The killing that continues in Afghanistan can be laid at the feet of the Taliban for its desire to re-impose its murderous, repressive will on the unwilling citizens of that country and the Bush administration for mismanagement and abandoning the legitimate work in Afghanistan for misadventure in Iraq.
I am increasingly less convinced that Afghanistan would have worked out even if the Americans hadn't gone on a goose chase in Vietraq. The mindset of the people running the war was simply ill-suited to the kind of war they were running.
It is possible that it could have worked if it had been managed properly from the start. But I'm not sure it would.
- Jake If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.
Yes, I pretty much said this in an earlier diary, when I stated that the chances for success in Afghanistan "were not good even before Iraq." I just objected to Mr. bil pinning the whole Afghanistan thing on American emotions, i.e., blood lust. Stupidity might have been a more acceptable explanation, in fact. I know people were upset by 9/11, but unless al-Qaeda was challenged in Afghanistan (I'm not sure the Taliban's low level offer to turn over Bin Laden was sincere) I believe there would have been more attacks planned there. Unfortunately, the way things have turned out, we're not better off today. Iraq and the lack of progress in Afghanistan have only added to the army of those that want to harm us in the name of Islam. I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears
