Tell me in your opinion why we are still in Afghanistan

[former-republican]

To kill Al Qaeda?
To kill Taliban?
For democracy?
Mineral deposits?

Lets hear your thoughts and I'll tell you mine

[trouble.smith]

1. politics.

[Katashi_itto]

25. Cause they make good pizza?

[juajen]

2. Mineral deposits, opium and TAPI.

[former-republican]

4. So not one for democracy yet

[TeamPooka]

19. stole my answer

curses!

[moondust]

3. Nation building?

Trying to convert a culture of tribalism into a semi-modern nation-state with government and institutions and schools and infrastructure and everything while simultaneously repelling the old forces of theocracy and tribalism?

[former-republican]

11. good guess but it's not nation building

[Tx4obama]

5. Afghanistan Drawdown: 202 Bases Closed, NATO Says

Afghanistan Drawdown: 202 Bases Closed, NATO Says

KABUL, Afghanistan — NATO has closed more than 200 bases in Afghanistan and transferred nearly 300 others to local forces, a concrete step toward its 2014 target of handing over security responsibility, NATO officers said Sunday.

-snip-

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014208232

[Scootaloo]

6. Because we broke it

The United States went into this impoverished, rather fucked-up country, and fucked it up even more. We then let it sit for almost a decade, providing fallow ground for the resurgence of the fuckers who made it so awful in the first place.

Basically, we did the same thing the Soviet Union did twenty years before us.

We're caught in a quandry. Our being there doesn't really help. Our pulling out with things in the state they're in would basically be us pulling another Cambodia - March in, take a big shit, and leaving it to the people there to clean it up for us. We can't really leave until things improve, and things might not improve while we're there.

It's a bear trap designed by George "I don't do nation-building" Bush, and the country's leg is firmly snared in it.

[Cleita]

7. Didn't Cheney have a deal with one of the oil-stans above Afghanistan to build

an oil pipe line through there to Pakistan and the Arabian Sea for export? Did that ever come off or is it still in the works.

[johnsolaris]

10. Yes, there were discussions

Hi,

Long before 9/11, a delegation from the afgan government visited then Governor G. Bush to talk about it. However nothing came of it.

[former-republican]

13. There was talk about that back then , some oil companies had plans for it

but the mission now has changed over the last 10 years

[freshwest]

8. Dumbass alliances and long-term contracts with our 'allies.' The MIC's more powerful than any POTUS.

And Americans, for reasons of sentiment and security, refuse to let go of the MIC.

[former-republican]

15. we are going to be there for a while

Afghanistan now has drawn thousands of foreign fighters there.
Combine that with the Taliban you have tens of thousands of harden fighters.

By the U.S military still having a presence there and a dictator running the country that they would like to skin alive.
The fighters have a reason to stay there and fight. Their neighbor Pakistan is a nuclear power and right now is teetering on a civil war. You have the moderates in charge of Pakistan ( lack of a better word) and you have a large portion that is radical including members of their military.

If the Taliban and foreign fighters give up on Afghanistan and move to Pakistan now we have a powder keg to deal with.
Combine that with the volatile relation ship India has with Pakistan it won't play out well.

So if Afghanistan stays destabilized it keeps the fighters there.

Hence the dirty little secret.

We are still there to destabilize not stabilize Afghanistan

[freshwest]

16. Wars don't usually stabilize a country. That's not the reason I gave.

[former-republican]

17. Of course they don't

That's why we are still there .
To keep it destabilized.

A win is the Taliban leave with the foreign fightesr over the border to Pakistan.
They join up with the radicals there and possible civil war of a nuclear power.

We don't want a win to do that. But that is what a win would be.

[former-republican]

9. The dirty little secret

We stay there to destabilize it and keep the fighters there.
If it stabilizes it means we lost.

[Electric Monk]

12. Preparing another front for Iran

Do you make a habit of replying to your own rhetorical questions?

[former-republican]

14. yes

[WooWooWoo]

24. yeah

because Afghanistan was so stable before we got there and messed everything up.

