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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dayuhan who wrote (34913)	7/24/2002 12:32:52 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

Interesting situation. If we pull out without leaving some semblance of a government behind, we take the blame for whatever happens in the vacuum. But do we have the capacity to create any semblance of stable government. How many such responsibilities are we planning to take on? Good questions, which strongly imply that we won't be leaving anytime soon, though it looks like the Bush administration is looking for a patsy, err, a peacekeeping partner, to shoulder the burden. As far as I can see from history, when a region has deteriorated into warlordism, it cannot be put back together except through a superior power who offers the warlords the choice of sign up, or die.

To: Dayuhan who wrote (34913)	7/24/2002 1:40:58 PM
From: Bilow	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Hi Steven Rogers; Re: "Interesting situation. If we pull out without leaving some semblance of a government behind, we take the blame for whatever happens in the vacuum. But do we have the capacity to create any semblance of stable government." Half the problem is that the presence of US military forces creates its own opposition. It's not just bombing civilians that pisses the locals off, it's just having to have the US in there to run things. It would be better if we let one of our coalition partners handle Hamed Karzai's (or whoever's) security. Turkey would be a good choice. The hearts and minds of the locals are not just the most important thing in Afghanistan, they are the only thing of any importance at all. If we win that, Al Qaeda will not find soil in which it can grow. That's why we have to pull our military forces out as quickly as possible, and hand over peace keeping duties to others. Right now we can still leave with the title of "liberators", we should not let that slip into "occupiers". -- Carl