If this is true. . . Link

-- Anonymous, November 14, 2001

Answers

well now, why did it seem so easy??? Me thinks we kind of forgot why the Taliban came into power to begin with. All these little factions were fighting among themselves so bad in all their little "kingdoms" that the people thought that the Taliban would bring order.

Hate to say it but this looks like down the road when we are ass deep in alligators we will have forgotten that the original job was to drain the swamp.

-- Anonymous, November 14, 2001

I added "If this is true" because the report is in a decidedly left-wing British newspaper, The Guardian. Fingers crossed.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2001

While the Northern Alliance may be staying they don't want peacekeepers, it really isn't up to them. I've been impressed, so far, with the US military operation. I don't believe that they will make the mistake of leaving these goons in power.

Unfortunately, they may need to leave a number of UN peacekeepers. While I trust the UN troops not to pillage, rape, and plunder the locals, I'm uneasy that it might add another site under UN power, and I don't trust those folks in management.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2001

This report gives one pause, but ever since I heard of the speed at which the Northern Alliance was moving, I've had this feeling that top US officials not only knew about it, but quietly helped and encouraged it. I could come up with all sorts of speculation why the US might want it this way (and I'm sure you could too) and one thought is that we all know the UN would invariably screw things up. Possession has almost always been nine points of the law and the Alliance leadership is probably far closer to US goals than it is to the UN.

Look at these two paras from the above report:

The UN is sending its special envoy, Francesc Vendrell, into Kabul tomorrow to assess how far the alliance is prepared to cooperate in allowing an international force in and creating a broad-based government.

America's special envoy to Afghanistan, James Dobbins, arrived in Pakistan last night to discuss how to forge the diverse groupings in Afghanistan into a government.

Note that the US person is already in the area, while the UN person won't be there until tomorrow. Fast footwork!

I'm hoping the Guardian report is just blown-out-of-proportion sour grapes.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2001

I sincerely hope you are right OG!!!

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2001

Virtually every other time we have immersed ourselves in a foreign quagmire it has been for reasons other than strictly our own national security. I believe we had to do something in this case. Still don't really know what that something should have been. It would be nice if we could withdraw from Afghanistan with that country relatively intact, but I just see that as a side benefit. Assuming we squash the terrorist power base. A mess either way.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2001

Therein lies the key, Brooks. Because we have a different motive here--i.e., survival--maybe different decisions will be made, based on different perceptions. Maybe. Bush seems pretty focused.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2001

One thing I would definitely want to see come of all of this is a vastly improved intelligence network. How the government is set up (what input or control the U.S. or the U.N. has over it) conceivably could affect that. Terrorist rumblings will continue in that and neighboring countries no matter what happens now. We need to start protecting our future.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2001

I think it is probably true. :(

Saying that, I think it gives us the reason that the USofA didn't go in and arm the NA to the teeth. Could it be that they(TPTB) knew if they armed the NA that (at some point in time), our own arms would be used against us?

Seems like the lesson we (USA) were taught there in the past finally sunk in. Glad that we didn't make the same mistake this time.

apoc

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2001

yet...

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2001

As I recall, we did try to outfit the N.A., but it wasn't stuff they could drag around easily by horseback, so it wasn't working. Don't recall the details of what we provided.

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2001