> we keep losing wars because no one sets achievable goals In Afghanistan, our goals were in fact achievable, but we screwed up the execution. In 1979, when w

> we keep losing wars because no one sets achievable goals In Afghanistan, our goals were in fact achievable, but we screwed up the execution. In 1979, when we used the Mujahideen to kick the Soviets out, we succeeded because we had Pakistan to give us logistical support from the sea, and to do some of our our dirty work. General Zia was a true Islamist, so there was no daylight between him and William Casey in going after the godless communists. After 9/11, George W. Bush had a blank check from the American public. But he went back to the Pakistan military, and this time their goals were very different from ours. The generals took our billions and cooperated with us as little as they could to escape sanctions, while continuing to harbor the Taliban. They themselves were thoroughly penetrated by Al Qaeda. [1] We could never defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan as long as they could just retreat to their sanctuary in Pakistan, get arms and healthcare. But publicly we kept saying that Pakistan was our ally. No wonder the public are confused about why we lost. [1] Steve Coll, "Ghost Wars: the CIA's secret wars in Afghanistan",