Why are we in Afghanistan?

[qwertyMike]

I say 'we' as a Canadian and the other 39 countries in NATO

This is not a flame post.

Why are we there?

This war (is that what it is?) is unwinnable, like Vietnam.

The Afghans have never been defeated.

They apparently don't want our form of democracy, like 100+ of the planets' countries.

So?

Is it pipelines? Or heroin?

I just don't get it.

[Postman]

1. Pipelines.

http://prorev.com/2009/08/why-is-afghanistan-so-important.html

[smalll]

2. If the war is "unwinnable" which you go ahead and take as a certain fact,

how could it be pipelines? Don't we actually have to pacify the country, to "win" as it were, to get those pipelines built?

Why do so many people assume two seemingly contradictory things about the use of American military force overseas? Why do they assume that
1) It must be for some hidden, greedy reason and
2) It's doomed to failure.

[gateley]

3. The plan was to win it and THEN get the pipelines -- like "Iraq's oil is going to

pay for the war".

Their plans went awry. Again.

[qwertyMike]

7. Unwinnable

That is a fact.
I guess I phrased it wrong.

Why are we persisting?
Is it in the hope that we can get a pipeline there?

You said:
"Why do so many people assume two seemingly contradictory things about the use of American military force overseas? Why do they assume that
1) It must be for some hidden, greedy reason and
2) It's doomed to failure. "

The answer to 1. and 2. is YES

And why is it necessary to use "American military force overseas"?

[tblue]

14. Success or failure, it still makes some people gi-normously more wealthy.

Surely you know that.

[npk]

4. Actually no war is winnable by what would amount to winning in todays society

We could easily win the war with Afghanistan. In fact it would take only about a day to drop say a couple hundred nukes and we would blow Afghanistan off the map. We would kill everyone and take over the country and build huge shopping malls and skyscrapers as step 1 of westernization would begin. Of course, we the countries that make up NATO, would never do such a thing, as the rest of the world would turn their backs on America and most of our allies. But yes I agree with you that this is not a winnable war under the prescribed concept of winning.

[Mind_your_head]

9. Huge shopping malls and skyscrapers do NOT make a 'great country' n/t

[npk]

10. I agree. Some however would suggest that is one of America's greatest contributions

to the rest of the world.

[Mind_your_head]

11. If huge shopping malls and skyscrapers are our GREATEST constribution.......

...that is PATHETIC beyond credibility.

The "some" who would suggest? Just check out the 1%'er's ;-) Kinky-small group! *check*

[FarLeftFist]

5. Just to kill people.

That's what we like to do here in America. We like to blow shit up, light shit on fire, torture people before they are proven guilty, It makes us feel better to keep other countries populations at bay.

[qwertyMike]

8. Right on!

[waiting for hope]

6. To feed the PIG.

The Military Industrial Complex has grown quite fat, I don't foresee them taking on a "diet" anytime soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdrGKwkmxAU

[rollingrock]

12. I agree on all your points, except

except when you say 'apparently don't want our form of democracy.' I think they do want some democracy, as evidenced by the good turnout of Afghans who voted in the last election, and overwhelmingly for the challenger. The problem is, we are the ones who are denying them that democracy. our puppet Karzhai cheated in the vote count and Obama said he was the legitimate winner when the whole world knows it was rigged from the start!

[leftstreet]

13. So that more American families can get free flags

[Mimosa]

15. Might 'no jobs' here at home for released troops if war ends be part of reason?

If Obama's administration actually ended the wars in the Middle East (as I hoped and believed it would) then nearly a million people (including the troops and all civilian war contractors as well) would become unemployed. Could such a blow to the economy have something to do with why this war isn't being ended?

[opihimoimoi]

16. W Bush brought us the mess...the GOP refuses to man the MOPs...they are PAIN...no GAIN

[dixiegrrrrl]

17. Because Brzezinski says so. and Obama listens to him.

Read the Grand Chessboard, written in ...1997.
Everything the US has done since is in that book.
Same old, same old.
The Republicans had Kissinger, the Dems have Brzezinski, not much diff.

Did you know that Brzezinski began the Tri-Lateral Commission?