Chimp_Logic wrote on Apr 1^st, 2013 at 6:20pm:


Howard really had no choice.

Basically having nothing with which to defend ourselves [the folly of signing nuclear non-proliferation treaties etc]...all we have is the ANZUS alliance/treaty.

America was attacked, Howard rightly invoked ANZUS and we went to war as America's ally...hoping that if we're ever attacked America will do the same and defend us [again].

We have to go with America...the only one capable of saving us.

Wanna blame someone for 'Iraq'?
Blame Washington.

Washington obviously had had more than enough of carting its military to the other side of the world every time Saddam massed his army on the border etc [Iraq had already previously invaded Kuwait]...and decided it was time for 'regime change'.

The Taliban/Afghanistan attacked the US...via Al Qaeda, that it was hosting.

Karnal wrote on Apr 2^nd, 2013 at 11:42am:


Washington said; "If you're not with us, you're against us".

We simply cannot afford to be against America.
We have nothing with which to defend ourselves if attacked...for longer than about 5 minutes.

No,  Afghanistan is not Mission Accomplished,  it is another non-victory that we have come to know so well.

Although Kabul may have a thin veneer of stability, security and even modernity people still sleep on the floor of mud walled houses with open sewers at the door.  Women and girls are still treated abysmally and people are still subject to random acts of lethal violence.

The Taleban are still strong both in Afghanistan and Pakistan too.

What we need is something to take our minds off the mess that is Afghanistan,  how about another war?

Well of course the invasion of Iraq happened after 'we' were deep in Afghanistan.

So many places to choose from.......

Afghanistan's Central Asia, Red.

With the exception of India and Pakiatan, there WILL be a form of peace when Iran and China get control. If you can call it peace - a Pax Sino-Irania.

The Pax Amerikana has hardly delivered peace to the Middle East, and they've been there since the end of WWII. The Ruskies were much more successful in the Soviet satellites.

Central Asia has been part of one empire or another since Genghis khan. In more recent times, Afghanistan has been unique in this regard. It managed to kick out the British and the Russians, and fool the Amerikans into playing their games.

Peace will only come with contracts. Whoever builds the highways and controls the gas pipelines will run the region. The warlords know which side their bread is buttered. They'll only cause problems if they're kept out of the picture: the contracts, the skim.

The future of Afghanistan is an ever-shifting set of alliances between the warlords, the Pashtun Taliban, the Pakistani Taliban, and states like China and Iran. The warlords will continue to switch teams, based on the highest bid and the relationships they form.

Once, tribal alliances were important. Thanks to the Amerikans, the warlords have become greedy and aspirational. Once they were warriors. Now they all want a compound, rocket launchers and a fleet of Toyotas and Mercedes.

Amerika has spoilt the warlords. Who knows? They may decide to re-join the Taliban when they come back to power.

The future of Afghanistan depends on these alliances. Karzai has his hopes set on a condo in Florida.

We shall see, friends.

Andrei.Hicks wrote on Apr 8^th, 2013 at 1:32pm:


You didn't act, love. Your idea of acting is throwing your hands up in the air and screaming "rape".

Still, if you want your question answered, read the rest of your Hans Blix report.

More likely they were having sleepless nights lest their lies got exposed too early into the invasion.