If I suggested this event moved the probability of Republicans taking the Senate and House in 2022 higher, and upped the odds of Trump or someone like him claiming the White House in 2024 would you believe it? Would it concern you?
Yes to both questions -- especially the 2nd one. I am deeply concerned!
We are all part of an interconnected system. These things don't happen "over there" without consequences everywhere.
Undoubtedly!
No precept or claim is more suspect or more likely to be false than one that can only be supported by invoking the claim of Divine authority for it--no matter who or what claims such authority.
As has been noted, the greatest betrayal is for all those whose lives are now in jeopardy, like the Kurds before them.
"Hearts and minds" was the slogan in Vietnam, and was just as effective in Afghanistan. American Democracy does not travel well to all corners of the earth. I don't think that anyone thinks of this as a military failure. Like the Russians and the British before us, we found that tribalism Trump's technology and colonialism.
We could stay, but we would never really win. We can hope to prevent another 9/11.
I've been thinking about it for the last several days. In our Second Covid Summer, with fires and droughts devouring the planet, the world just seems to be unraveling.
The great problem of any civilization is how to rejuvenate itself without rebarbarization.
- Will Durant "Of what meaning is the world without mind? The question cannot exist."
- Edwin Land
I find it odd the US never left Japan or Germany. American occupation seemed to work well there.
And when the Confederates saw Jackson standing fearless like a stonewall, the army of Northern Virginia took courage and drove the federal army off their land.
How quickly can the politics around Afghanistan change? Here's a section on the RNC's website in June; click it now and you get a 404 error. (Rest of page was about Kosovo/Israel-Arab deals.)
This is obviously material from 2020 that stayed online for a while, not a new statement from June 2021. It just jumped out to me as an example of how politically popular withdrawal was until this weekend. RNC didn’t scramble to delete it, it was just left up before site updates.
Interesting, and worth noting as we move fwd on this thing if the GOP attempts to make hay out of it.
If I suggested this event moved the probability of Republicans taking the Senate and House in 2022 higher, and upped the odds of Trump or someone like him claiming the White House in 2024 would you believe it? Would it concern you?
We are all part of an interconnected system. These things don't happen "over there" without consequences everywhere.
Biden's crystal ball failed. The Taliban are able to make a wreck out of the withdrawal plan. People will experience a wish to blame somebody.
