Nahncee- Iraq because the citizens there got tired of their barbarity and turned to the Americans to partner with to drive them out of the country.
Why, then, haven’t the Afghans managed to do the same thing?
Because before the US went in, it was the Taliban who had replaced warlords and anarchy and was settling disputes between Pashtuns, while continuing warring against ethnic Uzbecks, Tajiristanis, Haziri, etc.
When the US went in, the Taliban was disliked for over-reach. But the US created its puppet with Karzai and blithely assumed the neocons “democracy” would soon have them loving Israel and women casting off burquas.
Never happened.
Instead we just created a power vacuum as Karzai and his corrupt minions bunkered down in Kabul and the US itself was more interested in “schools for kids” crap than controlling the countryside. So the Taliban moved right back in – all but invited by Karzai’s coruption and the feckless US presence. And the difference now is the Taliban is always “there” while the US helos in, throws money around, dispatches squads to hunt “evildoers” then helos out and villagers don’t see them for another 3 months.
Now every deal in NE Afghanistan and most the poppy sales nationwide go to the Taliban, with Karzai’s people and a few warload governors wetting their beaks on the rest.
Like, this should not be a surprise. The Soviets and THEIR puppet leader were in the same situation, except their puppets were more honest…
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Dave – Do NOT destroy the opium crop.
Convert the whole plant into something useful
Namely petroleum. Then refine it into useful products.
You will be able to produce enough to meet the limited needs of Kabul and a couple of other places.
The secret to success will be to use wind,solar, draft animals and even manual labor to provide the energy for the conversion. That way you avoid a petroleum overhead that eats up the gains.
Sorry Dave, that’s mildly deranged. Poppies are not a viable oil source or able to make “exciting ethanol source” even.
Same with the notion of wind, solar, and donkey-powered oil refineries.
But your thinking on how the War on Drugs undermined our military and counterterrorism efforts is quite cogent.
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