Think its a lose-lose situation, nothing is going to change how the people in charge think.
Doesn't matter how much time is spent their trying to civilize them.
Afghanistan - 20 years on
- Thread starter GreatAuk
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Doesn't matter how much time is spent their trying to civilize them.
Hard to 'civilize' people when we let the puppet government we installed become so transparently corrupt that the people aren't all that interested, then there's the fact that the vast majority of the expenditure went towards defense contractors profits as it clearly didn't go to the people which might have helped rather a lot in winning 'hearts and minds' if their lives manifestly improved to the point that they want to protect it.
Yup. By and large the US only interacted with the Afghanistans when it was in their (the US's) interest.
That is a mistake the US makes, if you aren't them you're the enemy. British troops do often make an effort to get to know the locals. But Britain has had a lot more experience at this kind of stuff.
Well Biden made it abundently clear that the US went there only for thier own interests, and didn't give a **** about Afghanistan as a country.
I'm sure that's not true for all American soldiers.
No but generally it's a different mindset. That goes for their leaders too.
Indeed no - but as above the US from a top down perspective was only there for their own interests. Hence I think it an unbelievably ****** thing for Biden to do to berate them for not fighting when there was so much more the US could have been doing to give them a chance (or not doing stuff which actively frustrated their chances). It is as much on the US as it is to blame on the Afghans.
Because animals are treated like crap in those places and (good) husbands don't control what their wives do?
I watched that Sky interview. The guy talks the talk, but they are going to force the women to cover up.
I really hope they aren't lying about having changed in the last 20 years. Afghanistan doing well would be great and they would get a ton of tourism.
I really hope they aren't lying about having changed in the last 20 years. Afghanistan doing well would be great and they would get a ton of tourism.
If you have never seen Bitter Lake, Adam Curtis documentary on Afghanistan now would be a good time to watch it.
Here is the edited version with mainly just the narrated parts.
Here is the full length version (highly recommended if you don’t have a low attention span) it uses some absolutely fascinating archive footage, let it wash over you.
Here is the edited version with mainly just the narrated parts.
Here is the full length version (highly recommended if you don’t have a low attention span) it uses some absolutely fascinating archive footage, let it wash over you.
Given the couple of videos I've seen where the Taliban were escorting foreigners out, but full on verbally abusing them and only 1-2 commander types holding them back I can't imagine things have changed much - there seems to be a thin line holding the worst back.
Soldato
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NGL I laughed.
Soldato
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In Kabul, and other major cities, they'll probably try and make it look like they've changed, but scratch away at the surface and it'll be the same as it is in the dusty regions of the country, i.e. something akin to living in medieval times.
Yep it's not really an organised force. Only a handful of them at the top.
Caporegime
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America have basically had their third Vietnam. Will they ever learn.
Doubling down is their thing, plenty more mistakes to make.
Not really like Vietnam. Afghanistan was stable for quite a while before this. The fighting pretty much stopped (except for the ISIS thing, the Taliban didn't like them either).