Because in something that has bad sides has also some good.But I'm wondering how you square this statement with your view that "Western capitalism" and, in your very next post, NATO and US imperialism, are on the whole good things. — boethius
After the possibility of Soviet tank armies coming through the Fulda Gap evaporated, they don't know what to do with their army. There is now NATO Poland between them and Russia, so nothing to worry about I guess.I think a unified Germany without a proper military is a bigger problem for Europe than a properly armed Germany with realistic foreign policies. — Apollodorus
And those stock prices tell something? Lol.Dead American soldiers - most of whom were probably poor and optionless - gave their lives for this and nothing else: — StreetlightX
Do notice that during that time the DJIA has gone up well over 400% during that time and the Nasdaq 900%. So basically Raytheon has been a shitty investment, General Dynamics and Boeing average. Nothing close to Internet companies. — ssu
These are irrelevant points but sure. — StreetlightX
Yeah, but so goes inflation and salaries. And then you are talking of the largest economy, which hasn't grown extremely rapidly as it's already quite prosperous. Only poor countries can get long periods of double digit growth.That defence spending is a lower proportion of GDP is not the same a defence spending being 'low'. If GDP goes up, then defence spending goes up even when it remains the same proportion. — Isaac
Yeah, but so goes inflation and salaries. — ssu
It is so beautiful. Sad of how humans can destroy the nature and earth just for religious or political beliefs, right? — javi2541997
Americans are too fucking stupid and barbarous to imagine they would have done otherwise. — StreetlightX
Except it isn't.I think it's much the way its always been. — frank
Afghanistan remains a perfect example of the devastation wreaked by landmines. Despite an effective demining program, and a well developed mines awareness program, the mines continue to claim civilian victims every day. Over US $100 million has been contributed to the program, enough to clear one fifth of the known mined area in the country. The mines situation in Afghanistan is unacceptable: in Ottawa the international community has an opportunity to ensure it does not happen elsewhere.
Mines have been used extensively around many of the major cities in Afghanistan. The regional capitals of Kandahar (south), Jalalabad (east), and Herat (west) were all extremely heavily mined, with bands of defensive minefields around the cities. Extensive mining also took place inside the cities of Kandahar and Herat. For example, in Herat, the huge barrier minefields laid by the Soviets - which ran through the western part of the city - were laid to defend against mujaheddin insurgencies from close to the Iranian border.
The verges of important roads in and out of the cities were mined, and mines were used to protect strategic supply routes, such as the road from Pakistan to Kabul, and other major arterial roads. The lines of red warning rocks demarcating minefields, which run along the sides of roads, are a common sight while driving in Afghanistan.
(6th Feb 2019) The UN agency notes that since 1989, more than 18 million explosive remnants of war (ERW) items have been cleared, along with more than 730,000 anti-personnel mines including over 750 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and 30,145 anti-tank mines.
“We are still in the prevention business and we aren’t doing all that well,” said Patrick Fruchet, UNMAS Programme Manager, Afghanistan. “In 2012, we were down to about 36 casualties per month in Afghanistan - which is still enormous; those numbers jumped, those numbers jumped year on year. And in 2017, there were more than 150 casualties a month.”
This spike in casualty numbers is linked to “new contamination” by anti-personnel weapons in the country, linked to intensifying conflict between Government forces and Taliban extremists, after 2014.
Except the US didn't care a shit about Afghanistan in 1994 as Soviet Union had left years ago. Hekmatyar and the famous Haqqani (now known as the Haqqani network) were the CIA backed warlords that rose to power thanks to CIA money. The Taliban itself is an invention of the ISI, which is now likely proud how they have succeeded finally. Basically the Taliban pushed away the squabbling ex-CIA financed warlords. Haqqani then changed sides later, wasn't a founder of the Taliban.Which includes, of course, the very Taliban whom the US helped to usher into existence, with great fanfare. — StreetlightX
There are many desolate areas. But minefields make Afghanistan even more desolate.It's always been in the middle of nowhere and it's always been pretty desolate. — frank
(Financial Times) Prime Minister Imran Khan declared that Afghans had “broken the shackles of slavery”. Raoof Hasan, his special assistant, wrote on Twitter that “the contraption that the US had pieced together for Afghanistan has crumbled like the proverbial house of cards”. As Afghan president Ashraf Ghani fled the country, Hasan hailed what he called “a virtually smooth shifting of power” from Ghani’s “corrupt” government to Taliban rule.
For you there all just a bunch of ragheads and everything happens because of the evil Americans. Everybody else are just pawns or victims of the US for you, as usual.Correct. ssu is largely talking out of his ass. — StreetlightX
YepCIA funded all groups to fight the Soviets. The money went basically through Pakistani ISI and they favored their guys. When Soviet Union withdrew and finally the Najibullah regime fell, the US lost interest at Afghanistan. The various warlords then started to fight each other, and finally Pakistan solved the dilemma by backing on group, "the students" lead by Mullah Omar. — ssu
That simply is your bias. Not to think of others as important actors with their own agendas.But yeah, almost everything that is shit in the Middle East is a direct result of American interference. — StreetlightX
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