Look at it this way..The writer may be a gloated liberal.
But the fact remains..Many of these Madressa's, the religious parties that fund them.. the Hizbi guys..
they all believe that the defeat of the USSR was due to the spirit of Jihad.
Well, if one is go by that logic.. then perhaps they should also realize that when god was at their side, he did not rain down pellets from the sky on the Russians. he provided the Muj assistance through other means. Means such as weapons and monetary aid by the US.. weapons that came from stocks in Israel.. weapons that had "Jewish" tech. Did that make them any less effective as weapons in Jihad? NO
Did the Mujaheddin have any issue with taking those weapons then? NO
Would the Mujaheddin have defeated the USSR without international assistance? NO
Would the PAF have had equal success against the DRAAF and Soviet jets without the F-16's and Aim-9Ls?? NO.
(those implying the Taliban had anything to do with the USSR's defeat needs to go read history again, the Taliban were young kids when the conflict was being fought..and the older ones fought within the ranks of what was the Northern Alliance)
Now.. coming to the Pakistani choice in taking sides in the Afghan war.. well for starters, Pakistan was already famous as a US Pony.
India and USSR were close allies. And at that time.. there was a very real existential threat to Pakistan since the USSR was hungry for a port to the Arabian sea, and a war between India and Pakistan would have allowed both to mount an invasion and finish the "Pakistan problem(to the hawks anyway)" once and for all.
So the choice to side with the US, at that time .. looked the most beneficial.
All said and done.. we had a virtual divorce from the US in the 90's..
then comes 2001... and a dictator without holding any referendum on what was a crucial national decision, without consulting any party.. takes a unilateral decision to accommodate the US.
it might be argued that the US was bloodthirsty.. and therefore at the time to avoid having Pakistan become a target the decision had to be taken quick.
Yet.. even if siding with the US was selected, would it not have been prudent to consult the terms and conditions of the alliance on a national level??
No, that did not happen.. the concession were granted without question by the dictator and the result is the mess we are in today.
We cannot defeat the US, even if China decides to back us up with weapons and military hardware.
There is no vast border with China, moreover.. unlike the USSR.. China has massive trade with the US.
The military of the USSR was a lumbering behemoth.. the US however has a military blistering with the latest technology and hardware.
Something they demonstrated on may 2.
Will this EVER convince the delusional?? NO
They are products of an indoctrination pattern that seeks to empower the clergy into being supreme.
Thous shalt not question the Mullah. nor his logic... what he preaches is the word of god.
Guess where this idea came from??
Suddenly Micheal Moore isnt all fantastic conspiracies when it comes to pointing out his fundamental observation.