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The Forum > Article Comments > Leaving Afghanistan will have consequences > Comments

Leaving Afghanistan will have consequences : Comments

By Chris Lewis, published 5/11/2010

Deserting Afghanistan now would make it a haven for terrorists.

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I'm trying to put the focus on the real problem, be it Afghanistan or elsewhere. That real problem in my view has always been the experts. In Afghanistan for example the problem as perceived by many experts was that the Taliban were operating out of that country. So, what do the political experts do ? They barge in with war machinery ! You can't fight your enemy when your own people depend so heavily on your enemy's supply of drugs (=money) ! You get your own people off the (greed) drugs & bingo, the Taliban & so-called terrorists in general have no income to buy weapons.
Then you stop exploiting the poorer nations & again bingo, you'll get far less animosity from them. You'll also have an improvement in your own industry. All you have to do now is stop being so greedy & leave other people to do their own thing & guess what ? A lot less conflict & a cleaner environment. I know a lot of ordinary people who can see the merit in this. It's only the expert who're alway looking for the most difficult tactic to solve problems. Why, because most of them are so highly educated that they can't understand that to be wise you don't have to be educated.
Leaving Afghanistan will only have consequences in Afghanistan if we don't put our greed into the equation. To let the relatives of potential terrorists migrate to all parts of the western world is like trying to stop a plague of crow-of-thorns starfish which become even more prolific after you cut them to pieces & scatter them. One one hand we go into Afghanistan to fight terrorism & on the other hand we import it by the boatload. You aid the Afghans by helping them rebuild their country not by proliferating them & their problems throughout the world. The answer is containment.
Posted by individual, Saturday, 6 November 2010 11:55:52 AM
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I don't agree with the logic here. I don't think that there is any credible evidence of the Pushtun people engaging in the kind of international terrorism that the article suggests we are in Afghanistan to prevent (and there is a problem with stereotyping a nation as terrorists that I also have a problem with). It seems more about the sort of road side bombs that are used in resistance to occupying troops. Despite our, no doubt good, intentions for being there (I don't really think Australia is involved due to any desire to take advantage of Afghanistan's natural resources), this is effectively what Australian forces are.

The Al Qaeda bases of operation that were the focus of the original invasion, that were not of Pushtun origin, have been destroyed and the organisation has relocated. So I think a better argument might be that we occupy the country to stop these forces returning.

I don't think that argument however will stand up to much logical scrutiny.
Posted by Mickey K, Saturday, 6 November 2010 12:11:34 PM
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All these arguments are based on a false premise ie. Al Qaeda was reponsible for 911.This is clearly not te case.We aided the Taliban to oust the Russians and now we want to take their resources/energy.

It is like arguing degrees of theft and murder to appease our guilt,they are both wrong and immoral.Do we really think they we are more civilised than the Taliban when we have raped and pillaged Iraq under false pretenses?
Posted by Arjay, Saturday, 6 November 2010 12:17:43 PM
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Mickey K,

I think any "good intentions" by successive Australian governments have always been a peripheral notion as far as our troop deployment in Afghanistan is concerned. The reality is (and always was) that we are there first and foremost as a show of solidarity with the U.S..
Posted by Poirot, Saturday, 6 November 2010 12:24:17 PM
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Mickey,

I am not saying that the Pashtuns are all terrorists. I am arguing that the seeds are there for many to become terrorists if radical elements cement their domination there.
Posted by Chris Lewis, Saturday, 6 November 2010 12:29:17 PM
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It is the foreign invasion of other lands that fosters terrorism and I doubt the current government in Afghanistan, in its current form, will ever be able to withstand some corruption and negotiation with terrorists.

This will be true no matter when allied forces leave. Terrorism extends further than Afghanistan and a change in geographical location won't reduce the threat. There are far greater threats in Yemen, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on top of the nuclear threat in Iran. There are also concerns around militism in Indonesia and in the Southern Philippines in the form of loose networds and training camps.

Terrorism will remain a problem in the Middle East until the Palestine problem is sorted out and the West stop invading other nations without just cause.

The invasion of Iraq the first time around was to protect Kuwait and was welcomed - although one wonders if Kuwait would have been left to the wolves if there was no oil interest. The US is good at waging war when there is an economic threat.

The second invasion and the involvement in Afghanistan did more to foster terrorism than to stem the tide. We would be better out of Afghanistan once all the democratic processes are in place and the police/defence forces are established.

There is always the risk of corruption and for the Taliban to yield greater influence but that will be true now or later, and it is unrealistic for the US and allied forces to stay until that threat is over - because it will never be truly over until there is a change in mindset in foreign and economic policies.

The will of the Afghanis and self-determination will have a stronger influence within, than any external military presence.

That is the reality.
Posted by pelican, Saturday, 6 November 2010 12:29:22 PM
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