Why we can never win in Afghanistan

[Botany]

Even if we can lock down and win "in country," there is about 2,000 miles of border w/ such
fun states Pakistan, Iran,Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. We don't have enough
troops to keep others from coming into the country and because Bush screwed up in 2001
& 2002 we are now seen as just one more in long line of outsiders who have tried to control
Afghanistan.

Both President Obama & Gen. Eikenberry are right to be worried about committing more troops to Afghanistan.

[phantom power]

1. It is perhaps bad karma to occupy a country nicknamed "The Graveyard of Empires"

Just a thought.

[Traveling_Home]

2. 2 Generations of educated Afgani Women and the World change forever. nt

[Botany]

4. That could be true but ....

... how do we protect the women, the teachers, and the schools 24/7?

Sadly in 2001 & 2002 we had a chance to really make a positive in Afghanistan because we
were seen as liberators by large sections of the country but bush had to get his Iraq war started.

[karynnj]

5. Does this mean you propose that we be there for over 30 years?

Not to mention that in that time, we have that level of impact on the culture.

(My estimate of 30 years comes from considering that we could educate all the 10 year old girls and then assuming they have a kid at 20 and she is educated until she is 20. That is also why I said at least. I took 10, because I assumed that those older if never schooled might be too useful to the families to send to school at that age and getting them caught up becomes harder.)

[Junkdrawer]

3. Who says we want to "Win"...

Maybe when the Caspian oil and gas run out.....

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. Hopefully, Obama is "worried" enough to admit defeat and get out of that quagmire.

[Botany]

8. We can win every battle and still lose the war

Military actions are almost always "wins" for us but the Taliban, the War Lords, and the radical
fringe of Islam will out last us.

[closeupready]

7. The only way I can see we could do it is if we full-out tried to colonize it.

The indigenous people of Afghanistan have their tribes, and that is what has endured, not some fancy idea of a nation-state. We can continue bombing and occupying a hostile population for decades, and bankrupt ourselves in the process, and at the end of the day, they STILL won't want us there, and won't cooperate with us. This applies to Pakistan, Iran, China, and all the other neighboring states.