Open Thread: Stark, Raving Reality Contrasts, Afghanistan Disconnect Edition
Submitted by: Open Thread on Tue, 06/17/2008 - 03:49
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Hat-tip to Theghostofkarlafayetucker for picking this up and expanding brilliantly on it.
 Click image for source. |
From the Associated Press,1
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Hundreds of Taliban fighters invaded villages just outside Afghanistan's second-largest city Monday, forcing NATO and Afghan troops to rush in while frightened residents fled. The Taliban assault on the outskirts of Kandahar is the latest display of prowess by the militants despite a record number of U.S. and NATO troops in the country. |
Continuing from the article,
President Bush, speaking in London, said the United States can help calm the "testy situation." Bush said the U.S. mission remains to deny safe haven to extremists who want to kill innocent people.[...snip...]
"The Taliban are losing the fight in southern Afghanistan," he said.
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Of course, noting the position of Kandahar on the map (marked in red, above), one could reasonably conclude that the President either meant "more south" than Kandahar, or that Kandahar itself didn't count and that it was the rest of southern Afghanistan that he was referring to.
This is an Open Thread.
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Footnote
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1. Article by NOOR KHAN and JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writers, Mon Jun 16, 9:17 PM ET, as posted on Yahoo!.
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History Teaching
Source: THE SOVIET EXPERIENCE IN AFGHANISTAN: RUSSIAN DOCUMENTS AND MEMOIRS, Edited by Svetlana Savranskaya, October 9, 2001, @ FAS.org.
Excellent reference and example.
One wonders if the chutzpah of invading Afghanistan has to do more with the "Yeah, but we're 'Muricans" and "we'll show 'em how it's done" than in actually accomplishing anything.
:/
Regardless, it underscores the oft-repeated, still-unlearned lessons of history -- such as the Crusades, the missionaries, the doctrine of "Manifest Destiny" and the idiocy behind the multiple attempts to create Empires...as well as the concept of "civilization" as presumed by Western societies.
There's a lot of misplaced arrogance and unlearned lessons still resonating through contemporary event from the past. I wonder if more people will start listening before far fewer peoples are around to do so?
Kandahar
It's odd the article doesn't mention the air base in Kandahar. While it's isolated, it still holds strategic significance:
Kandahar from Global Security
...interesting. :) Thanks, Susie.
Every little bit helps.