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The Vietnamization of Afghanistan (or, why we lost the war before it even started)
Around 2009 or-so, the cat was out of the bag that Afghanistan's military and police were hopelessly corrupt and incompetent;
www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/1…
www.stripes.com/news/troops-fe…
www.counterpunch.org/2009/11/1…
www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/wor…
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south…
hotair.com/archives/2009/12/16…
In about 6 minutes and 30 seconds, this video condenses everything in the articles linked above into a single peephole into the Afghan quagmire;
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWWWot…
It also didn't help that the US government wasn't exatcly a sterling role model...;
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/…
worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/20…
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/…
www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09…
kabulpress.org/my/spip.php?art…
www.militarycorruption.com/
Oh, and the drug problem mentioned in 2009? About that...;
www.youtube.com/watch?v=obhwoS…
"All of that was years ago, so it MUST have gotten better!", you say? No --- it's gotten far, far worse, and every indication is that the worst is yet to come;
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja5Q75…
Does all this sound familiar? It should, because we've done it all before. Back then, it was called "Vietnamization";
thevietnamwar.info/what-was-ni…
Corruption, incompetence, and all manner of misconduct was rampant in South Vietnam during that war as well, and was slowly destroying that nation from the inside out...;
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Dinh…
www.vietnamwar.net/ARVN.htm
muse.jhu.edu/journals/jmh/summ…
...just as it was in the US military, as well;
www.gradesaver.com/the-things-…
www.cnn.com/2012/03/01/health/…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ike_Atki…
www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/…
everything2.com/title/Zippo+Ra…
During the Vietnam War, Colonel David H. Hackworth broke ranks and stated in a 1971 news interview that the North Vietnamese flag would fly over Saigon within 4 years. He was dead-on;
www.hackworth.com/biography.ht…
It's long overdue for someone to make the same prognosis for Afghanistan. It's often alluded to by those who know what actually happens over there (and is wise enough to discern what matters in the long term, from what doesn't), but to date I've never seen anyone show enough backbone to say it how it is, and this needs to be done. So, I'll be the first.
By 2020, Afghanistan will once again be;
- Controlled the the Taliban.
- A brutal, mass-murdering dictatorship.
- A "terrorist factory", that funds, trains, and equips terrorists to murder countless thousands all over the world.
- So politically embarrassing taboo for the US government, that we will allow it to grow and fester like an untreated tumor.
- A safe haven for said terrorists, because the US military won't try to oust the Taliban with another invasion, for obvious reasons.
If I'm right, tell everyone you heard it from me first. If I'm wrong...
...well, let's all HOPE I'm wrong.
Around 2009 or-so, the cat was out of the bag that Afghanistan's military and police were hopelessly corrupt and incompetent;
www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/1…
www.stripes.com/news/troops-fe…
www.counterpunch.org/2009/11/1…
www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/wor…
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south…
hotair.com/archives/2009/12/16…
In about 6 minutes and 30 seconds, this video condenses everything in the articles linked above into a single peephole into the Afghan quagmire;
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWWWot…
It also didn't help that the US government wasn't exatcly a sterling role model...;
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/…
worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/20…
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/…
www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09…
kabulpress.org/my/spip.php?art…
www.militarycorruption.com/
Oh, and the drug problem mentioned in 2009? About that...;
www.youtube.com/watch?v=obhwoS…
"All of that was years ago, so it MUST have gotten better!", you say? No --- it's gotten far, far worse, and every indication is that the worst is yet to come;
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja5Q75…
Does all this sound familiar? It should, because we've done it all before. Back then, it was called "Vietnamization";
thevietnamwar.info/what-was-ni…
Corruption, incompetence, and all manner of misconduct was rampant in South Vietnam during that war as well, and was slowly destroying that nation from the inside out...;
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Dinh…
www.vietnamwar.net/ARVN.htm
muse.jhu.edu/journals/jmh/summ…
...just as it was in the US military, as well;
www.gradesaver.com/the-things-…
www.cnn.com/2012/03/01/health/…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ike_Atki…
www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/…
everything2.com/title/Zippo+Ra…
During the Vietnam War, Colonel David H. Hackworth broke ranks and stated in a 1971 news interview that the North Vietnamese flag would fly over Saigon within 4 years. He was dead-on;
www.hackworth.com/biography.ht…
It's long overdue for someone to make the same prognosis for Afghanistan. It's often alluded to by those who know what actually happens over there (and is wise enough to discern what matters in the long term, from what doesn't), but to date I've never seen anyone show enough backbone to say it how it is, and this needs to be done. So, I'll be the first.
