I'm almost certainly in a minority, but I don't know what the answer is in Afghanistan

[cali]

Iraq, before we invaded was a functioning society. Yeah, yeah, Saddam sucked, the sanctions sucked, but women were were educated and able to pursue careers. It's the U.S. invasion that destroyed Iraqi society.

In Afghanistan there was no functioning society and the lot of women under the Taliban was completely horrific. There was nothing redemptive about Taliban rule of Afghanistan. So bad as things may be in Afghanistan now, a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops would likely mean a reversion to Taliban rule, as they are the strongest faction in the country.

I'd like to see a shitload of money used build the economy and infratructure there, but that doesn't seem likely in this economy. So what do people here think we should do? (I realize that President-elect Obama is planning to increase troops there, but what good can that do?)

[EFerrari]

1. I don't see how a Pakistani backed problem can be solved in Afghanistan. n/t

[MrModerate]

4. Because Afghanistan's problems are so much larger than what comes over the border . . .

That the "Pakistan problem" might as well be a disaster-in-waiting in its own special right.

[EFerrari]

9. Pakistani intelligence uses Afghanistan like a backyard.

I don't see how progress can be made there while that element is opposed to progress because it will lessen their influence.

They are behind the Taliban AND al Qaida in Afghanistan. Who knows how much they are profiting from the poppy, too, or how much CIA is, for that matter.

Poor Afghanistan.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

2. We're doome in Afghanistan

There is no way any American forces are going to undo centuries of warlord rule. Taliban is stronger than ever, and everyone regards Karzai - quite rightly - as an American tool. They like him, but they know he's impotent.

We can put as many troops there as possible, but we'll change nothing. We'll only lose more American lives.

[Mike 03]

3. I don't know what the answer is, but I'm so happy to see this question asked.

I look forward to seeing what people more knowledgeable than me have to say about this, because it has been on my mind for some time.

K&R

[cosmicone]

5. Taliban is 80% Pakistani military.

Taliban was a creation of Pakistan with a "Strategic depth" policy to prevent a pro-India Afghanistan under Ahmadshah Masood which Pakistanis feared would subject them with a nutcracker offensive.

Cutting off funding and equipment assistance to Pakistani military and forcing Pakistan to severely gut the ISI will eliminate the Taliban problem as well as reduce terrorism all over the world.

The ISI and Pakistan are responsible for >95% of the non-palestinian islamic terrorism around the world.

[Cleita]

6. Bush had a chance to help there with a Marshall Plan like we

did for Europe after WWII, but resources were diverted to Iraq instead. I think all we can do is withdraw with the least loss of life on either side. I hope UN or NATO peacekeeping troops might come in to keep radical groups like the Taliban out of power. Women have been living within that society for millennium. Maybe the best we can do for now is to fund human rights organizations who can offer any woman in jeopardy a safe exit and safe haven ala the underground railroad type for the time being until we get our own house in order. It seems such organizations should be operating in Somalia as well. It would seem like something for a league of nations to tackle instead. I don't know which one as the UN seems to be rather wishy washy, but maybe some international organization in the future might arise.

I think Obama is wrong to commit more troops to get Osama. For one I think Osama is dead. Also, we should be looking for Al Queda in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan instead. As for Afghanistan, tribal warfare has been going on there since the days of Alexander the Great. Who are we to take sides? Bush screwed up an opportunity to fix Afghanistan with the world looking on with approval. We can't go back there now.

[Voice for Peace]

7. I've heard they're intending to get the whole ME neighborhood involved.

That's what makes the most sense to me. This is not US's problem.

[BunkerHill24]

8. There is no military solution in Afghanistan

My suggestion is to have all the foreign troops out of Afghanistan and have some economic stimulus that could undermine the rise of the Taliban and create some kind of security stability. Once the country has high employment and political participation; that would weed out poverty and extremism. What is making the situation worse is the occupation itself, that’s what is driving the Taliban recruitment.

[The2ndWheel]

10. I don't think we should do anything

The Soviets go into Afghanistan, the US props up Afghan soldiers. Pakistan props up the Taliban. The US goes into Afghanistan, and wants to stay there. The British carve up Iraq 90 years ago according to British interests. It just goes on and on like that for thousands of years. Maybe everyone should just leave everyone else alone for a while. Not that that would, or even could, happen. So we'll do something. Just for the sake of doing it, sort of like Saddam and sanctions. It'll be worth the price, somehow. Then it won't work, or it will, but not the way we think, and it'll cause another problem, which we'll have to do something about again, which will cause another problem, then the 11th thing we were going to do on the list will hit us in the face, then we'll have to take care of that, and then the first thing will fall apart, we'll take a look at it, then the thing we were going to do after we did something about the 3rd problem will go away, without anyone doing anything, but that will make the 2nd thing even worse, which will cause the next problem to simmer for a decade or so, which will then become the biggest problem in the world, and everyone will try to fix that, but other things will start to go wrong, and everyone will start disagreeing on how to go about it, and then a bunch of money will be spent, and that will cause a financial problem that nobody was thinking about 5 years earlier when we were trying to do something about the 5th thing we were trying to fix, which we've forgotten why that was even a problem in the face of a new problem which came as a result of the solution to the problem from 40 years ago. Then...

[librechik]

11. Remove everybody but humanitarian aid workers.

and especially stop the clandestine support of the poppy trade by Britain and America.

Or else own up to it and make it legal.

These folks have apparently never read history. Afghanistan destroys those who would conquer it.

[cali]

12. sadly, there's no humanitarian organization that will operate there under

those conditions, so that's out. And yeah, the history of would be conquerors in Afghanistan is one of abject failure.