Canada, U.S. should leave Afghanistan: expert

[Bragi]

Source: CTV.ca

A retired American colonel and prominent academic is calling for U.S. president-elect Barack Obama to reconsider his plans to expand his country's military mission in Afghanistan.

Andrew Bacevich, a foreign affairs specialist at Boston University, said the U.S. and allies like Canada should start to withdraw from the war-torn country because it "simply does not make sense" to stay.

Appearing on CTV's Question Period Sunday, he said the original objective of the mission was to make sure the region does not become a breeding ground for Al Qaeda terrorists, who could then have a safe haven to launch attacks on the West.

Bacevich said that now the Taliban has been forced out of power, there is really no need for Western countries to stay in the country and try to make it into a modern democracy.

Read more: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090111/afghan_colonel_090111/20090111?hub=Canada

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Makes sense to me.

- B

[elleng]

1. Requires some study. (by me)

Taliban has not been forced out of power. Thought AFGH would be a prob initially (no brainer, considering russkis experience there) and don't know what we should do/what 'good' afgh does for us. BUT we're a soft hearted people, or at least many Dems are, and the afgh people have a really rough life.

[David Dunham]

2. I agree. We also cannot afford to stay there with numerous troops.

[saigon68]

7. to make it into a modern democracy.

If pigs fly

[Crowman1979]

12. It should be up to the people of afghanistan to decide how they want their government organized.

I mean how long do these neocons want us there and until what conditions are set? And forget about the bin laden arguement, because he is either buried in a mountain, died of radiation poisoning from a dirty bomb he got to friendly with, died of natural causes, who the hell knows! For all we know those last tapes were pre-recorded before he died or the CIA made them.

The best way to undue our bad reputation in the world is to stop importing free weapons and stop propping up regimes.

BTW, look at the great job we're doing at preventing further genocide in Darfur! :sarcasm:

[lordsummerisle]

3. Just look at the history here...

Foreign powers have never "won" in Afghanistan, and I doubt this will change anytime soon. Once the money fire hose starts to dry up in Iraq it will just transfer over to Afghanistan...

[Oregone]

4. The real history is very sad...

Afghanistan may of been a really incredible nation today if it weren't for the Cold War and Operation Cyclone. We just can't stop fucking with that country until all it produces is pissed off radicals.

[bkkyosemite]

5. It's all about the poppies....lots of money and until they can get those farmers to make good money

from other crops that country will stay the same as it has for centuries. The whole country is a drug cartel.

[formercia]

9. Poppy Bush

He will just have to pay a little more. It will just add a few more middlemen to the pipeline.

[polly7]

6. I've always thought the continued presence in Afghanistan had just as much to do

with that trans-Afghanistan pipeline project as anything else. Until PNAC and the NATO enablers get the oilfields and routes all sorted out and secured they won't be coming home anytime soon. jmo.

[thewiseguy]

8. If we leave, the Taliban will take over

I am not sure if that is a good option.

[Bragi]

10. So do we stay forever?

The religious extremists, drug barons and tribal war lords have been running that country for about 200 years. Eventually, they will run the place again, no matter how many bombs we drop on the place. Nothing is going to change. No good will come from this war.

[Mari333]

11. if people want the usa to stay there they should enlist

or send someone in their family..our kids have been sent over 3-4 times for deployment, time to bring them home. the troops are broken down.
i know you dont mean it, you wouldnt want our kids to be over there one more minute if you knew we could bring them home.
besides, we should have never gone there in the first place.
its time to bring all the troops home. our tax money should be here in the usa helping to build this country. we dont need to be the worlds police.
keyboard warriors a far too aplenty in the world. they support war as long as its other peoples kids doing it.

[Tempest]

13. The Taliban are back in power in many areas of the country

This guy appears to be behind the times.