Quote:
Originally Posted by bluesdave
It is not that simple any more. You cannot isolate Afghanistan from the equation. Iran and Pakistan tie the two together. The situation is so complicated now, that you cannot only consider Iraq.
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Continuing the mistakes in Iraq rather than maintaining a status quo; rather than do what the informed have been saying (as paraphrased in the Iraq Study Group) means Afghanistan may be right behind Iraq. Taking the we fear all mentality; automatically labeling everyone in black and white; for example, automatically labeling Iran as an enemy; will only lead to more American deaths and further loss of American influence.
One should never forget who the wild card in that region is and who the greatest threat to American interests is: Pakistan.
Ironic that a closest American ally is also a greatest threat? Not just a liability - a threat. As bluesdave notes, the situation is so complicated now which is also why the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group demanded coordinated actions from most of the American government. But how many understood how complicated as to understand that Pakistan (not Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, or the K'stan nations) is the greatest threat - the big wild card.
As long as we continue this status quo, then the potential threat of, around, and in Pakistan only becomes larger. Status quo ("Mission Accomplished") is a guaranteed source of things worse. That was made quite clear from the Iraq Study Group.
One need only learn lessons of history. The Wise Men said a same thing in Vietnam. So we ignored that hard reality out of fear - as if might makes right. It only meant 30,000 massacred Americans, millions of massacred Vietnamese, and even created the killing fields in Cambodia. Welcome to what happened in 1968 when we did in Vietnam what we are now doing in Iraq - maintaining the status quo only because no one in American power was willing to accept hard facts.