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2011-06-18 Afghanistan

UN splits al Qaeda and Taliban on sanctions list

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Posted by Fred 2011-06-18 00:00|| || Front Page|| [2 views ] Top
File under: al-Qaeda

"We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them. "
George W. Bush, September 11th 2001

"These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion. The Taliban must act, and act immediately. They will hand over the terrorists, or they will share in their fate."
George W. Bush, Statement To Joint Session Of Congress September 20th 2001

Empty words.

Posted by Varmint Clolumble9732 2011-06-18 07:31|| 2011-06-18 07:31|| Front Page Top

#2 *ahem* you do know Bush is no longer POTUS, right?

Posted by Frank G 2011-06-18 13:32|| 2011-06-18 13:32|| Front Page Top

#3 Bush articulated a consensus re Afghanistan that has never been repudiated officially. Afghanistan has always been the good war.

Western forces were sent to Afghanistan to hunt down and kill the Taliban because they sponsored a mass fatality attack on the continental US.

The objective was punishment for the Taliban and deterrence of other state actors who might contemplate sponsoring attacks of similar or greater magnitude.

When it became clear that this could not be done without inflicting non trivial casualties on at least a part of the Afghan population (Pashtuns) Western politicians went wobbly and changed the mission to some sort of therapeutic intervention with a nebulous end state. This happened well before Obama.

The net result is that sponsoring an attack on the US is not a suicidal mistake but a rational option for any rational hostile actor.

If the Taliban survive this and return to power in Afghanistan with the blessing of the US government why should a nuclear armed Iran be deterred in any way?

Posted by Varmint Clolumble9732 2011-06-18 16:58|| 2011-06-18 16:58|| Front Page Top

#4 I can't contradict that. I was only pointing out that the change in strength/stature/policy has been since January 2009. Just like the economy, I guess, that was "unexpected"

Posted by Frank G 2011-06-18 18:37|| 2011-06-18 18:37|| Front Page Top

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