Who Is Arming The Taliban .

[hauxwell]

I feel sorry for young girls and women in Afghanistan.  They have been allowed to have an education in the last 20 years and more freedom.  
Is all that going to end now?

 

Edited August 16, 2021 by hauxwell

[Carbuncle]

12 minutes ago, nightrider said:

Read Rory Stewart's book about walking across Afghanistan. From that it is clear no-one in the west has any clue about how things work there.

Ho, ho. While you were writing your post, I was making the same point ... and reaching for the same author.

[altus]

26 minutes ago, hauxwell said:

I feel sorry for young girls and women in Afghanistan.  They have been allowed to have an education in the last 20 years and more freedom.  
Is all that going to end now?

 

Reading about what's happening is heartbreaking. An example - ‘Now I have to burn everything I achieved’

Quote

All I could see around me were the fearful and scared faces of women and ugly faces of men who hate women, who do not like women to get educated, work and have freedom. Most devastating to me were the ones who looked happy and made fun of women. Instead of standing by our side, they stand with the Taliban and give them even more power.

 

[tinfoilhat]

46 minutes ago, Carbuncle said:

I think the really hard problem is not a military one. Given a sufficiently large military effort you ought to be able to stabilise the situation but then you need a durable civil society to develop. American mythology has it that the US founding fathers developed theirs in a flash of inspiration on or around July 4th, 1776 (I am caricaturing for effect here). That leads American administrations to adopt the following playbook: invade, remove the existing regime, get a constitution written, hold some elections and everything should be hunky dory. That is just hopelessly naive.

 

In order to make real progress in a reasonable period of time you need to understand the situation on the ground: things like who is powerful, what loyalties exist, who hates who, how do people interact, how do relationships develop, what is acceptable behaviour, and so on and so forth. That is already really, really hard and that is just understanding the problem. Rory Stewart, former Tory MP, was a deputy regional governor in Iraq and wrote a book on his experiences there which is somewhat illuminating. The impression given is one of bewilderment with good intentions but no real sense of how to proceed. He is honest enough to let this all show through.

 

 

I'd agree with the first part to an extent. Of course the UK (And the majority of our NATO partners) didn't have the big numbers to give and certainly - and most importantly - those back home haven't got the stomach to see bigger numbers coming back in body bags or missing limbs. 

 

But let's say we didn't leave Afghanistan, and we stay there for another 20 years (and as you allude - not really knowing what we're doing) - what about Yemen? What about other countries that have oppressed/bombed/terrified peoples?  Afghanistan is a mess but its not exclusive. Do you go to other countries and help out?

[hauxwell]

22 minutes ago, altus said:

Reading about what's happening is heartbreaking. An example - ‘Now I have to burn everything I achieved’

 

It is heartbreaking and I suspect there role in society is nothing more than to produce children.  There must be a lot of highly educated woman who could contribute so much to there country.  I suspect the Taliban are to thick to realise that. 

[geared]

6 minutes ago, hauxwell said:

It is heartbreaking and I suspect there role in society is nothing more than to produce children.  There must be a lot of highly educated woman who could contribute so much to there country.  I suspect the Taliban are to thick to realise that. 

 

I'm sure they know it all too well, thats why they're actively suppressing it.

 

You won't have much luck running a totalitarian regime if your country is full of intelligent, free-thinkers.  They'll organise themselves and rise up.

By forcing all women into confinement they've removed a big chunk of opposition, leaving them to concentrate on beating the remaining men into submission.

[Carbuncle]

7 minutes ago, tinfoilhat said:

I'd agree with the first part to an extent. Of course the UK (And the majority of our NATO partners) didn't have the big numbers to give and certainly - and most importantly - those back home haven't got the stomach to see bigger numbers coming back in body bags or missing limbs. 

 

But let's say we didn't leave Afghanistan, and we stay there for another 20 years (and as you allude - not really knowing what we're doing) - what about Yemen? What about other countries that have oppressed/bombed/terrified peoples?  Afghanistan is a mess but its not exclusive. Do you go to other countries and help out?

I don't know. The politicians don't know. I know I don't know. I am not clear whether the politicians have the same self-insight although it may be that they are sufficiently cynical that they are prepared to entangle their countries knowing it will be a mess but perhaps only after they have left office.

 

A few things, illustrated by Afghanistan, might help:

1. Don't sell arms to people with worse morals than your own;

2. Don't make big decisions while you're angry;

3. Don't confuse the ability to destroy with the ability to create;

4. Try to avoid rifle-dropping ... you're letting people down and acquiring a reputation as a bad ally;

5. In view of 4., don't undertake offensive operations without clear, achievable aims and an exit plan;

...

[cuttsie]

Pakistan should take a lot of blame for the situation they have been giving the Taliban free border access for years ,another dodgy Ally  along with Turkey . 

[butlers]

Read a proper loopy post the other day that the Taliban will now march south and take Pakistan's nuclear weapons.

 

 

[tinfoilhat]

1 hour ago, butlers said:

Read a proper loopy post the other day that the Taliban will now march south and take Pakistan's nuclear weapons.

 

 

Not totally convinced it's that loopy. Warlords in Uzbekistan have already legged it away from the Afghan border, and the Taliban already have a foothold in Pakistan. Now they've got numbers, confidence and a load of US equipment courtesy of the Afghan army. 

 

Not saying they'll be successful but with a bit of help from AQ - who I'm sure will be arriving shortly - I don't think they'll stay in Afghanistan.