What is the Mission of the War in Afghanistan?

[snot]

No snarky comments, pls.

If you think you know, pls tell me, and a source would be appreciated.
(Also, has Obama stated the mission? But I don't want to limit this question to his statements.)

If you don't know, pls rec this.

[VioletLake]

1. To control and stabilize the area for various reasons. n/t

[snot]

6. "Control" --

I assume you mean, to facilitate control by a democratically-elected Afghan government?

[VioletLake]

7. Reasons:

1. To administer the exploitation of Afghanistan's resources and people.
2. For a strategic base between Russia and China.
3. To encircle (with Iraq, and eventually control) Iran.
4. To encircle (with India) and control Pakistan.

The intent is to control it militarily until:
A. It can control itself to the empire's fancy (minus the empire's military bases, of course).
B. The above reasons no longer justify military occupation.

Edited to add "with Iraq, "

[VioletLake]

35. Here is a map for reference:

[DCBob]

2. If you dont know by now, then either you have not been listening or you choose not to listen..

Obama and his admin have been stating publicly ever since they got in office.

[Oregone]

3. Bipartisanship?

:)

[snot]

8. If you know the answer, please share it.

No one has yet sourced me to an official statement as to what the mission is now considered to be.

[DCBob]

12. Google it.

[Oregone]

18. 7 Results...nothing relevant

http://www.google.ca/search?q=dcbob%27s+magic+knowledge+on+an+insane+war

[DCBob]

32. heheh.. funny!

;)

[Forkboy]

13. DCBob doesn't know either.

[IndianaGreen]

15. It is a faith-based policy!

Our glorious leaders are praying that somehow the Taliban, who are Pashtuns, will allow a non-Pashtun government led by the lone Pashtun Karzai to remain in power.

The Pashtuns in the east founded the nation. A warlike and libertarian people, Pashtuns consider Afghanistan to be their kingdom and refuse to accept national leadership from other ethnic groups. Pashtuns are light-skinned compared to Indians, and it’s possible they are descended from the “White Huns” or Scythians. In the struggle to control the country the Pashtuns are frequently assisted by their fellow tribesmen who live in Pakistan.

One third of Afghans speak Persian dialects. The Tajiks in the northeast are the largest and best organized of these groups, but Herat is also dominated by Persian-speakers.

Third in numbers are Mongol-Turkish peoples in the northwest of the country, mostly Uzbeks and Turkmen. Many of these are descended from people who fled the Russian advance in Central Asia during the 1800s. The Hazara are Persian-speaking but of Mongol stock. Balooch, Nuristanis, Aimacs, Ismailis, Kyrgyz, and others further complicate the ethnic picture.

http://www.warlordsofafghanistan.com/map.php

[DCBob]

16. Oh, I know... but the poster isnt looking for an answer, he or she is looking for a fight.

not interested.

[Forkboy]

17. Uh huh

[Oregone]

19. How incomprehensible if you'd be asked to actually defend a viewpoint

Better to leave it unsaid, but make hints regarding how much you really know.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. create a secular multi ethnic state friendly to our economic/geopolitical interests

which is a delusion of staggering proportions.

[havocmom]

5. Natural gas fields on one side

Big market on the other.

In the middle: corporations making a bundle, mostly tax free

[IndianaGreen]

9. Get our troops killed while our arms merchants enrich themselves at their expense

The children of the elites never go to war!

[Webster Green]

10. As I remember it: "To rid the world of evildoers".

I can't see where that has changed.

[TheKentuckian]

11. Mineral deposits, a pipeline, an excuse to violate and disregard civil liberties and profit while

doing it, and of course to "drown the pig".

Supposedly it is to seed a self sustaining government that won't be taken over by extremists and to defeat "terruh".

[Individualist]

29. and boosting the military industrial complex

[TheKentuckian]

30. oh most definitely

[Rex]

14. To establish a government independent of the Taliban and kill

or capture Osama Bin Laden. Well that WAS the lie they told us for the reason to go into Afghanistan (oh and 9/11 as well). Shame it was all a scam, like the war in Iraq.

