US has realised it's mistake in Afghanistan: CJCSC

[VCheng]

The Taliban were refusing to hand over AQ - what do you propose should have been done?


The US won the conventional war in the beginning (not really a surprise) - they lost/drew the longer term COIN campaign.

Of course one could argue that the COIN campaign was always going to end through a political solution (as VCheng pointed out), and creating the conditions for a political solution required all parties to arrive at a military stalemate, which is where the US & Taliban are at currently.

One could also argue that the US goal in Afghanistan was to prevent the use of Afghanistan by terrorist groups, which, given what we know about the talks so far, is a condition the Taliban are willing to accept. So therefore, while it has cost a lot of blood and treasure, the US might be able to end its involvement in Afghanistan with the accomplishment of the goal stated above.

Now, could that goal have been realised without the invasion of Afghanistan? I don’t know. The Taliban were, IIRC, amenable to a trial of AQ locally and I believe in a mutually agreed upon third country. Perhaps those options should have been fully explored before the use of military force.

USA does not care about winning or losing wars. It cares only about serving its national interests, whatever it takes. That is all.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

USA does not care about winning or losing wars. It cares only about serving its national interests, whatever it takes. That is all.

And what was the national interest in invading Afghanistan?

 

[VCheng]

And what was the national interest in invading Afghanistan?

As you mentioned above, "the US goal in Afghanistan was to prevent the use of Afghanistan by terrorist groups" and one that will be continued with the new political arrangements in process. Getting OBL was cathartic in many ways too.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

As you mentioned above, "the US goal in Afghanistan was to prevent the use of Afghanistan by terrorist groups" and one that will be continued with the new political arrangements in process. Getting OBL was cathartic in many ways too.

Ah, OK. I wasn't sure if you were disagreeing with me on my interpretation of US goals. We have the same position on it.

 

[Peaceful Civilian]

Every war ends by political means. Every one.

Not everyone. World War II ended after two nuclear bombs. History is evident of this. Hundreds of years most wars ended through force & Invasion.

 

[Reddington]

The Taliban were refusing to hand over AQ - what do you propose should have been done?

It was never about terrorists/AQ.

And what was the national interest in invading Afghanistan?

Invasion of Afghanistan had already been decided. Read about "Project for the New American Century". Bush, Cheney and others signed on the principles of PNAC and then they all worked in Bush administration 5 years later.
USA has many geo-strategic objectives in Afghanistan. Nothing to do with terrorist BS.
The strategic objectives of USA in Afghanistan such as:
1) Encirclement of China
2) Encirclement of Russia
3) Close Proximity to Iran
4) Close proximity to Pakistan
5) Control and eyes on resource rich CARs
6) Trillion dollar worth of minerals in Afghanistan
7) Billions of dollars worth of poppy cultivation/opium trade which CIA then uses to cover other covert/terrorist activities in other parts of the world.
8) Testing of Chemical/Biological Weapons and others (Drone warfare which US military tested and mastered)
9) Protection of Israel and Pakistan being only Muslim nuclear state poses a threat. Hence to denuclearize Pakistan. Which is why TTP and other terrorists attacked Pakistan.
Hence even right now USA is begging Taliban for a base or two in negotiations.

 

[VCheng]

Not everyone. World War II ended after two nuclear bombs. History is evident of this. Hundreds of years most wars ended through force & Invasion.

The nuclear bombs merely encouraged the Japanese to seek a political settlement to end the war by surrender, instead of dragging it on to a bloody and prolonged island-by-island campaign.