By 2020, Afghanistan will once again be;
- Controlled the the Taliban.
- A brutal, mass-murdering dictatorship.
- A "terrorist factory", that funds, trains, and equips terrorists to murder countless thousands all over the world.
- So politically embarrassing taboo for the US government, that we will allow it to grow and fester like an untreated tumor.
- A safe haven for said terrorists, because the US military won't try to oust the Taliban with another invasion, for obvious reasons.
If I'm right, tell everyone you heard it from me first. If I'm wrong...
...well, let's all HOPE I'm wrong.
US Navy NAVAIR caught reposting stolen fanart!
There was quite a stir a couple days ago in late October 2021, as the US Navy's NAVAIR department posted what they implied to be concept art for the new FA-XX aircraft program, intended to field the successor to the F-18 Hornet. https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/10/u-s-navy-lifts-veil-on-new-f-a-xx-concept-design/ This is the image in question; https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FC5G4wxXIAEBJ2h?format=png&name=small Now, take a good long look at that aircraft design one more time, before looking at this concept art published on the NationStates forum in 2007, which was created by a private user for world-building purposes; https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/nsdraftroom/tsf-624-shukusei-advanced-air-superiority-fighte-t324.html Given how badly the Pentagon botched Afghanistan, should it really be surprising that they aren't above plagiarism?
Afghanistan has fallen
I hadn't intended to post another journal about the Afghan War, let alone another one this early, but it looks like that war is wrapping-up --- and not for the better. 5000 troops of the 82nd Airborne just touched-down in Kabul to cover the evacuation of the US Embassy, and heavy fighting with the Taliban is taking place within 30 miles of the capital; My expectation was that this war would end this way, but that it would take several more months. Now it looks like the Taliban will have a total victory within the next 7 days. Another observation; 5000 men is a close analog of the "Interim Brigades" --- now called Brigade Combat Teams --- that the US Army has developed since 1999 to replace their 10,000-man Divisions. 5000 men can't shoulder the responsibilities and sustain casualties on the level that requires a Division. If they're lucky, they'll be up, over, and gone before the Taliban comes within a mile of them. If not... Also, here's an image to keep fresh in mind as you
Told you so
Back in 2013, I predicted that Afghanistan was going to collapse into a complete fustercluck by 2020, in a journal I titled, "The Vietnamization of Afghanistan"; Seems I was right, though the Pentagon held-on for a year longer than I predicted. One night a month ago, the Afghan General commanding the Bagram Airbase saw all the lights suddenly go out, and inquired about why all the power was off. He discovered that the entire US contingent had secretly retreated in the night, and shut-off the power as they left; Like rats from a sinking ship.
Bad news
Those of you who have been following my work for a long time will have seen that there's been a steady decline in it. Increasingly less has been created and posted over time, with increasingly long gaps and hiatuses. It's also been ages since I posted anything here, even a journal. I admit that you've deserved an explanation for a very long time, but I've been reluctant to give one. I didn't want to burden you with my emotional baggage, but as of today, I don't see any point in being quiet about it any longer. I spent some of my late teens and all of my adult life caring for my mother, who after a long and bitter series of injuries and illnesses became bed-ridden. We'd tried hiring many professional nurses and care-givers from time to time, but they all proved too expensive and inexperienced to be of any help. My dad is much older than her and not as sturdy or healthy as he used to be, my sister has a proper job that keeps her busy for most of the time, and we aren't exactly wealthy
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Comments26
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We talk a lot about the women's living standards but what about the men's?
I wouldn't be surprised if most of the men in those countries were conscripts. Which means they're basically slaves.
Sadly, most people don't have any sympathy for men.
I wouldn't be surprised if most of the men in those countries were conscripts. Which means they're basically slaves.
Sadly, most people don't have any sympathy for men.