Can We Succeed in Afghanistan?

Townhall.com ^ | August 21, 2009 | Mona Charen

[hflynn]

You are and idiot.

[wtc911]

No.

[hflynn]

From the LA Times a ling time ago

Supplies of highly potent Afghan heroin in the United States are growing so fast that the pure white powder is rapidly overtaking lower-quality Mexican heroin, prompting fears of increased addiction and overdoses.

Heroin-related deaths in Los Angeles County soared from 137 in 2002 to 239 in 2005, a jump of nearly 75% in three years, a period when other factors contributing to overdose deaths remained unchanged, experts said. The jump in deaths was especially prevalent among users older than 40, who lack the resilience to recover from an overdose of unexpectedly strong heroin, according to a study by the county's Office of Health Assessment and Epidemiology.

"The rise of heroin from Afghanistan is our biggest rising threat in the fight against narcotics," said Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino. "We are seeing more seizures and more overdoses." -----------

[Future Snake Eater]

You are and idiot.

lol...

[Future Snake Eater]

Think of it as some social Darwinism.

Now, tell me how starving tribes to death is going to solve our problems in Afghanistan?

[hflynn]

I'm talking about starving the herorin trade. If they happen to starve to death because they couldn't get passed trading heroin that is their doing not ours.

[hflynn]

Hey, I apologize for that comment. I followed up with an LA Times article, several years old, which clearly stated Afghan heroin is hitting the streets of America big, big time.

I know. it is the LA Times.

[Future Snake Eater]

It’s not like those people can just get a job at the local 7-11 if we cut out their current line of work.

So how will starving them to death accomplish our mission in Afghanistan?

The simple truth is it can’t and it won’t. Much as I can’t stand friggin’ hajis or anything about them, it’s their turf, it’s their country, and they’re gonna have to live with what we leave them. If we leave them nothing, it’s only a matter of time until they hit us again, only this time with many more devout followers.

We have to think harder than “just starve them to death.”

[hflynn]

I don’t think so. When they are death, because they chose to starve to death, they are no longer a problem. Draining the swamp, like tax cuts, works every time.

[PhilDragoo]

Stewart believes that bin Laden operates out of Pakistan precisely because Pakistan, a more robust state than Afghanistan, restricts U.S. operations.

While Obama restricts operations in Afghanistan.

I submit he is engineering attrition and humiliation of the America he despises.

He is an Islamo-Communist mole.

[af_vet_rr]

It is not possible to destroy the radical religionist, they can merely be contained. As long as they have the Islamic fanatic leadership they will have the will and some form of war will continue. There will never be a military victory.

There must be a religious victory from within the Afghan mosques

I agree with what you've said, and I do so as the father of a young Marine in Afghanistan. It's truly a 'Hearts and Minds' type of campaign. We can't change their way of thinking overnight, but we can work to ensure that future generations will not follow the radical Islamofascist types. Unfortunately many Americans don't have the patience for such a campaign. Too many think that wars can be easily won and the victors go home.

[af_vet_rr]

No one can win anything in Afghanistan.

You should have more faith in our soldiers and our Marines, as well as our NATO allies.

[bert]

......Unfortunately many Americans don’t have the patience for such a campaign.......

I don’t think the majority of Americans really think about the war in Afghanistan. The anti war sentiment is mostly the bogus moonbats who oppose war in general. The heat is gone and
there is not the support to take to the streets in adequate force to prevail.

The effort now is “to ensure that future generations will not follow the radical Islamofascist types” as you said. It is a long process

[neverdem]

This would be a strategic war on drugs rather than tactical war that is doomed to failure.

You might as well have a strategic war on human nature. Look at alcohol prohibition in the USA, or in Muslim countries now. There will always be a black market for human needs, wants and desires.

We should pay them a better price than the Taliban pays for the raw opium. We can sell at cost the raw opium to countries with the ability to make and legitimate need for morphine.

[editor-surveyor]

"Yes, if we turn the job over to our military and get the hell out of their way and just let them do it."

The reverberation of the Viet Nam lesson!

[Joe Boucher]

exactly

[Jonny foreigner]

You should have more faith in our soldiers and our Marines, as well as our NATO allies.

---

Oh i do have faith in the troops.
It´s the overall “mission” i have a problem with.
i mean what is the goal in afghanistan?
Because it´s hard to win anything as long as nobody
knows what the Hell “we” are fighting for.
Is it to fight al quaida? (then it´s now the wrong country because they are allready in pakistan). 99% of the people the soldiers kill in afghanistan have nothing to do with al quaida. is it to fight the opium trade? (i guess not because the troops are not allowed to destroy “or most times even visit” the poppy fields). Is it for democracy? (something they don´t know and most of them even don´t want anyway and btw. will get eroded as soon as “our” troops leave). is it to back up corrupt (and believe me they are corrupt to the core) afghan politicians to sometimes act as western puppy. btw. the very limited “power” of this so called government ends at the city limits of Kabul. and if we would not use “our” troops to protect them their influence would not go even this “far”. i could go on and on. this is why i don´t think we can win in afghanistan. it´s because i think there exists nothing in afghanistan which could be won.