In the 21st century, soft power, not military power is what matters. Our leaders are too dense to see it....just sit around scratching their heads while China uses economics to spread it's influence around the world....while we continue to pour money and lives down the drain in far off conflicts, and pander to populist movements at home by cutting foreign aid.
Afghanistan - 20 years on
- Thread starter GreatAuk
- Start date
In the 21st century, soft power, not military power is what matters. Our leaders are too dense to see it....just sit around scratching their heads while China uses economics to spread it's influence around the world....while we continue to pour money and lives down the drain in far off conflicts, and pander to populist movements at home by cutting foreign aid.
When the alternative is a gunshot (or worse), storming a plane seems reasonable.
Gassing is never going to work. You'll just incapacitate hundreds of them sprawled across the runway which will mean the planes have to run them over in order to take off. That's not going to portray a good image.
If the airport is no longer secured, then they won't be able to fly people out with planes.
Soldato
So a case of doing one thing, then saying another thing in a private conversation.
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Soldato
Not sure defense contractors in DC/Virginia would agree.
the videos of planes going down the run way with crowds of people running in-front and all around it are crazy.
all it would have took is one person to throw something at the engine, there's footage of people falling from the sky off the planes wheels etc too :S
What a mess
Soldato
What, finding a way to turn it around on Western men for a virus caused by the Chinese, how stunning and brave
Man of Honour
Money/Jobs? The CIA/Defence complex has grown massively since 2001
Soldato
Soldato
How is turning it around? People in the west can't put a mask on to protect others, or follow-some basic guidelines, yet are commenting that the Afghan men aren't fighting. I'd probably be doing the same in their shoes.
I know you would
Soldato
So you would stay and fight?
I feel sorry for your loved ones if we were in their shoes. You'd have left them in the airport to fend for themselves whilst clinging onto the landing gear.
Well, I wouldn't say "I'd probably being doing the same" as them, but at the same time I obviously wouldn't put up a 1 man fight against the Taliban
Soldato
Not going to fightback as a 1 man against the Taliban. The Taliban normally just kill the men anyway, whereas the Women they tend to have a biological need for. Not too dissimilar to how male lions tend to take over a pride kill the men and the Male cubs but keep all the female ones.
I was thinking that... Ending how it started. Tragic.
What an absolutely shocking thing to admit to. If that was really what they were thinking, then people like Mr Bolton should probably not have bothered lying to the people of the West and Afghanistan.
All those Afghans who died in the service of their new country over the years, took up new jobs, got an education, and generally took part in the new society and now face death for doing so could have just not bothered.
Would probably have been better if the US had literally invaded, then scarpered back to an air base nearby to launch drone strikes at anything that looked suspicious. Much less risk for everyone involved, particularly for the Afghans.
I know the 'geopolitical chess' aspect has always been part of it, but like other people I had let myself believe that there was a bit of genuine hope and belief in creating a new and better society in Afghanistan. Obviously that was a foolish belief.
I am sure drone pilots are going to be rather busy in the coming months.