Wednesday 25 April 2012

Afghanistan, the Definition of Madness


By Alan Caruba

Having learned nothing from history, ancient and recent, the U.S. has just initiated an agreement with Afghanistan to provide support for the next decade. The definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

According to an April 23 news report, “The partnership agreement ensures that the U.S. will continue to support Afghanistan even after the U.S. ends major combat operations and scales back its development projects over the next two years” and “The strategic-partnership will commit the U.S. to more than a decade of economic and financial support for the Afghan state, which is still battling a resilient Taliban-led insurgency.”

No external entity, from Alexander the Great in 329 BC, to Genghis Khan’s Mongol army in 1221 BC, to the British Empire in 1839-1842, has ever encountered anything but defeat in Afghanistan. Add the U.S. and NATO to the list.

An excerpt. To read the entire commentary, click on the title or here

2 comments:

PacRim Jim said...

If the U.S. wants to end the death of American troops in Afghanistan, it must either stay out, or it must do to Iran and Pakistan what it did to the Japanese and Germans in WWII: ratchet up destruction of their countries until they surrender and stop sending murderers into Afghanistan.
The U.S. apparently learned nothing from Vietnam.

Anonymous said...

Alan, check out Field MarshalFred Roberts,late 19th Cent. Went in, whupped them, then got out> Of course he had the benefit of clearly defined, achievable objectives...