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Afghanistan is known as the graveyard of empires. No western country has ever invaded Afghanistan and won. The British failed, the Russians failed, it was no s

Afghanistan is known as the graveyard of empires. No western country has ever invaded Afghanistan and won. The British failed, the Russians failed, it was no surprise for the US to fail.

dragonwriter 5y ago
Russia isn’t Western; the rule is more general than you have stated.
2OEH8eoCRo0 5y ago
Past performance is no guarantee of future results
mcguire 5y ago
Really sucks for those Afghans who thought they could trust us, though.
- jessaustin 5y ago
  Current pleas for help notwithstanding, there were never very many such Afghans. The fact that someone temporarily worked for pay for the violent invaders who had violently taken over is not an indication of trust. An Afghan I met in 2005 really opened my eye on this.
Omniusaspirer 5y ago
Western countries don't wage war in the way that lets you hold Afghanistan. Contrast with a successful historic conquering: "In the Mongol invasion of Khwarezmia (1219–1221), Genghis Khan invaded the region from the northeast in one of his many conquests to create the huge Mongol Empire. His armies slaughtered thousands in the cities of Kabul, Kandahar, Jalalabad etc. After Genghis Khan returned to Mongolia, there was a rebellion in the region of Helmand which was brutally put down by his son and successor, Ogedei Khan, who put all male residents of Ghazni and Helmand to the sword in 1222; the women were enslaved and sold. Thereafter most parts of Afghanistan other than the extreme south-eastern remained under Mongol rule as part of the Ilkhanate and Chagatai Khanate." (Wikipedia) Modern gentlemans agreement wars only really work between modern Westernized industrial societies. The idea that you could ever nation build in Afghanistan on a mere 20 year period was laughable even in 2001. It's possible results would have been different given a multi-generational timeline but when you aren't annexing the country it's hardly worth the effort.
- stefan_ 5y ago
  But an eastern country might? I wonder what happens if you apply the Uyghur playbook to this. You know, carry your Huawei with the state spyware app everywhere or its off to "reeducation camp".
- simmerup 5y ago
  At the same time in the modern day you don’t make money by conquering people and skimming their taxes, you make money by selling them shit. You can’t sell anything to the dead
- 2OEH8eoCRo0 5y ago
  Also Alexander. I've stayed in a castle in Helmand that I was told was either built by Alexander or built to fight Alexander.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

Afghanistan is known as the graveyard of empires. No western country has ever invaded Afghanistan and won. The British failed, the Russians failed, it was no surprise for the US to fail.

dragonwriter 5y ago

Russia isn’t Western; the rule is more general than you have stated.

2OEH8eoCRo0 5y ago

Past performance is no guarantee of future results

mcguire 5y ago

Really sucks for those Afghans who thought they could trust us, though.

jessaustin 5y ago
Current pleas for help notwithstanding, there were never very many such Afghans. The fact that someone temporarily worked for pay for the violent invaders who had violently taken over is not an indication of trust. An Afghan I met in 2005 really opened my eye on this.

Omniusaspirer 5y ago

Western countries don't wage war in the way that lets you hold Afghanistan. Contrast with a successful historic conquering: "In the Mongol invasion of Khwarezmia (1219–1221), Genghis Khan invaded the region from the northeast in one of his many conquests to create the huge Mongol Empire. His armies slaughtered thousands in the cities of Kabul, Kandahar, Jalalabad etc. After Genghis Khan returned to Mongolia, there was a rebellion in the region of Helmand which was brutally put down by his son and successor, Ogedei Khan, who put all male residents of Ghazni and Helmand to the sword in 1222; the women were enslaved and sold. Thereafter most parts of Afghanistan other than the extreme south-eastern remained under Mongol rule as part of the Ilkhanate and Chagatai Khanate." (Wikipedia) Modern gentlemans agreement wars only really work between modern Westernized industrial societies. The idea that you could ever nation build in Afghanistan on a mere 20 year period was laughable even in 2001. It's possible results would have been different given a multi-generational timeline but when you aren't annexing the country it's hardly worth the effort.

stefan_ 5y ago
But an eastern country might? I wonder what happens if you apply the Uyghur playbook to this. You know, carry your Huawei with the state spyware app everywhere or its off to "reeducation camp".
simmerup 5y ago
At the same time in the modern day you don’t make money by conquering people and skimming their taxes, you make money by selling them shit. You can’t sell anything to the dead
2OEH8eoCRo0 5y ago
Also Alexander. I've stayed in a castle in Helmand that I was told was either built by Alexander or built to fight Alexander.

deleted 5y ago

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