What went wrong in Afghanistan

[mystery-ak]

What went wrong in Afghanistan
By Dov S. Zakheim, opinion contributor — 12/30/19 09:30 AM EST

The Washington Post got it wrong. The material that it published recently was not the 21st century’s version of 1971’s “Pentagon Papers.” Neither the reports that Special Afghanistan Inspector General John Sopko and his team produced over the past few years, nor the more recent interviews that it conducted, nor the Donald Rumsfeld “snowflakes” demonstrate that the Pentagon and successive administrations deliberately attempted to fool Congress or the American public. 

Instead, the papers detailed by the Post portray a government that continued to fool itself into believing that it could win the Afghan war even as it fought concurrently in Iraq — and expected to win that war, too.

War in Afghanistan was not winnable for several reasons. First and foremost, the Bush administration subordinated it to its invasion of Iraq. Second, both the Bush and Obama administrations believed, as did their predecessors, that the United States could undertake what had come to be called “nation-building.” Third, from the very outset, Washington’s policymakers mistakenly believed they could somehow limit Pakistani meddling in Afghan affairs. Finally, neither American policymakers nor military commanders came to grips with the factors that prevented the Afghan Army and police from fighting as coherent forces.

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https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/476082-what-went-wrong-in-afghanistan

[EdinVA]

As with Germany and Japan, national ignorance is generational and dependent up on the "leaders".  When you "take out" the national leadership, as bad as it was, it leaves a nation of unguided and a "replacement" national focus MUST be forced in.  A nation of 25 million, as in Afghanistan, should have been able to deal with 20000 or 30000 Taliban/Al Qaeda but their refusal to fight for their county, for their kids, for their families and even selling their own kids to the Taliban for suicide bombers meant we had to salvage their country for them.   If we had not used the Marshal plans with Germany and Japan, we would still be at each others throats. 

If you have to fight, then fight like there is no tomorrow, because there may not be.Otherwise, stay home and watch the tv...

[dfwgator]

Islam

[Fishrrman]

"What went wrong in Afghanistan  ??"

islam.
That's what "went wrong".
About 1400 years ago.

And it's also why there's no solution other than to wise up and get out.

[Absalom]

The last to conquer Afghanistan was Alexander around 330 BC!
Anyone notice his clone wandering around the Pentagon lately???
Some discussions are too brainless for words!!!

[Cyber Liberty]

Bush 43 went back on his word to eschew "nation-building."  That's it in a nutshell.  O'Bastard merely marked time, as any lazy person is wont to do, leading to 16 years of the broken promise.