“It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong.” - Thomas Sowell-
It is no wonder why fewer young men are signing up for the military. Afghanistan put the integrity of the American leadership in a disreputable state. The decisions were a disaster, and even I would never have consider abandoning Bagram base and all it’s equipment, never mind personnel and all those who aided us. It’s was a colossal failure and nothing in our history of junk wars compares to it. One has only to say in exasperation, “What were they thinking?” I wonder if there sons had fought, if they would have been so devoid of strategy. My heart goes out to those who lost sons and daughters over there. Thus it is understandable that military volunteer numbers are lower.
All of us whom were over there feel like our efforts were wasted not to mention the terrible lives losts and abandonment of Americans and those Afghans whom supported us as one of the biggest stains on our country history, as we cut and ran for political BS.Biden owns this mess.
Gen. Jack Keane in that same interview noted that Biden made the decision to pull out despite pushback by all his advisors. Hard to really understand his motives in that he could have spun alternate actions easily holding the standoff in process. I see it as a act of pique, making his mark, damn them all. But a true blunder.
As Keane notes the stalemate was working perhaps it was in the process of failing because earlier we reduced logistic support to Afghanistan troops in the field, dooming them in the process. And giving up Bagram was a colossal blunder. It's strategic value alone against China was worth the cost of continuing operations of all US forces.
But Obama did start the process and Keane notes that Trump undermined the Afghan government in the US-Taliban peace talks. Trump also wanted a victory celebration as did Biden but at least Trump required conditions before reducing more troops. As it stands, we didn't want to win but could settle for a stalemate maintaining the $1T investment. With a stalemate it might be possible to finally arrive at a "proper" Afghan government with less graft. Now we have trashed it all, for nothing.
But it didn't have to go that way. Guys like Keane could have rearranged the calculus. Damn feckless politicians!
Sorta like Vietnam, we pull out and even more die as a result. The loud voices that demanded an end got it but at what cost? Afghanistan is now worse off than before we arrived. Great progress.
It is no wonder why fewer young men are signing up for the military. Afghanistan put the integrity of the American leadership in a disreputable state. The decisions were a disaster, and even I would never have consider abandoning Bagram base and all it’s equipment, never mind personnel and all those who aided us. It’s was a colossal failure and nothing in our history of junk wars compares to it. One has only to say in exasperation, “What were they thinking?” I wonder if there sons had fought, if they would have been so devoid of strategy. My heart goes out to those who lost sons and daughters over there. Thus it is understandable that military volunteer numbers are lower.
All of us whom were over there feel like our efforts were wasted not to mention the terrible lives losts and abandonment of Americans and those Afghans whom supported us as one of the biggest stains on our country history, as we cut and ran for political BS.Biden owns this mess.
Gen. Jack Keane in that same interview noted that Biden made the decision to pull out despite pushback by all his advisors. Hard to really understand his motives in that he could have spun alternate actions easily holding the standoff in process. I see it as a act of pique, making his mark, damn them all. But a true blunder.
As Keane notes the stalemate was working perhaps it was in the process of failing because earlier we reduced logistic support to Afghanistan troops in the field, dooming them in the process. And giving up Bagram was a colossal blunder. It's strategic value alone against China was worth the cost of continuing operations of all US forces.
But Obama did start the process and Keane notes that Trump undermined the Afghan government in the US-Taliban peace talks. Trump also wanted a victory celebration as did Biden but at least Trump required conditions before reducing more troops. As it stands, we didn't want to win but could settle for a stalemate maintaining the $1T investment. With a stalemate it might be possible to finally arrive at a "proper" Afghan government with less graft. Now we have trashed it all, for nothing.
That why I wrote the article this was done deal back in 2011
But it didn't have to go that way. Guys like Keane could have rearranged the calculus. Damn feckless politicians!
Sorta like Vietnam, we pull out and even more die as a result. The loud voices that demanded an end got it but at what cost? Afghanistan is now worse off than before we arrived. Great progress.
I spent three years there living this