Why Do We Have to "Win" in Afghanistan?

[yellowwood]

I read that thousands of more troops will be sent to Afghanistan. Is that okay? The situation there seems to be deteriorating.
What is our big stake in Afghanistan? We watched Russia, which is much more convenient to Afghanistan, get bogged down there. Why are we repeating their mistake?
Didn't a lot of us want a change of administration largely because we wanted us out of Iraq? I know that it was a prioty issue with me. I doubt that we just wanted a change of location. I believe that we must extracate ourselves from these no-win situations. We just make more enemies.

[hobbit709]

1. Another question

Just what exactly are we "winning"?

[Bonhomme Richard]

7. I agree. Define Win. n/t

[ixion]

2. Afghanistan is a neo-con dream for a staging area for pax Americana

and then there's the unocal pipeline. :sarcasm:

Like Iraq, we should never have invaded Afghanistan in the first place, IMO. I was one of those who did NOT support that bloody, little tryst.

I'm all for pulling out of the countries we're currently occupying against the wishes of the populace...hell, I'm all for pulling out of all countries altogether.

[Mari333]

3. ditto nt

[gratuitous]

4. So that it doesn't look like Bush fucked up

Seriously? I have no idea. But I'm sure all those volunteer military folks don't mind paying with their lives so that America can show that it can still indiscriminately bomb civilians without warning, civilians who can't defend themselves, can't get away, and don't even know until moments before it happens that they're about to be obliterated. U!S!A! baby.

[NNN0LHI]

5. Not just Bush if you think back Obama supported invading Afghanistan

He is invested in this nightmare too.

Don

[ThomWV]

6. President Obama told us during the campaign he was going in hard

President Obama always said he was going to put more troops into Afghanistan as he took them out of Iraq - but he never told us why and to this day I sure couldn't tell you.

[Bragi]

8. I remain (a bit) hopeful

I do not support the war in Afghanistan, and certainly don't support Obama's apparent policy of escalating that war by doubling troop strength.

However, I am hoping that Obama is going to find some way to politically finesse this situation by coming up with a regional strategy that is less militaristic than what Bush and the Pentagon pursued, that is more skewed towards development and diplomacy. I remain moderately hopeful that this may happen.

If it doesn't happen, and Obama moves in with more troops and more bombs, then I think this will be the biggest mistake of his Presidency. The U.S will never "win" in Afghanistan, the escalation of fighting will shatter any hope for democracy in Pakistan, and the region will be more hostile and dangerous to the west than ever.

- B