The forever war: What have we got for a 20 year deployment?

[speak easy]

A: Not enough. These people are poor brown muslims, unlike the industrious, well educated people of South Korea.

Like Afghanistan, the deployment in South Korea, began with an international force (NATO; UN)
Life Afghanistan, the adversary was never defeated, and remains in a state of war.
Like Afghanistan, the government would likely fall if U.S. force/support were withdrawn;
Unlike Afghanistan, the U.S. has maintained a fighting force in South Korea for 70 years.
Unlike Afghanistan, the U.S. has maintained a fighting force of 30K - 40K for 50 years
Unlike Afghanistan, Samsung would be in trouble if the place was invaded.
Unlike South Korea, the Afghan people are poor brown and muslim. It's not worth it.

[Cerridwen]

1. Highly trained white supremacists?

[speak easy]

2. Indeed.

In either theater.

[Cerridwen]

3. Precisely and good point.

I remember the late 1990s reports about first, gangs infiltrating the military for training and then in the late 90s and early 2000s reports came out about the various white supremacists groups joining for the same training.

The republicans buried all the reports and refused to act or acted haphazardly.

[AZProgressive]

4. The US allied with South Korea against the Soviet bloc

South Korea became a wealthy developed nation after the US allied with them but that could be why they are still allied. Beside that they seem to be an important geopolitical ally.

The US also fought the Soviets in Afghanistan. I'm sure this is well known here but the US under Reagan armed & trained the mujahideen led by Osama Bin Laden and funded by Saudi Arabia. After they fought off the Soviets the Taliban eventually took over. The US returned after 9-11. Afghanistan has been in a civil war since 1979.

Afghanistan is probably the only post 9/11 war that made a little sense but with 9/11 most of trails led to Saudi Arabia and that is one country in the region the US has never invaded.

There are people coming out of high school and joining the military today weren't even born yet when 9-11 happened.

[speak easy]

5. Basically, Afghanistan is not geopolitically or economically important.

As a matter of cost benefit it is not worth it.

So dump the forever war shite. In the 1970s, 'there were people coming out of high school and joining the military today weren't even born when' ... the Korean War took place.

It is not that we have been there for 20 years, it is supporting their government is not worth it. cf. keeping Samsung in clover, which certainly is.

[AZProgressive]

6. I wasn't really answering the question

Just explaining differences between Afghanistan & South Korea.

The reasons for being in Afghanistan no longer has to do with 9-11 and I mention those that enlisted.

I served in the Iraq war and there is a big difference between being deployed in a combat zone and stationed at Korea. I know they are likely on high alert all the time but the worst I heard of Korea was that it was cold and the extra duty was the worst. I hear a lot of people have fun when they are stationed in Germany.

I have a 100% service connected disability so the forever war issue is very personal for me.

[speak easy]

7. Understood.

Got it.

[cinematicdiversions]

8. The South Koreans themselves have not been attacking our troops over the last 20 years

There is a world of difference between a well defined external threat and an internal one.

[speak easy]

9. Ultimately the calculus is the same -

If the U.S. withdrew all support to either regime, the country would fall to authoritarian fanatics.