George Will: pull out of Afghanistan

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

It's one thing to nation build in a place like Iraq, that has modern educated people.

It's another thing to nation build with a bunch of Asian steppe hillbillies. That was probably always a losing proposition. You can't nation build in Afghanistan unless you have a time machine that can fast-forward their cultural development by 200 years.

The fact is, they are culturally closer to the Taliban that the West. American culture might as well be an alien civilization.

You really can't win when there are no goals, or unachievable goals. Putting the heat on the Taliban and Al Qaeda is doable. Eliminating the Taliban, not so much.

You underestimate the Afghanis and remember part of your history while forgetting the rest.

Afghanistan, prior to the Soviet invasion, was very advanced for that region of the world, and only reverted to its backward ways during the Soviet war and under the Taliban, which is more a belief or interpretative system of Sharia, than a group of individuals. That's why you don't stamp it out.

With the good will present at the time, and the collective effort of the world, I think we would have had a chance then. Now we've lost two wars, gone broke in the process and keep skyrocketing our debt. This spiral is worse than it seems.