3 ms·

>So what was this whole war, its death toll its costs good for? It's a message. For the next several hundred years every warlord and extremist groups that's a

>So what was this whole war, its death toll its costs good for? It's a message. For the next several hundred years every warlord and extremist groups that's about to consolidate power over a nation is going to point at the Taliban and say "we want to run this nation, we don't want our sons to be running it" when kicking out particularly odious house guests who have dreams of attacking the 1st world. Was it worth it? IDK, doubt it. But that's what we bought at the end of the day. We bought a precedent.

flyinglizard 5y ago
I agree with you in principle but in reality it was the US who was deterred, more than Afghanistan (which does not really seem to exist in any sovereign capacity). Warlords can operate with relative impunity knowing the US public would not let another Afghanistan take place.
digdigdag 5y ago
You put forth a quasi-patriotic interpretation and a false premise, as the true benefactors of attacks on the 1st world have long been indicated (though not officially confirmed) to state sponsored groups in Saudi Arabia. Yet there they still stand, completely untouched by the quagmire that was Afghanistan and Iraq for the past 20 years. Secondly, we gave an entire generation of orphaned children (now adults at this point) all the more reason to focus their rage and frustration at the United States. I'm not sure what the net effect of all this is down the road, but I don't think it will be a case of these nations fearing the first world. Quite the opposite I think.
xorcist 5y ago
Make no mistake, the Taliban stands to gain from this conflict. Not to mention Pakistan.
- throwaway0a5e 5y ago
  Of course they do. They want their country back. They want to pick up where they left off in 2001. And frankly I think they deserve their country back. But I doubt they'll harbor people who attack the first world again. That venture was nothing but a waste of 20yr and blood to them, same as it was to us.
  - pm90 5y ago
    This seems like wishful thinking. If anything they will be egged on to conduct even more sophisticated attacks on the West knowing full well that an invasion will never be politically viable anymore. A whole generation of orphaned and suffering populace will probably also just cheer them on and view them as heroes.
  - xorcist 5y ago
    Their country? Tell that to the Hazars. Honestly, the ignorance is baffling. Taliban is a modern construct, and not only did the stand to gain from a civil war, they have also found a common enemy to unite against and also support from their previous enemies the Pakistani Talibans.
hutzlibu 5y ago
Well, the thing with religious extremists, who want to leave this world anyway - is that they do not really want to be running things, but they want the world they despise to burn. One suicide attack - one major war. Mission accomplished for the extremists/terrorists. And as for the Taliban ... well, they sort of won, didn't they?

flyinglizard 5y ago

I agree with you in principle but in reality it was the US who was deterred, more than Afghanistan (which does not really seem to exist in any sovereign capacity). Warlords can operate with relative impunity knowing the US public would not let another Afghanistan take place.

digdigdag 5y ago

You put forth a quasi-patriotic interpretation and a false premise, as the true benefactors of attacks on the 1st world have long been indicated (though not officially confirmed) to state sponsored groups in Saudi Arabia. Yet there they still stand, completely untouched by the quagmire that was Afghanistan and Iraq for the past 20 years. Secondly, we gave an entire generation of orphaned children (now adults at this point) all the more reason to focus their rage and frustration at the United States. I'm not sure what the net effect of all this is down the road, but I don't think it will be a case of these nations fearing the first world. Quite the opposite I think.

xorcist 5y ago

Make no mistake, the Taliban stands to gain from this conflict. Not to mention Pakistan.

throwaway0a5e 5y ago
Of course they do. They want their country back. They want to pick up where they left off in 2001. And frankly I think they deserve their country back. But I doubt they'll harbor people who attack the first world again. That venture was nothing but a waste of 20yr and blood to them, same as it was to us.
- pm90 5y ago
  This seems like wishful thinking. If anything they will be egged on to conduct even more sophisticated attacks on the West knowing full well that an invasion will never be politically viable anymore. A whole generation of orphaned and suffering populace will probably also just cheer them on and view them as heroes.
- xorcist 5y ago
  Their country? Tell that to the Hazars. Honestly, the ignorance is baffling. Taliban is a modern construct, and not only did the stand to gain from a civil war, they have also found a common enemy to unite against and also support from their previous enemies the Pakistani Talibans.

hutzlibu 5y ago

Well, the thing with religious extremists, who want to leave this world anyway - is that they do not really want to be running things, but they want the world they despise to burn. One suicide attack - one major war. Mission accomplished for the extremists/terrorists. And as for the Taliban ... well, they sort of won, didn't they?