another terrorist attack kills 17

[Zanchief]

Well it was more the UN was cool with the rebuilding at that point so we were all like cool beans folks. The reason we didn't go originally was because the UN declared it illegal and we have respect for the UN in so much as we don't actively try to undermine them.

[Lyion]

can't help but notice no one has defined terrorism yet

somehow OKC was a terrist act but 9/11 wasn't? LOL. what about (insert mass school/college shooting spree)?

OKC was a criminal act by a few disgruntled citizens. The difference is OKC and this killing were not supported or condoned by the US Government and justice was swiftly sought .

The Afghan government <The Taliban> trained and supported the people who perpetuated 9/11. Likewise, Iran and Syria and other nations currently support terror campaigns. We do not. As Ganzo mentioned, terror campaigns are essentially guerrilla warfare. The U.S. doesn't need to do this as we have the capability to bomb pretty much any country in the world back to the stone age.

It's a shame but the Afghan war has become a political football. We never should have been there and there wasn't a clear goal post invasion like we had in Iraq. You can't nation build a country of illiterate farmers and tribal territories. We should have bombed the bejesus out of the Taliban and then supported the Northern Alliance with promises of weapon support and gotten the fuck out of dodge. For some reason we ignored the lessons of the Soviets in Afghanistan from the 80s.

[Ganzo]

can't help but notice no one has defined terrorism yet

somehow OKC was a terrist act but 9/11 wasn't? LOL. what about (insert mass school/college shooting spree)?

OKC was a criminal act by a few disgruntled citizens. The difference is OKC and this killing were not supported or condoned by the US Government and justice was swiftly sought .

The Afghan government <The Taliban> trained and supported the people who perpetuated 9/11. Likewise, Iran and Syria and other nations currently support terror campaigns. We do not. As Ganzo mentioned, terror campaigns are essentially guerrilla warfare. The U.S. doesn't need to do this as we have the capability to bomb pretty much any country in the world back to the stone age.

It's a shame but the Afghan war has become a political football. We never should have been there and there wasn't a clear goal post invasion like we had in Iraq. You can't nation build a country of illiterate farmers and tribal territories. We should have bombed the bejesus out of the Taliban and then supported the Northern Alliance with promises of weapon support and gotten the fuck out of dodge. For some reason we ignored the lessons of the Soviets in Afghanistan from the 80s.

You cannot teach people how to become free. There is a reason Moses dragged that mob of ex-slaves around a desert for 40 years.

[brinstar]

can't help but notice no one has defined terrorism yet

somehow OKC was a terrist act but 9/11 wasn't? LOL. what about (insert mass school/college shooting spree)?

OKC was a criminal act by a few disgruntled citizens. The difference is OKC and this killing were not supported or condoned by the US Government and justice was swiftly sought .

The Afghan government <The Taliban> trained and supported the people who perpetuated 9/11. Likewise, Iran and Syria and other nations currently support terror campaigns. We do not. As Ganzo mentioned, terror campaigns are essentially guerrilla warfare. The U.S. doesn't need to do this as we have the capability to bomb pretty much any country in the world back to the stone age.

It's a shame but the Afghan war has become a political football. We never should have been there and there wasn't a clear goal post invasion like we had in Iraq. You can't nation build a country of illiterate farmers and tribal territories. We should have bombed the bejesus out of the Taliban and then supported the Northern Alliance with promises of weapon support and gotten the fuck out of dodge. For some reason we ignored the lessons of the Soviets in Afghanistan from the 80s.

hahahaha wait wait

so now AFGHANISTAN was the stupid war, and IRAQ was the one that made sense?

pass that shit over here son, i'ma spark it too

[Lyion]

Tactically, yes Iraq was a better war than Afghanistan. The idea there was to leverage a westernized country in a great spot in the center of the Middle East with wealth and educated people into a free society. Thus, freedom and democracy could spread into other nations, which is what we see with the Arab Spring in some regards.

Iraq was deemed a national security threat for a long time. Afghanistan merely was a haven for Al Qaeda, and of no import except politically as it had few resources, was landlocked, and it's populace were uneducated in the middle of nowhere.

Neither war was smart. We should have instilled strongmen in both cases. However, if we were going to try to implement change, attempting it in Afghanistan is much more difficult and will bear far less fruit.