Afghanistan and the Kobayashi Maru Test

[Tommy Carcetti]

At the beginning of Star Trek II (arguably one of the best science fiction movies of all time and one of my personal favorite movies of all time) we’re introduced to the Starfleet “Kobayashi Maru Test.”

The scenario is as such:

The notional primary goal of the exercise is to rescue the civilian vessel Kobayashi Maru in a simulated battle with the Klingons. The disabled ship is located in the Klingon Neutral Zone, and any Starfleet ship entering the zone would cause an interstellar border incident. The approaching cadet crew must decide whether to attempt rescue of the Kobayashi Maru crew—endangering their own ship and lives—or leave the Kobayashi Maru to certain destruction. If the cadet chooses to attempt rescue, the simulation is designed to guarantee that the cadet's ship will have absolutely no chance of winning, escaping, negotiating, or surviving.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobayashi_Maru

We later learn that Kirk was famously the only cadet to have ever beaten the Kobiyashi Maru test; he did this by reprogramming the simulator and cheating.

But the test itself was meant to judge the character and decisions of cadets in facing a no-win scenario.

Afghanistan was our Kobayashi Maru test.

In 2001, we went in and toppled the Taliban government with relative ease. And yet we could only contain the situation, not permanently change it.

As long as we were there, we could hold the Taliban off.

But we were a stop gap, and the thing about stop gaps is that they’re by nature temporary solutions.

Unless we intended to permanently occupy Afghanistan, there would be no guarantee that it would fall once again.

But nobody wants us to permanently occupy Afghanistan, not the Afghans nor us.

And so at some point, we had to leave. It was only a matter of when.

And us leaving has harrowing implications for the Afghan people, especially women and religious minorities.

But I don’t think we could ever win, just as no previous occupying force could ever win.

It really, really sucks, but that’s a no win scenario for you. A true Kobayashi Maru.

[agingdem]

1. I think War Games...

simulated war games..can't win ever..

[mitch96]

2. "no win scenario"... The "win" is that no more young american lives are lost to a unwindable

situation... Blood and treasure...YMMV
m

[BlueIdaho]

3. Afghanistan - the graveyard of nations

No nation has ever gone in to Afghanistan and successfully “stabilized” that region. We are just one of many nations who have tried and failed. We never should have gone there in the first place.

[underpants]

4. I completely agree.

Of course I “supported” this initially. Really I had no choice. Stating the obvious facts and easily foreseeable end was not an option just after 9/11. Sad to think I was that way but I’ve learned since then.

[Klaralven]

5. The Mongols, Timurids and Mughals span about 500 years.

They are successors in a wave of invasion from Central Asia.

[librechik]

6. an apt--and entertaining metaphor.

We should be glad Biden doesn't like to cheat. However, a secretive plan to evacuate vulnerable people starting much earlier in the year would have been laudable. So much going on, who can think of everything in advance. I'm sure there are people who should have been planning ahead for the inevitable.

where were they? Oh, they were screaming at Biden that this would happen, and he refused to believe it.

Very sad.

[hamsterjill]

7. Great analogy!

Gene Roddenberry was as close to genius as there is. I realize that every day that I live.