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Did you visit in that era? I saw a set of photographs recently showing what Afghanistan and the people there looked like prior to the civil war and Russian invasion at the end of the 1970s and it's amazing to someone of my generation that Afghanistan at one point actually looked like a fairly stable place to travel to and interesting destination. The Afghanistan of the 1960s looked a world away from the place it's become today.
These days however--it's sad, but I can't see much hope for that place.
No, I've never been to Afghanistan. I have no desire to go. The older I get the more I prefer to keep my feet planted on US soil.
Shocking how a Western nation can engage in invasion and occupation of a nation for 12 years and yet it's public is completely clueless on the whole issue. Only in America
All of the above reply's deserve a "Rep". The current Afghan gov only control's Kabul. The rest of the country has reverted back to it's old ways. There are some other things going on there that haven't been mentioned above.
First the poppy/opium growing. The Taliban outlawed it when they came to power. There are some very influential people involved with that trade. Never-mind the banks that launder the money for a HUGE profit. Why else are NATO troops guarding the fields. Kind of makes a mockery of the western nations 'drug policy's'.
Second the never mentioned pipeline in the northern part of the country. I really don't know if it has been completed, but I assume it has. The Taliban had shut down the building of that also.
Look behind the curtain folks. Conflicts are never about anyone's "freedom". It is always about natural resources first, and illegal profits second. Both are sad commentary to the human race.
Afghanis will be Afghanis. Brother will fight Brother. Brothers will fight Fathers. Fathers will fight other Fathers and Tribes will fight Tribes for ever and ever.
They do not want to be Westernized, Indialized, Chineseized, Britishized or any other damn ized of any kind. They are Afghani and will always be Afghani. We just have to learn how to do business and not conquest with them.
Afghanis will be Afghanis. Brother will fight Brother. Brothers will fight Fathers. Fathers will fight other Fathers and Tribes will fight Tribes for ever and ever.
They do not want to be Westernized, Indialized, Chineseized, Britishized or any other damn ized of any kind. They are Afghani and will always be Afghani. We just have to learn how to do business and not conquest with them.
Yup.
The Taliban is a very recent social development. They did not exist until the late 1970's, and when in governmental control during the 80's, did not have control of the entire nation. The most temperate and hospitable areas of Afghanistan were always highly contested by the tribal warlords who ruled and lived in them. Sometimes the Taliban took over, sometimes not.
But after 15 years of Americanization, Afghanistan is not what it was in the 1980's. I sure can't predict what will happen, but whatever comes down will be different there than it was before. Americans have a way of changing things that other nations don't have, and even Afghanistan is not immune to that.
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Boompa
Karzai is laughingly refered to as the Mayor of Kabul. Originally I thought he would be on the last plane out but now I think the Taliban would just as soon leave Karzai in the Capitol and perhaps a couple other cities just to be sure we won't come back and to insulate them from us
I think Karzai will be living on the Cote d'Azur in the villa he builds with US funds.
People in those countries have been fighting each other for many generations. Fighting continues. Lots of young men were killed or maimed for no good reason. Thanks Obama.
Peace be on you. What will be the after-role of Russia and China and other Central asian countries?
The Chinese are becoming very adept at getting what they want out of Africa. Unlike the U.S., the Chinese study carefully which regions of a country is most amenable to China's needs, and they concentrate their foreign aid efforts much more locally than nationally.
If they have to pay off some officials in the capital, so be it. That's the way China worked for 3,000 years. And they have no interest in making a country democratic, Christian, or any of that. They show what the advantages of allying with China are by example, not words. If one part of a poor divided country begins to be more prosperous and settled from Chinese aid, the rest of the country eventually falls in line.
They also look at things in the long term. They realize making allies may require 70 years of no return for their investments in a poor nation, but they expect the payoff will be all the bigger when it happens.
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They did however crack down on the opium trade so that was good.
