Iran caught Red Handed delivering weapons to Taliban

My concern is that we see some nation building in Afghanistan but not a lot of news of Al Queda defeats or arrests. I mean, OBL is still at large right?

History teaches to those who are willing to learn. We can't change what has happened but we can take steps to learn from it in the hopes we can prevent it from happening again.

I don't think every problem can be handled looking down the barrel of a gun. There is a place for diplomacy and trade. We toppled the damn USSR without firing a shot.

 

I'd definitely disagree here. The proxy war in Afghanistan was their Vietnam. After the war, the russian military - who had been pumped up and thought they were the best in the world - was defeated by a bunch of camel riding natives (in their estimation). It was totally humiliating for them. You can easily make a case that their defeat there, along with Reagan being willing to militarily outspend the Soviets hastened the collapse there. US vs USSR never happened; but the proxy wars did and bullets were fired.

If he's alive, yes. He's probably in Pakistan, in one of those semi-autonomous border regions that Pakistan won't let us into and won't go into themselves.

I thought I read not too long ago that like 70 or 80 percent of the Al Qaida leadership had been killed and they are in quite a bit of disarray. Didn't we just kill or capture some big honcho just last month? We are killing their leadership in Iraq too. Not a lot? There is if you read more than the Iraq headlines.

 

ferret, the opium buy off is a very good example of using financial clout and aid to accomplish positive goals without having to invade, police or attack.

Money still talks. Even with religious zealots. Particularly zealots in countries with a population that is living in the dark ages when it comes to modern amenities, potable water and food.

I really believe it would be a lot harder for OBL and his ilk to recruit in countries that rely on and engage in friendly trade. Food and financial aid is tough to argue against. And I imagine it is cheaper than war or police action.

 

Chocolate is used to finance the wars in Africa. It's a legitimate crop and its used to do the same thing. It's not the crop; its the leadership. It's not the dark ages/amenities/water/food; its the leadership. I think you can find parallels between Africa and Afghanistan.

 

We attacked their economic model and won. And as elements of western culture started to seep in, the tide turned rapidly. They wanted Levi's and Bruce Springsteen. They want to drive Escalades and eat McDonalds.

Gorbachev sowed the seeds of change in the mid-80s because he saw the writing on the wall. An enemy who never meets you on the battlefield makes all of the propaganda and rhetoric emptier and emptier with each generation.