General Discussion

NuclearDem

(16,184 posts)

15. Apples and oranges.

Fri Nov 22, 2013, 04:01 PM

Nov 2013

The former Axis countries were occupied to be demilitarized and rebuilt after the war, and were further convinced of the need for US bases due to the looming threats from the USSR and China. South Korea has US bases as the result of pushing back against NK's aggression, and is still legally in a state of war.

Neither Afghanistan nor Iraq are anywhere near those situations. One was an already unstable government occupied by veterans of the previous guerrilla war against an invader and the other was a country with borders hastily drawn during decolonization and a powder keg that exploded after an illegal war of aggression and an incompetent occupation.

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Please educate me on the rationality of the new Afghan...US Pact proposal [View all] Blus4u Nov 2013 OP

Long-term revenue stream for the MIC. Scuba Nov 2013 #1

War, death, destruction, long term stabilization = BIG MIC $$$$$. That, is what RKP5637 Nov 2013 #3

That's the only thing I could think of... Blus4u Nov 2013 #4

It's what they should have done in Iraq as well giftedgirl77 Nov 2013 #2

"Stabalized" for the benefit of whom? Scuba Nov 2013 #6

Well considering we went into their country 12 yrs giftedgirl77 Nov 2013 #12

And of course our one and only option is .... military. No one could have predicted that. Scuba Nov 2013 #19

What do you want to do? Put the Peace Corps over giftedgirl77 Nov 2013 #26

Yeah, I seem to recall six years of my life not being a stone cold killer. Scuba Nov 2013 #29

My point exactly, i wasn't a stone cold killer either. giftedgirl77 Nov 2013 #33

So what are you advocating? Scuba Nov 2013 #34

If there is no other option then yes. giftedgirl77 Nov 2013 #35

So funding an international peace/rebuilding coalition never got any traction? Scuba Nov 2013 #36

Honestly, fuck if I know. giftedgirl77 Nov 2013 #37

We didn't "abandon" Iraq. Ace Acme Nov 2013 #21

Exactly, the Iraqis didn't want to put a SOFA giftedgirl77 Nov 2013 #28

But, as a nation, we cannot sustain that. Blus4u Nov 2013 #7

We have been shutting down bases in Germany giftedgirl77 Nov 2013 #13

And as I suggested in my reply to you above, we chose continued military involvement .... Scuba Nov 2013 #20

We've been there 12 fucking years! rusty fender Nov 2013 #31

Apples and oranges. NuclearDem Nov 2013 #15

We're not done with Iran. Laelth Nov 2013 #5

No wonder Iran is deemed a threat. Look how they put their country right in the middle of our bases. Scuba Nov 2013 #8

Precisely. (sarcasm) n/t Laelth Nov 2013 #10

Persians, getting in the way of freedumb and capitalism. NuclearDem Nov 2013 #17

I spent several years working on Afghanistan policy Proud Public Servant Nov 2013 #9

Very interesting. Thanks for the post. n/t Laelth Nov 2013 #11

"but I understand the corner we've painted ourselves into." Blus4u Nov 2013 #27

Not even if you give them the F-16s demanded by the kidnappers of Daniel Pearl. nt Ace Acme Nov 2013 #39

Hillary helped negotiate it so it must be good. avaistheone1 Nov 2013 #14

Taliban. They're real. nt jazzimov Nov 2013 #16

The concern that the Taliban will reassert control from a government Agnosticsherbet Nov 2013 #18

It's not the job of the USA to bring stability to every country in the world. Ace Acme Nov 2013 #23

The OP asked for a rational reason. Agnosticsherbet Nov 2013 #25

Chapter VII of the UN Charter authorizes the UN to take military action Ace Acme Nov 2013 #32

The UN has no military. They authorize members to fight for them. Only the Security Council can Agnosticsherbet Nov 2013 #41

The USA is not authorized to engage in unauthorized military adventures. nt Ace Acme Nov 2013 #42

The US and any state can act within their interests for self defense. Agnosticsherbet Nov 2013 #44

Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya, and Yemen are not a threat to us. Ace Acme Nov 2013 #45

Now I know the speach you were talking about. unfortunately, not one item of he speach was Agnosticsherbet Nov 2013 #43

Doesn't change the fact that JFK endorsed a proposal for TOTAL disarmanent nt Ace Acme Nov 2013 #46

He did that while leading the nation in a war with Veitnam, and after Agnosticsherbet Nov 2013 #50

He proposed total disarmament, he proposed a joint USSR/USA moon landing, he pledged Ace Acme Nov 2013 #52

Favorable PR for a lost war fought for PR. Tierra_y_Libertad Nov 2013 #22

That Democrats are so quick to validate Republican mistakes is quite dismaying. nt Ace Acme Nov 2013 #24

+1 Scuba Nov 2013 #30

Because if we don't stay CFLDem Nov 2013 #38

there is none. demigoddess Nov 2013 #40

^_^_^_^_^_^ ConcernedCanuk Nov 2013 #48

There is nothing new about the USA keeping some troops in Afghanistan until 2024. bluestate10 Nov 2013 #47

The same rationale that caused us to go in in the first place... Egalitarian Thug Nov 2013 #49

O.I.L. magical thyme Nov 2013 #51