[NATION.PK] The Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... have been in power for almost 100 days; a timeline often used to test the nerve of governance. Since their storming into Kabul on August 15, on the heels of the world superpower’s exit, they have played their cards close to their chest. I’m neither a Taliban supporter nor do I approve of their yesteryear policies, yet I humbly acknowledge that they are a power to be reckoned with, and rightly deserve to be recognised as the de jure ruling entity of Afghanistan.
There are no spins involved. It’s high time the regional states, especially its immediate neighbours, as well as the major powers come forward to engage the political dispensation in Kabul. They have largely shunned militaristic-orientation. Though their foot soldiers carry an assault rifle, and almost all of them wear a beard and turban — and are in no mood to adapt the Westminster dress code, they have come a long way in at least settling down with serenity. They have done away with highhanded tactics against their opponents, especially the minorities and women. This episode of their inauguration stint is in need of being appreciated.
Afghanistan today is in the labyrinth stage. It is evolving to rise as a strong nation-state. Having expelled the foreign forces after a struggle or more than two decades, Afghans have at least cemented their nationalistic credentials. But they vanished. Despite being rich in natural resources, as well as an enterprising and hardworking populace, they are groping in the dark to build their war-devastated country from scratch. This is where the world community should play its role.
It’s time to shun prejudice against the entity in power, and realise the essentiality of dependence in inter-state relations. Failing a nation of 40 million, once again, by abandoning it is no option. While the resilient and war-weary Afghans can take on another episode of jingoism and go on to fight, even among themselves or with some new-found enemy—but this luxury cannot be afforded by any of the near or distant states. Pushing Afghanistan into a new circle of instability and warfare would be catastrophic.
This is where realpolitik comes into play. Pakistain, Iran, China and Central Asian States have a special responsibility to embrace Afghanistan. Russia, India, the Arab world and the United States too cannot keep themselves away. Engaging the landlocked country in conformity with the parameters of state-centrism is a must. For a while, all need to keep away their vested share of power politics—and let a devastated state be rebuilt.
Today it is the Taliban, but tomorrow it could be some other political doctrine at the helm of affairs. Thus the notion to discourage engagement is an anathema of sorts. It hasn’t worked, nor will it. The debate that there should be an inclusive government in Afghanistan is merit-based. But Rome was not built in a day. Nor anyone could have the audacity to dictate a foreign state on what it should or shouldn’t be doing in its political policy prescription.
American women waited for decades to get the right of vote, Commonwealth states still linger for credible democracy, and so do the Afghans to knit themselves in a pluralistic nomenclature. They are slow but certainly on the track. Putting the cart before the horse is no solution. Let the horse pull as much as it can in semblance.
What is needed proactively is recognising the Taliban to kickstart the process of nation-building. It will usher in peace and security in the region. If that is delayed any more, it could galvanise centrifugal forces and lead to cataclysm. The Taliban, anyway, are not going anywhere. They are there to stay as there isn’t any possibility of another Tora Bora bombing. The US stands exhausted and couldn’t risk any capitulation.
This boils down the argument to realism, ie, engage the political-militia and let the dynamics of geo-economics bloom daffodils. Opening up of the southwest Asian state is sine qua non for the success of CPEC and BRI, as well as CASA and TAPI—the multi-billion dollar projects awaiting to see the light of the day. The Taliban hold the key to realise them—and their staying put in Kabul makes them indispensable.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2021 00:00 ||
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#1
The Taliban needs to unify the Pashtuns on both sides of the Durand line in a push against the Punjabis running Pakistan. A greater Afghanistan that includes Pakistan, along with its nukes, would be a power that cannot be ignored, by China, India, Iran or anyone else.
[Garowe] Questions on the credibility and fairness of Somalia’s federal elections continue to fuel uncertainty and fears of violence in the country as political stakeholders remain at loggerheads on the way forward. In Mogadishu, the political opposition has boycotted the elections dismissing the process as a sham.
They are not alone. Civil society and clan elders have also joined a chorus of condemnation of a process now widely seen as rigged. Faced with the prospects of delayed elections or a sham process, the international community has favored a ’quick and dirty’ process regardless of its legitimacy.
Such a shortsighted attitude will neither lead to a credible election nor stability. Instead, it is almost certain to trigger a conflict between Farmaajo and his opposition who blame certain members of the international community for pampering a belligerent and undemocratic leader.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2021 00:00 ||
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#1
Somalia's been a catastrophe for as long as I can remember.
