Faux Buffoons trash Canadian soldiers

[TCO]

I don't see any reason for CA to be in Af. They could get all the free rider benefits with none of the pain, if they exited. This holds true for just about anything: new cold War, old Cold War, fighting Martians etc.

Of course Af is pointless regardless.

[TCO]

Having a stable, Al Qaeda free Afghanistan is a public good among the community of nations. And the US is the biggest target in that community. In fact, I'd say it's a significantly bigger target than its mere size would suggest.

It's a fool's errand. It's a ****ed up place that lacks a coastline. Much better to let the Persians and Pakis divide it as a sphere of influence...and just **** with it occasionally by supporting insurrections or the like. We should not try to police the world. There are l;awless parts of it. And AQ could plan their next event as easily from Somalia or even from apartments in London.

Let's find a few token Taliban, call them leaders, hang them (literally), then boogie.

[KrazyHorse]

I don't see any reason for CA to be in Af. They could get all the free rider benefits with none of the pain, if they exited. This holds true for just about anything: new cold War, old Cold War, fighting Martians etc.

Of course Af is pointless regardless.

The free rider benefits are not as obvious in a situation where you believe the forces may be nearly equally balanced, that your participation could make the difference and the potential for loss is so great.

That's why Afghanistan is not the same as the Cold War.

[TCO]

The free rider benefits are not as obvious in a situation where you believe the forces may be nearly equally balanced, that your participation could make the difference and the potential for loss is so great.

That's why Afghanistan is not the same as the Cold War.

Don't get all persnickety with me quant weightlifter.

The reason we are there is to look like we are doing something, even though we aren't. Because there's not much we can do. CA is there for similar reasons.

And we are way, way, way more overpower to AQ than we were to the commies.

Admit it...you just like commies better than AQ.

[Richelieu]

Meanwhile, my brother in law has arrived in Kandahar. He's a truck driver. Hope everything goes OK for him.

[KrazyHorse]

Don't get all persnickety with me quant weightlifter.
And we are way, way, way more overpower to AQ than we were to the commies.

Errr...yeah, that's what I was saying. During the Cold War Canada had reason to believe that the sandbags it chose to place might make the difference between victory and defeat.

Much different when the US force is so overwhelming that our participation just makes it easier to bleed off troops to somewhere else.

[TCO]

Oh...I guess I sort of saw you all as doing nothing during the Cold War and something here.

[TCO]

Meanwhile, my brother in law has arrived in Kandahar. He's a truck driver. Hope everything goes OK for him.

I hope so too.

[KrazyHorse]

Oh...I guess I sort of saw you all as doing nothing during the Cold War and something here.

Korea?

[TCO]

The Australians come to all our wars...

[KrazyHorse]

Yeah, but you win all the ones we come to.

[DanS]

I haven't felt this alienated from the US for a while, by the way.

How alienated is "this alienated"?

[Ramo]

The value is our military presence in Afghanistan is pretty questionable. I think the big lesson from Iraq is not that the Surge was some great success, but that the Anbar Salvation Front was key (a strategy that I was very dubious of). Also genocide, but that kind of defeats the purpose. Much, much more cost effective to devolve power and buy folks off. One reason to have even higher hopes for that kind of strategy in Afghanistan is that you don't have groups competing over localized oil revenues. It looks like we're moving in this direction (i.e. pushing for provincial autonomy), but probably not fast enough.

[KrazyHorse]

How alienated is "this alienated"?

Pretty bad. Slightly affecting my near-future goals.

[Naked Gents Rut]

You're better off leaving, anyway. Move to some Commonwealth country that still has a modicum of fiscal discipline left.