is that a word?) countries is more damaging than a terrorist strike or two...

[lonewolf]

[I see fundamentalism as the enemy, not Islam.

Exactly correct.

[jazzcyclist]

Easy solution: Convert them all to Buddhism or most anything else...
Problem solved.

If you convert them from fundamentalist Islam to fundamentalist anything else, you still haven't solved the problem. Here's how Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mohamad Mahathir put it in a 2003 speech before Muslims:

At the time the Europeans of the Middle Ages were still superstitious and backward, the enlightened Muslims had already built a great Muslim civilisation, respected and powerful, more than able to compete with the rest of the world and able to protect the ummah from foreign aggression. The Europeans had to kneel at the feet of Muslim scholars in order to access their own scholastic heritage. But halfway through the building of the great Islamic civilisation came new interpreters of Islam who taught that acquisition of knowledge by Muslims meant only the study of Islamic theology. The study of science, medicine etc. was discouraged. Intellectually the Muslims began to regress. They became more and more preoccupied with minor issues such as whether tight trousers and peak caps were Islamic, whether printing machines should be allowed or electricity used to light mosques. The Industrial Revolution was totally missed by the Muslims. . . . . This is what comes from the superficial interpretation of the Quran.

I see fundamentalism as the enemy, not Islam.

[Marlow]

drones alone will not do the job.

And that's the bottom line. Drones are for air recon, air support and air-to-ground attack. What is required there is ground recon, ground support and ground attack.

...and a lot of teachers.

are you volunteering ME?! :shock: I'm no TOABW
teacher of anti-brain-washing

[richxx87]

Easy solution: Convert them all to Buddhism or most anything else...
Problem solved.

[Pego]

drones alone will not do the job.

And that's the bottom line. Drones are for air recon, air support and air-to-ground attack. What is required there is ground recon, ground support and ground attack.

...and a lot of teachers.

[Marlow]

drones alone will not do the job.

And that's the bottom line. Drones are for air recon, air support and air-to-ground attack. What is required there is ground recon, ground support and ground attack.

[Conor Dary]

For more on this read this recent article by Andrew Bacevich.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/177374