#2
OH, I like that word hubris. Day to day used limited unless you wish to become part of a Greek tragedy. Reminds me of so many in this current administration.
#3
Civil society and clan elders have also joined a chorus of condemnation of a process now widely seen as rigged.
There as well as here? Let them sort it out under the rubric of 'Afrikan solutions for Afrikan problems.' Have we learned nothing from countless attempts to assist economies and bring civilized governance to the continent? Stay out of it.
#11
You people don't understand. There are careers on the line at the State Department. If they stopped interfering they wouldn't be able to make their annual presentations for promotion. And THAT outcome must be avoided at all costs.
[IsraelTimes] Sissi sees Israel as a regional economic and security partner, but true normalization is not on the way
An alliance of convenience between natural enemies against more urgent threats? Better than the overtly cold peace they had before, I suppose...
It is abundantly clear Egypt is approaching its relationship with Israel differently today than it did for most of Benjamin Netanyahu’s tenure as prime minister.
Then-president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2021 00:00 ||
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. By Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] Oh, these are notable threats. The US threatens that "if Russia invades Ukraine," then the US will organize "financial isolation of Russia" and "will increase the contingent of troops in countries on the border of Russia."
Everything is fine here.
1. Constant reservations "if Russia invades" seem to say that Russia did not invade Ukraine, although Ukrainian propaganda squeals about "repelling Russian aggression."
2. Interestingly, the effectiveness of "financial isolation" of Russia will be as effective as the "diplomatic isolation" promised by Obama? The promised "torn apart" economy also did not come.
3. And the very juice - the United States is threatening Russia that it will send troops not to Ukraine, but to the territory of conditional Poland, the Baltic states, Romania, Bulgaria, etc. That is, if the RF Armed Forces take control of the whole of Ukraine, then the United States threatens that the US and NATO troops near the borders of the Russian Federation will increase. At the same time, the NATO grouping in these countries is growing anyway.
These are very wonderful threats and guarantees, which reflect the attitude of the United States towards Ukraine as an instrument that they want to use profitably for themselves, but do not want to enter a direct war with the Russian Federation for the sake of Ukraine.
Therefore, there is a "barrier."
Therefore, the Biden administration in public statements assures that the United States does not want a direct war with the Russian Federation in Ukraine.
Therefore, the troops are threatening to be deployed outside Ukraine. To prevent the formation of a mechanism for launching a direct war, with obligations undesirable for the United States. Which, of course, does not negate the simple fact that Washington will try to play the Ukrainian card in a way favorable to itself.
#3
Europe has had over one hundred years to observe the Russian, then the Soviet, and now once again the Russian. If the combined strength and military prowess of all of Europe has no plan to deal with the Russian, it should be little of our concern.
Stay out of it! If they (the Russians) take a shot at us, say nothing and smite the fok out of them. Then return to saying nothing.
#4
Because permitting another empire builder in Europe can't possibly have negative consequences!
Why the hell can't Putin restrain himself?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
12/13/2021 8:03 Comments ||
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#5
Am I the only person who is sick and tired of the eurines' "Oh, please, come help! We promise to only kick you lightly in the balls next time we get the chance."
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/13/2021 8:20 Comments ||
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#6
Euro conflicts, the gift that keeps on giving. Let them sort it out.
#10
As to those who make ridiculous references to 1939: Do you even know who's who in Ukraine today?
So Putin's a bandit - OK, let's look at your beloved Ukrainian shit-government whose criminality and violence are world-class. You raise the specter of Hitler while ignoring that the Ukrainian government is rife with real, unvarnished, genocidal fascists. You do realize, don't you, that the Ukrainian shit-regime that our incompetent State Department and Biden admin officials consider our "ally" includes the exact same type of fascists that your upside-down historical analogy supposes?
Do you know who "Right Sector" are? The "Azov Battalion"?
Did you know that in May 2014 in Odessa these monsters and neo-Nazis burned alive scores of Russian-speaking civilians, taunting them as they burned and hacking off limbs of other civilians who escaped the Trades Union House building which Ukraine's actual fascists torched after civilian protestors fled there while trying to escape marauding hordes?
Whatever your feelings about Putin -- I get it, he's a d*ck and a thief -- this is a nightmare conflict in which "our side" has nothing whatsoever to recommend it.
They're corrupt as sin and thuggish murderers who have done nothing for us but pay off the depraved spawn of our demented puppet-president while forgot-nothing, learned-nothing Cold Warriors re-enact their mindless anti-Russia games.
