Obama sends more troops to Afghanistan

[mantra.]

Where is the US getting their money from? Why is the Coalition still there? Osama is never going to get caught that much is obvious - that's if he even exists. Rudd has just cut our defence budget - starting with the officers lurks & perks, limousines, 5 star hotels etc. but whether it's gone further down the chain I don't know, but what's the bet the US will want a contribution from us.

While the US is in this serious recession - why aren't they looking after their own citizens first, instead of throwing good money after bad? No-one has ever won a war in Afghanistan - so why does the US believe they will? What are their real interests there?

PRESIDENT Barack Obama has approved the deployment of thousands more troops to Afghanistan, saying it was necessary "to stabilise a deteriorating situation".

“To meet urgent security needs, I approved a request from Secretary (Robert) Gates to deploy a Marine Expeditionary Brigade later this spring and an Army Stryker Brigade and the enabling forces necessary to support them later this (northern) summer,” he said in a statement.

“This increase is necessary to stabilise a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, which has not received the strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires,” he said.

[skippy]

This war is unwinable, just ask the Russians, there was a story on tele last night about Russia's war in Afghanistan (I think the 7.30 report, it was the ABC anyway) the Russians look at it as their Vietnam, the worst mistake they ever made, they cant believe the USA and its allies bother to waste soooooooooo much money on a war they will never win.

What I cant believe is that they cant find Bin laden, the cops can find one dope plant in a chopper with infra red lights yet cant find Bin laden, are they really looking?

[Jovial Monk]

I believe we should pull out from Iraq, an illegal war started on forged premises and badly managed to boot!

I would like to kick the fucking fundies so hard they won't even THINK oft killing little girls for the dastardly crime of attending school!

The war and the civil side needs to be much better managed. Our regular troops there, the finest anywhere, should be allowed to engage in operations. In VN the province the diggers were in was one of the most peaceful!

[mantra.]

It's in Afghanistan they can't go to school and Iraq as well today. Under Saddam the kids could go to school safely. Now there is no strong government in Iraq and parents can't send their kids to school safely - we have the yanks to thank for that.

But Afghanistan is just a losing battle. Maybe the Americans want to stay there because they're relying on CIA intelligence who perhaps have advised them that the opium crops are doing so well now that the Taliban have stopped eradicating them - that a viable industry would go down the gurglar without their interference.

[Postul8]

There's a thing the American's just can't exist without and that's prestige. Worlds last superpower, strongest military nation and all that garbage. Obama is cemented into Afghanistan by his predecessor's precipitous knee-jerk reaction to 9-11 and all the promises made at the time to exact revenge at any cost. Where's the money coming from? When you're US$17t in the hole, what's a few more hundred million? Besides, I think we all know that governments can pull money from thin air anytime they like. Just as long as those nations holding T-Bonds don't demand their money back. China, anyone?

[mantra.]

It would be good to have some more genuine debate on this Political forum - but I agree with the following:

There's a thing the American's just can't exist without and that's prestige. Worlds last superpower, strongest military nation and all that garbage. Obama is cemented into Afghanistan by his predecessor's precipitous knee-jerk reaction to 9-11 and all the promises made at the time to exact revenge at any cost. Where's the money coming from? When you're US$17t in the hole, what's a few more hundred million? Besides, I think we all know that governments can pull money from thin air anytime they like. Just as long as those nations holding T-Bonds don't demand their money back. China, anyone?

There was talk a couple of years about China calling in their credit notes and the US would be stuffed if that happened. Where are they getting all this cash from to pay for not only the wars, but propping up their economy? So many millions of people have lost their jobs over the last couple of years. They can't just print cash indefinitely, so they have to be borrowing it from somewhere.

I don't know if they are in Afghanistan for ideological reasons - I think there's some other reason - probably a directive from the big boys in the World Order. They've got their fingers in some pie over there.

[Postul8]

It would be good to have some more genuine debate on this Political forum - but I agree with the following:

There's a thing the American's just can't exist without and that's prestige. Worlds last superpower, strongest military nation and all that garbage. Obama is cemented into Afghanistan by his predecessor's precipitous knee-jerk reaction to 9-11 and all the promises made at the time to exact revenge at any cost. Where's the money coming from? When you're US$17t in the hole, what's a few more hundred million? Besides, I think we all know that governments can pull money from thin air anytime they like. Just as long as those nations holding T-Bonds don't demand their money back. China, anyone?

There was talk a couple of years about China calling in their credit notes and the US would be stuffed if that happened. Where are they getting all this cash from to pay for not only the wars, but propping up their economy? So many millions of people have lost their jobs over the last couple of years. They can't just print cash indefinitely, so they have to be borrowing it from somewhere.

I don't know if they are in Afghanistan for ideological reasons - I think there's some other reason - probably a directive from the big boys in the World Order. They've got their fingers in some pie over there.

Governments can create cash at will, Skip. Governments don't run bank accounts like you or I. The only real stopper is the faith in eventual recovery held by the global community. China and India hold the fate of the US in their hands currently, despite what you might read. Fiscal balance is a tenuous thing, yet cast in iron at the same time. a huge majority of commodities are still traded in US$ and whilever that remains the case, the US will not fall. If, as the EU tried to promote several years ago, oil futures be traded in the euro, then all bets would be off. It may yet happen if the current global recession deepens.

[AiA in Atlanta]

I believe we should pull out from Iraq, an illegal war started on forged premises and badly managed to boot!

We are talking Afghanistan here Monk, not Iraq. It is a country worth being saved. Start with the legalisation of opium production which will stop the farmers turning to the Taliban when their livelihood is destroyed by the Brits spraying their fields.

[JW Frogen]

Woe is me, the war is lost, despite suffering some the lowest casualty rates in any war the democratic West has every fought, we have lost!

Far lower casualty rates than the Soviets, who, unlike the US unified the entire country against them, fundamentalists and Northern Alliance, where as most Afghans support the US defended democratic government.

There is no mystery here, when the US ignored Afghanistan after the Soviets left the Taliban took over and went into a symbiotic relationship with Al Qaeda, then attacked the US.

The US is simply attempting to prevent the Taliban-Al Qaeda from taking back control of the country, declaring a huge victory and then using the country once again as a safe haven to train and attack the West.

Even the present circumstances are preferable to withdrawal, with the Taliban and Al Qaeda pinned in the East, fighting a mountain guerrilla war, inflicting very low casualties, sustaining greater casualties.

The US could fight this war for decades, but Obama wants to really put them under pressure with the same successful surge strategy that has all but won the Iraq war.

All I would warn Obama about is making expectations too high, the troop surge will really put the Taliban on the defensive, but this war will flash hot and cold for a decade or more until Kabul can get a strong foothold on the country.

Civilisation is hard, hard people build it.

But only democracy allows the rest to feel like surrendering slaves at their own leisure.

[Postul8]

Civilisation is hard, hard people build it. But only democracy allows the rest to feel like surrendering slaves at their own leisure.

I'd say that was profound, except I'm sure I've read it somewhere else