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Whatever you feel about them, they make sense to me


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ok, i would hardly call this arguing the toss though, and i see absolutely no reason why people can't have an open and transparent conversation about Afghanistan (unless your argument doesn't go past "NO WAR, MAN!", in which case there is little point). it isn't even a political debate, much more a pragmatic strategic debate, if you will. i'm not looking to change your mind either - i'm honestly interested in why you think Afghanistan has nothing to do with us, and why those involved should be tried for war crimes. what were/are the alternatives etc...? can we expect statesmen to keep to the same moral code as citizens when it comes to foreign policy? if you're going to make pretty 'big' statements like that you should at least be able to back it up - so as at least you don't come across as someone else throwing around anti-war rhetoric with little substance - if you see my point!

if only to prompt a discussion i will give my albeit short two cents. Afghanistan was a just war at its conception but the military strategy has since lost its way. the bulk of attacks (not just against the west) were planned and orchestrated from the tribal regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan - the former being run by the taliban sunni militant group etc etc. but there can't be a conventional victory against the taliban, something that many people don't seem to understand. the biggest mistake in the conflict was ignoring pakistan - this is where the hub of the taliban have move too (specifically Quetta); this is where the the bulk of the high profile arrests have taken place (coincidence?); this is where the culture of extremism has continued to destabilise the region and thus Afghanistan. the only appropriate next step is three pronged - a staged military withdrawal coupled with the arming and training of those anti-taliban groups (that can do the nasty stuff western armies can't get away with), an attempt to remove those non-ideological taliban members from the equation via diplomatic measures (money/food/infrastructure) and more international pressure of pakistan. but whateva'. i can't imagine the situation we'd be in now if we hadn't gone into Afghanistan, but please feel free to throw in what you think.

2:1, could do better.

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