Are the Taliban our enemies or our new proxy against Iran? China?

[+Hammerclaw]

On 8/17/2021 at 1:50 PM, OverSword said:

I was talking to a friend who was very upset that what we have done in Afghanistan now that we are leaving is we have armed the Taliban with a lot more weapons than they formerly held.  It occurred to me that a couple of months ago the Taliban were battling Afghani Shia's sponsored by Iran on the mountainous border.  Could we have knowingly and willingly left this well trained and equipped army for the Taliban hoping that it will be used against Iran or if China now tries their hand in Afghanistan, against China?  Honestly do you think all the military minds at the disposal of the US government didn't anticipate what is happening right now?

Just a little conspiracy theory to consider.

Yes. "Military Intelligence" is an oxymoron.

[lightly]

21 hours ago, RoofGardener said:

Hmmm.... the Taliban where in control of Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001. What do we know of that period ? 

Thy were becoming rather Westernized ...men and women attending university . .women were going bare headed in western style clothes.. and working in commerce.   Until The major powers started 'helping' in the region.   Then they took a giant leap backward.       (someone correct me if I'm wrong).   . 

[docyabut2]

Really you think `d  there are the Islamic  terrorists  attacking all  of our countries, even  in China and Russia  and we all should  join together to fight them against them , a world war 3    

Edited September 3, 2021 by docyabut2

[Obviousman]

39 minutes ago, docyabut2 said:

Really you think `d  there are the Islamic  terrorists  attacking all  of our countries, even  in China and Russia  and we all should  join together to fight them against,  a world war 3    

Surely you mean the New Crusades?  

[docyabut2]

6 minutes ago, Obviousman said:

Surely you mean the New Crusades?  

yep:) just like the war against Hitler  in Germany. 

Edited September 3, 2021 by docyabut2

[quiXilver]

Except docy, in WW2, Catholics (you know, the original purveyors of crusades) were on the wrong side.

Thankfully they were defeated, eh?

[RoofGardener]

On 9/3/2021 at 6:43 PM, lightly said:

Thy were becoming rather Westernized ...men and women attending university . .women were going bare headed in western style clothes.. and working in commerce.   Until The major powers started 'helping' in the region.   Then they took a giant leap backward.       (someone correct me if I'm wrong).   . 

Hmm.. dunno.. according to this Wikipedia article, they where pretty dictatorial and brutal, and women where NOT allowed in university ? (unless it was for healthcare-related courses ? ). 

They are going to take Afghanistan back to the 8th century. Good luck to them. 

They will NOT be a threat to the Western countries. 

[lightly]

1 hour ago, RoofGardener said:

Hmm.. dunno.. according to this Wikipedia article, they where pretty dictatorial and brutal, and women where NOT allowed in university ? (unless it was for healthcare-related courses ? ). 

They are going to take Afghanistan back to the 8th century. Good luck to them. 

They will NOT be a threat to the Western countries. 

Ah, thanks Roof,  I was wrong about the timeline...it was much earlier when Afghanistan was more 'modern'...  30's through 60's.   Women were attending University in miniskirts in the 60's.   Kabul acquired the nickname of the "Paris" of Central Asia and became a popular tourist destination.

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/weekinreview/18bumiller.html

[lightly]

I found this interesting article about life in Afghanistan ,and Kabul, in the 50's and 60's... Some interesting historical info and lots of great pictures . 

    https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/07/afghanistan-in-the-1950s-and-60s/100544/

[RoofGardener]

18 hours ago, lightly said:

Ah, thanks Roof,  I was wrong about the timeline...it was much earlier when Afghanistan was more 'modern'...  30's through 60's.   Women were attending University in miniskirts in the 60's.   Kabul acquired the nickname of the "Paris" of Central Asia and became a popular tourist destination.

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/weekinreview/18bumiller.html

Very interesting; thanks for that @lightly.