No better symbol of American decadence and decay in the age of Soetoro and Magoo.
#12
Ah because Putin used Ukranian proxies (like Mykola Zlochevsky) to pay off Hunter it's the Ukranians who are corrupt and not Putin and Biden?
This is just one of the enabling lies that lets you believe you're not a collaborator with Putin _and_ Biden, against people who don't want to be subjected to a foreign authoritarian state that starved them to death in the millions in the leadup to the second world war.
#13
It also occurs to me that you and Mary Cloggenstein of Brattleboro VT may be the only two people on the planet who really think Biden is actually opposed to Putin instead of an appeaser.
#14
^ Nice! A Mary Cloggenstein of Brattleboro VT reference!
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/13/2021 14:35 Comments ||
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#15
You really think Biden knows Zlochevsky from Kolomoisky?
Or Bogolyubiv from Pinchuk?
Or Azov from Donbass or the Dniester from the Dnieper?
Do you?
Magoo doesn't know his arse from his elbow. If you want to follow this corrupt shithead into a war over a shithole that's been plundered thoroughly by bandits and scorched by fascist thugs, hey, by all means go for it. Grab your javelin and ship off with Hunter.
But leave the rest of us out of it.
The US (unlike the Bidens and Kerry-Heinzes and other grifters) has zero national interest in that wretched place. None.
#16
Thank you for clearing that up Merrick. In mentioning Sudetenland was referring to the act of appeasement - not the political-corruption (but I repeat myself) of the actors in question. Appeasement doesn't work with mobs like Antifa/BLM nor with countries.
Besides if we allow Russia to invade Ukraine - what can we say when China invades Taiwan?
#17
You really think Biden knows Zlochevsky from Kolomoisky?
Or Bogolyubiv from Pinchuk?
Or Azov from Donbass or the Dniester from the Dnieper?
Do you?
He knows Zlochevsky was signing his family's paychecks. You're the one who doesn't seem to know who he was and what he was doing.
Magoo doesn't know his arse from his elbow. If you want to follow this corrupt shithead into a war over a shithole that's been plundered thoroughly by bandits and scorched by fascist thugs, hey, by all means go for it. Grab your javelin and ship off with Hunter.
All I really want them to do is _not sell Ukraine out_, which shouldn't require US troops. Like we had the opportunity to do in 1974/75 but didn't, when we sold Saigon out.
As I said, you're probably one of the only people on the planet who thinks Joe Biden and Hunter are cold warriors. Y'all deserve each other.
#18
We should try to broker an agreement between Russia and whatever clown is currently holding Ukraine's presidency. If do as Teddy Roosevelt could broker an end to the Tsar's war with Japan in 1906, we can certainly manage to bring an end to this wretched little war.
To create a lasting peace we should propose that the current territory be demilitarized entirely -- no Russian troops, no NATO or US aid -- and partition off the eastern Novorossiisk regions.
We would remove all US advisors and troops from Ukrainian territory, forswear ever bringing Ukraine into NATO and immediately begin talks to bring Russia into the US-India-Japan-Aus. de facto alliance against CHINA.
Remember them? The f--kers who have actually caused trillions of dollars of damage to our economy, who are helping oligarchs destroy our middle-class democracy, who share nothing in common with our heritage or culture or civilization? Remember China - the REAL threat?
#20
Remember them? The f--kers who have actually caused trillions of dollars of damage to our economy, who are helping oligarchs destroy our middle-class democracy, who share nothing in common with our heritage or culture or civilization? Remember China - the REAL threat?
I remember who really bombed Pearl Harbor, but instead we went off and fought Nazi Germany instead.
You're basically blaming us for the fact that there's been a Chinese/Russian alliance for the past twenty years or so, since long before the Russians invaded Ukraine back in 2014. They cooperated in the takeover of Venezuela in the 2000's, you know, in violation of that Monroe Doctrine you keep thinking's still honored somewhere.
Let me guess, the hundreds of thousands killed there were "pre-revenge" for the NATO entry of Ukraine that still hasn't happened yet?
Biden in 2010 reportedly argued the US did not have an obligation to stay in Afghanistan.
"F--- that, we don't have to worry about that. We did it in Vietnam, Nixon and Kissinger got away with it," he reportedly said.
Biden is facing criticism over the US withdrawal from Afghanistan after the Taliban retook the country.
Apparently the Senile fuck doesn't remember that Nixon was more or less removed from office in favor of a placeholder who'd let the Democrats cut all aid to South Vietnam.
