I have tried to stay out of this mess. If any one of you yahoos, I mean, keyboard warriors, can define "WIN" in operational terms, please go at it.
First, any war can be won with the right strategy and the right leadership. I have no patience with defeatists. Secondly, the surge worked in Iraq; it accomplished what it set out to accomplish. The terrorists were minimalized to the point where they shifted their attention away from Iraq to Afghanistan. Thirdly, the surge can work in Afghanistan but will likely require the assistance of Pakistan. Granted, that makes Afganistan a little more difficult, but to throw your hands up and say it can't be won is rediculous. The Taliban and Al-Quaida were responsible for 9/11 and they have to pay the price. If anyone seriously belives all we have to do to stop the bloodshed is to quit Afghanistan they completely misunderstand our enemies. They will continue to come after us just as they did before 9/11 (USS Cole, African embassies, etc). For us to leave Afghanistan before the job is done will only prove to the terrorists that we are weak and have no stomach for a prolonged conflict. Is that the image we want to convey to them?
And there you have it. That ain't gonna happen, cause Afghanistan has NEVER been that way. It is a tribal country. Not a thing wrong with that, but it is the antithesis of "stable government." By the way, regarding the faith you put in Iraq "surge." In between 25 and 50 years from now, I predict the truth behind the surge will be revealed. You will be astounded. I doubt I will be alive. You might be. There is a hint about this in Bob Woodward's book. Read carefully. hwr
You mean any war can be won if you define "victory" cleverly. I have no patience with endless occupations. The "war" was over long ago. BS. If the Iraq war mission is accomplished, why are we still taking casualties there and spending billions per week? Ridiculous. Name a guerilla war that we have won. This is going to happen anyway while we are tied down in nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan. We should be going after Al Qaida, not every angry muslim with a gun, there is an endless supply of them. We've been there for 8 years. If the job is not yet done, one must question what the friggin' job is. Here is the image we portray . . . If you attack the United States, we will take down your country, occupy it, and stay as long as we want to, no matter how remote, no matter how hostile. There is the examples of Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghnaistan for all to see. We don't have to stay there forever, hemorrhaging casualties and dollars to reiterate that important point. We have demonstrated it. These people were fighting each other for millennia before we came and after we leave they will go back to fighting. It ain't our fight, but we've been lured into it. We need to refocus on our fight which we need to fight in our style and on our terms, not conduct guerilla knife fights playing by the enemy's rules.
I pretty much agree with Red and Sabanfan here. I also believe that Obama said he is uncomfortable with winning or victory in Afghanistan. This troubles me, I don't know what he means by that. I've never heard any commander and chief say that before? The minute I heard that we should have brought everyone home. Maybe he should have explained the situation with Pakistan and Afghanistan and state that its unwinnable instead? The way I see it I don't understand why we would send any more troops over there? Especially if we are planning to scale things down in 18 months or so. It was wrong to give a deadline so that the enemy can just enjoy life and then attack everything once most troops leave. I think the mission is done. I don't believe in nation building especially in the middle east. Someone said something about bribing war lords and trying to be friends with these people but I don't think that will work anymore. These people have to be scared to death that we will leave, create a vacuum and then the Taliban and Al Quada will come in and execute them because they were cooperating with us. With the situation in Afghanistan including Pakistan we should just get out! I do believe maybe we should do some nation building in Mexico but that is for another topic for obvious reasons.