[BlueCollar]

18. Because we fucked up and didn't define the mission

and Halliburton needs a pipeline?

[longship]

20. Bring the heathens to Jesus?

Well, that's what some Republicans obviously think.

Sorry. My bad.

[CaptPicard]

21. To study Mars-like land so we can magically terraform other worlds!!!

It's soooooo fucking easy and it aint like it takes tens of thousands of years!

[bhikkhu]

22. Because it takes a long time for an orderly withdrawal

according to the guys in charge, at least, who know more about it than I do.

202 bases closed recently, and they're getting out on schedule.

[pediatricmedic]

23. Opium

It is very profitable and it is messing with all the surrounding countries. All those countries are not very friendly with us either. Essentially we are messing with their societies on a scale that is hard to imagine.

Millions of drug users in Iran, millions more up north in Russia, millions in Pakistan, and millions more in China. Very little of those drugs will make it to the west.

The minerals while valuable, are not profitable enough to go after right now given the terrain, lack of infrastructure, and hostile locals.

[liberal N proud]

26. It's not for oil!

[Prometheus Bound]

27. Bunch of Western countries had too much money and didn't know what to do with it.

So they make up a story about 'Fight em there so we don't have to fight em here'.

Now they're going bankrupt, and decided the slogan was BS, so they're getting out.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

28. I've spoken to some troops who have been there...

...one of whom was recently shot, recouped, then sent back. They say we can't leave now. Everything will degrade into what's going on in places like Sudan. They feel really strongly about it. I asked, "We got Bin Laden. Let's go home." It really isn't that simple. We don't know the entire story because we aren't allowed to know it. And one got far off look in his eyes and we changed the subject. Something in the tone of voice tells me that we'll wind it down like Iraq, but we won't pull out like we did in Viet Nam. Apparently to the people "in the know," we shouldn't.
Duckie

[rgbecker]

30. Duckie: Please re-read what you just posted.

Sounds like you are asking me to believe in a drugged up guru. Who are the people in the know? Is it true we don't know the entire story? Is the far off look in the eyes a sign of wisdom or secret knowledge? Give me a break. The last person we should ask is some enlisted guy who got shot and is suffering from PTS. These guys want to have their mission mean something. They want to know their buddies didn't die for nothing. They and the bastards that sent them there are the last guys who should be asked about why we are there. Is the United States responsible for the entire world and keeping it from "degrading into what's going on in places like Sudan."?

Sorry for going off like this. Just turned 65 and have been thinking of some old schoolmates that got it in Nam....45 years ago. 45 years of life, love and happiness they never had a chance to enjoy....and for what? For what?

[madrchsod]

29. oil and gas pipelines

[GeorgeGist]

31. In a word ...

HUBRIS.

[sadbear]

32. Central Asian oil, lithium

[1-Old-Man]

33. We are there because someone is profiting from us being there - its that simple

All wars take place because someone profits. Eliminate that person or that profit and the war will end. We should leave that country tomorrow, we should leave anything that we can't fly out and blow up all munitions and weapons in place. We should leave all equipment and materials, all building and roads, anything that might profit the Afghani people intact. When our GIs get home we should offer every one of them a college education (or its trade-school equal) and take care of their medical needs; we should offer them Government guaranteed and subsidized mortgagees at whatever rate long term treasuries are selling for.

And then we should sit back and watch the waves of national prosperity come rolling on in.

[Romulox]

34. Some of the older boys told us to do it! Not our fault!!!! nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

35. Because politicians are fearful of admitting we lost another war.

Better to keep the killing going than be embarrassed and lose votes.

[rusty fender]

36. Pressure from the MIC, and to

try to re-shape the perception that the Democrats are weak on defense and soft on terrorism. It's pathetic...

[Initech]

37. So war contractors and Exxon can continue to rake in those extreme profits.

[NCTraveler]

38. Lack of Historical Knowledge.

Stupidity. Need for aggression. Fear. Use our pretty shiny toys. Give reasons to build more toys.