It just goes to show how strict Islam screws things up

[lightly]

5 hours ago, RoofGardener said:

Very interesting; thanks for that @lightly.

It just goes to show how strict Islam screws things up

 

Yes indeed.     It also shows how the Cold War between Russia and U.S.  helped screw Afghanistan, and many other countries up.   It's possible, that without that outside interference (help..Russian weapons and U.S. Aid $)  they may have continued to modernize..and the 'fundamentalists'  might not have taken hold.

eta:. As far as that goes, 'our' more recent Invasions of Afghanistan ,and Iraq,!  created the total collapse of both countries.  They had nothing left to fight back with  BUT their fundamentalism .  !!

         If this country was invaded and taken over  by foreign Military Powers... I wonder,  what would the American populace do ?   Throw  "flowers and kisses" ?      Remember that? I think  that's what we were told would be the response of the Iraqi people.        !

Edited September 7, 2021 by lightly

[SHaYap]

1 hour ago, lightly said:

Throw  "flowers and kisses" ?    

Remember May 4, 1970 ?

Quote

[00.05:29]

 51 years ago... Time flies... 

~

[lightly]

Wow!  Neil Young and Guitar !**!*!*!*!!   ..what amazing energy !

[lightly]

3 hours ago, third_eye said:

Remember May 4, 1970 ?

 51 years ago... Time flies... 

~

  Sure...  Kent State killings.      I was camping out at Spring Lake and had a big chunk of Red Lebanese  

[Tatetopa]

On 9/2/2021 at 3:59 PM, Hammerclaw said:

Yes. "Military Intelligence" is an oxymoron.

That is only a story we tell ourselves to ally the fear that they are powerful and they do know what we are doing.  Scary proposition.

[+Hammerclaw]

2 hours ago, Tatetopa said:

That is only a story we tell ourselves to ally the fear that they are powerful and they do know what we are doing.  Scary proposition.

Well, unlike a totalitarian dictatorship, our military is subject to the vagaries and whims of politicians. If our military had been allowed latitude in planning and executing the withdrawal, it might have been a little more expert.

[Tatetopa]

39 minutes ago, Hammerclaw said:

Well, unlike a totalitarian dictatorship, our military is subject to the vagaries and whims of politicians. If our military had been allowed latitude in planning and executing the withdrawal, it might have been a little more expert.

Possibly, but maybe not.  On the other side are the very people Eisenhower warned us about, the defense industries who provide jobs for so many retired military officers.  For no other reason than corporate profits, they might try to persuade people in charge to stay.

[docyabut2]

On 9/3/2021 at 6:44 PM, Obviousman said:

Surely you mean the New Crusades?  

yep the talbians  don't believe in art and music, they cut off anyone's hands that believe in it:(  the free world has to stopped it in New Crusades

Edited September 7, 2021 by docyabut2

[+Hammerclaw]

5 minutes ago, Tatetopa said:

Possibly, but maybe not.  On the other side are the very people Eisenhower warned us about, the defense industries who provide jobs for so many retired military officers.  For no other reason than corporate profits, they might try to persuade people in charge to stay.

Nah, the local market was already saturated with hardware and our involvement was little more than sporadic peacekeeping missions. Plenty more action for our Wehrmacht on the Asian front. Trump was a lot like Roosevelt, in that he didn't know jack about the military, so--usually--trusted in the expertise of the military and the commanders in the field.(Probably why there was no new war during his tenure.) Biden, like, Obama, on the other hand, considers the military more as a diplomatic tool and wields it accordingly. That's how we wind up with countries we poured billions into propping them up, collapsing--South Vietnam, Afghanistan--when they become politically inexpedient. 

[jaylemurph]

On 9/3/2021 at 3:04 PM, docyabut2 said:

Really you think `d  there are the Islamic  terrorists  attacking all  of our countries, even  in China and Russia  and we all should  join together to fight them against them , a world war 3    

Posts like this are why you need an internet nanny. 

—Jaylemurph