US attacks AQ camp in Somalia.

[Kitschum]

It was a police action!!

[Felch]

Why is that confusing?

I'm not a fan of the US going into another country to perform military actions without the consent of their government. (unless they're already our enemy)

What's confusing is that we can't tell if you are being funny, or if you don't realize that Somalia hasn't had a government for twenty years.

The UN backed government doesn't count, since they don't really run anything. They seem to spend most of their time under siege in Mogadishu.

[Wezil]

Take the Afghanistan approach. Throw out the legitimate government, install your guy to power, then stay indefinitely after your guy asks for help.

[Felch]

I prefer the "shoot a bunch of black people and then make movies about it" approach that we've taken with Somalia. It's more entertaining.

[Kitschum]

The movie was great though. Almost makes it worth it.

[Wezil]

I prefer the "shoot a bunch of black people and then make movies about it" approach that we've taken with Somalia. It's more entertaining.

But it doesn't address Rah's concerns about legitimacy.

[DinoDoc]

Take the Afghanistan approach. Throw out the legitimate government,

Legitimate Government?

[Wezil]

Yes, the people ruling the country before you/we threw them out.

[DinoDoc]

Yes, the people ruling the country before you/we threw them out.

There was noone ruling the country before we came.

[Wezil]

Following the removal of the Soviet forces, the U.S. and its allies lost interest in Afghanistan and did little to help rebuild the war-ravaged country or influence events there.[citation needed] The USSR continued to support President Mohammad Najibullah (former head of the Afghan secret service, KHAD) until 1992 when the new Russian government refused to sell oil products to the Najibullah regime.[57]

Because of the fighting, a number of elites and intellectuals fled to take refuge abroad. This led to a leadership imbalance in Afghanistan. Fighting continued among the victorious Mujahideen factions, which gave rise to a state of warlordism. The most serious fighting during this period occurred in 1994, when over 10,000 people were killed in Kabul alone. It was at this time that the Taliban developed as a politico-religious force, eventually seizing Kabul in 1996 and establishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. By the end of 2000 the Taliban had captured 95% of the country.

During the Taliban's seven-year rule, much of the population experienced restrictions on their freedom and violations of their human rights. Women were banned from jobs, girls forbidden to attend schools or universities.[58] Communists were systematically eradicated and thieves were punished by amputating one of their hands or feet.[59] Opium production was nearly wiped out by the Taliban by 2001.[60]

War in Afghanistan 2001–present

Following the September 11 attacks the United States launched Operation Enduring Freedom, a military campaign to destroy the Al-Qaeda terrorist training camps inside Afghanistan. The U.S. military also threatened to overthrow the Taliban government for refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden and several Al-Qaeda members. The U.S. made a common cause with the former Afghan Mujahideen to achieve its ends, including the Northern Alliance, a militia still recognized by the United Nations as the Afghan government.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan#Soviet_invasion_and_civil_war

The government of Afghanistan was more stable under the Taliban than they have been in the last 8 years.

[Lonestar]

Take the Afghanistan approach. Throw out the legitimate government, install your guy to power, then stay indefinitely after your guy asks for help.

There is no legitimate government.

[SlowwHand]

Stability doesn't equal good, in all cases.

[Wezil]

Not now, no. The government arrived at by Afghani's was chased out. Now it is our puppet regime.

You have a question to answer in the "saving journalists" thread Lonestar...

[Wezil]

Stability doesn't equal good, in all cases.

I'm not endorsing the Taliban. The were brutal, but they were the government and they maintained stability (in their fashion).

[rah]

The same could be said of saddam.