(Hmm. President Placeholder. Who does that remind me of?)
#22
If adventuring in Ukraine is the answer to Ukranian activities corrupting US politicians, then hey, maybe adventuring in Columbia is the solution to the cocaine problem in the US.
Oh, wait...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/13/2021 16:28 Comments ||
Top||
#23
*cough* Soviet Russian nuclear arsenal *cough*
#24
From what I understand Germany shut down all of their nuclear power and they depend on gas from Russia. So basically they are helpless if Russia shuts the taps, which means Germany will not allow a European conflict with Russia.
If I have my facts right then it all depends upon the US who has no real interest in the area and no interest in defending the super-wealthy and very judgy Europeans any longer.
The only thing that might save Ukraine is if the Biden people believe a war could bring up poll numbers, but at this point the US is tired of wars and I think a war in Ukraine might drive Biden into single digits, especially if the Woke generals screw up something.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/13/2021 18:41 Comments ||
Top||
#26
As I recall the sequence, when Japan’s nuclear power plant was flooded by the tsunami, Germany mothballed their own nuclear power plants. They thought they could thrive with wind power, but that turned out only to be useful in windy weather, and overall is net negative rathwr than net positive. They’d been trying to back away from coal power, too, because of GLOBAL WARMING!!!!, depending on French nuclear power, but in the end another source was needed.
#27
Isn't it interesting how the German prime minister retires to work for Gazprom and they accidentally slip on a banana peel and wind up always being dependent on Gazprom?
Read this and then ponder whether more "democratic" intervention, in yet another overseas shithole, will turn the trend around:
"For the first time in our survey, a minority of Americans—only 45%—report having a great deal of trust and con dence in the military. Alarmingly, this is down 25 points in the last three years. Increasing numbers of Americans say they have little or not much confidence in the military, which is up 15 points in the last three years.
"Trust and confidence in the military is down across the major demographic subgroups, including age, gender, and party identification. Since 2018, those reporting the highest level of confidence in the military have fallen
- among Republicans by 34 points to 53%,
- Democrats by 17 points to 42%, and
- Independents by 28 points to 38%.
"The highest level of confidence is down 25 points among both men and women. And it is declining among all age groups as well, down 25 points among those over 65, by 26 points among those ages 45- 64, and 28 points among those 30-44...."
#29
Couldn't happen, of course, but if ancestral enemies were to forge an impossible alliance, it might involve a whole lotta heat and a whole heap of hostages.
[SteveKirschSubstack] Just like in the US, the mask policy in Israel is also not based on scientific evidence. Science is dead. Expert opinion dictates policy. Scientific evidence is no longer needed.
Posted by: The Walking Unvaxed ||
12/13/2021 10:04 ||
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#1
Short of full N-95 and eye protection, and probably gowns (like in the hospital), masking (with cloth or cheap paper masks) DOES NOT WORK against aerosolized viruses. Period. Show the empirical evidence that proves that it does. It does not exist.
Masking is theater unless 100% N-95 disposable (never re-use) masks, and worn correctly (properly fitted, no nose-out nor chin-diaper, thrown away after wearing), and accompanied by behavior changes like not rubbing the eyes, or touching the face, with regular handwashing.
Arabs until 2018 -5 percent
Arabs now - 65+ percent (460,000)
Figures provided by the Afrin Center for Human Rights. Data collected at the end of 2020.
According to Syrian sources, the Kurds were in Afrin as an ethnic minority for the first time since the Crusades.
Excellent work of the YPG, which refused to hand over the region to Assad's control and chose to hand it over to Erdogan.
As a result of the excellent policy in the style of "I will frostbite my ears to harm Assad," they actually organized ethnic cleansing for themselves.
Friend Recep gladly began to squeeze the Kurds out of Athens and replace them with Arabs, which he is diligently doing to this day, since he has more than two million Syrian Arabs living in Turkey, whom he would prefer to push back to Syria, preferably to the territory where they live.
Kurds in order to erode the demographic composition of the population in territories where Kurds are the ethnic majority.
Of course, he will gladly do the same in Rojava, if the opportunity comes along. The leadership of the Syrian Kurds is diligently working hard to ensure that such an opportunity appears for Erdogan.
Posted by: badanov ||
12/13/2021 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
[Garowe] Questions on the credibility and fairness of Somalia’s federal elections continue to fuel uncertainty and fears of violence in the country as political stakeholders remain at loggerheads on the way forward. In Mogadishu, the political opposition has boycotted the elections dismissing the process as a sham.