[oldlib]

31. Your understanding is the best.

This is exactly as I understood the reason to go into Afghanistan. What I didn't understand, at that time, is why Saudi Arabia wasn't our chief concern, as most of the 9/11 terrorists were from there. I agree that it has been a scam.

[Rex]

34. Well Saudi Arabia at the time was our best friend (Bush Sr.)

and we loved the sultan and the monarchy (many pictures of Bush Jr. holding hands with the royalty). Even with this lovefest going on (back to Bush Sr. again) George I wanted to put military bases (a lot of bases) in Saudi Arabia and there was one man (well many) that became furious with our idea of colonialism for the Kingdom - Osama Bin Laden. You could say, George Bush Sr. ultimately caused 9/11 and two unwinnable wars by forcing his military ideas on the royal family in Saudi Arabia. Osama had already won a war against the Russians and was a major player in the CIA back in the 1980s.

Our declaration of war should have been a global criminal manhunt and nothing more. Warmongers took the opportunity to make money and here we still are in two wars we cannot win, but lose trillions of dollars to. :(

Bring the troops home!

[Oregone]

20. So they stop exporting pot that goes into brownies that children eat

This is about the children....and no, not the one's over there.

[sam sarrha]

21. the Government's stand, is to "Fix" Islam into a Moderate warm n fuzzy lap dog, but

we have a president that knows what it is, literally gets down and prays with them on his visit to Saudi.. lived it as a child.. knows what is happening in the EU today, i'm not bashing Obama, he does what he does to curry trust, whatever.. we have a long history of presidents kissing Saudi ass.. they report it tastes like chicken, i hear. you can bet that they have a lot of financial influence that is preventing our development of solar and wind technology and becoming free of oil as an energy source.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/01/obama-mubarak-egypt-cairo-opinions-columnists-muslim-speech.html
"snip...Call it respegnity. It will be about that because, although the U.S. can do whatever it does in the Muslim world more competently, the U.S. can never straighten out the pretzelized politics of the region. The Muslims themselves cannot, have not been able to since the advent of the Prophet, except by force, and then only temporarily. Hence the endless roll call of rampant ids in Islamic history: Abbasids, Fatimids, Timurids, Safavids, Aghlabids, Almoravids, Ayyubids and Ghaznavids, to name a few--and that's without the dynasties that end id-lessly such as Moguls, Ottomans, Seljuks and the like. ...snip"

we cant fix Islam. if one would achieve our goals it wouldn't be Islam. probably 90% of Iran wants a democratic Iran.. not because it would improve Islam, but because they want western standards, rock n roll, party time, happy hour, a quickie on their lunch break without being stoned to death.. their peculiar form of Islam evolved thru Sufism.. Sufism evolved with the help of copious amounts of weed and hash.. it was their sacrament. what the Iranian people want is not Islam. it is a happy life.. and i'll bet a years wages you wont find that under Sharia law. probably 95% of Muslims suffer from Stockholm Syndrome

[alsame]

22. "Central Asia pipeline deal signed" from December 2002, BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2608713.stm


IMO, we're not leaving until the pipeline is finished, functional and protected.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

23. Prove that Obama is "tough on terror". Like LBJ proved he was "tough on Communism".

[ThomWV]

24. To spend money on military supplies and equipment until it destroys us - Oh, it already has

[onethatcares]

25. you are quicker on the clicker than I am.

but your post would have been the same as mine.

Peace

[sam sarrha]

27. Ossama's mentor said his plan was to suck us into a series of middle east wars and bankrupt us

it worked..

[pscot]

26. If you get an answer

send a note to the Whitehouse. They're still trying to figure it out.

[sam sarrha]

28. ... wont work.. they are living in a Fantasy World, there is no forwarding address

[daleo]

33. To spend tax money on war and associated businesses

To give military personnel (officer class) a hot war, to give them combat experience.
To "blood" the troops.
To keep people focused on external enemies, and internally divided.
To make sure that smart members of the working class have a military option (works as a safety valve).

America never goes for long without a war, for the above reasons. It's gravy when the war has any sort of real purpose, good or bad.