A great article Graham.

Amazing how people can turn what might have been a prosperous and peaceful region into hell.

A hell that even the government of Pakistan has given up on with the withdrawal of its army.

Cheers

Pete

If the U.S. has been anywhere near the Swat Valley, then there is no hope of prosperity or peace.

The U.S. only ever leaves devastation, corpses, lingering deaths from chemicals and radio-activity, political chaos, hatred, and violence.

Never has a nation promised so much and delivered so little. Never has one nation been hated so much by the bulk of the world's people.

The U.S. will lead the world into a nuclear holocaust. It just can't help itself!

It loves killing and its supporters are sickos who reject entirely the notion of peace!

We are on a one-way street to hell!

David G

Your blaming of the poor, yet cuddly, US has somewhat of a familiar ring.

Other peoples are quite capable of creating their own hell.

How does your "US the cause of all evil" thesis explain the hell of the Dark and Middle Ages and depredations of the Romans before that?

And I'll have you know that as a teenager two of my most memorable girlfriends were yanks, who were advanced in ways that counted. Though sadly not ménage à trois.

Don't knock it till you tried it, I say.

Where would our iLives be without Hollywood, jazz and Oprah?

I suspect you are really a septic lover!

Cheers

Pete

David G, you have hit the nail on the head. If the stupid Yanks and their acolytes had stayed out of Afghanistan, the Taliban would have stayed out of Pakistan. Unfortunately, the current administration seems to think that killing more people with drones is the answer. Things may improve a bit when the troops all go home and the Taliban move back into Afghanistan, but it will be a long time, if ever, before things return to some sort of normalcy.

David

VK3UU, thank heavens there are a few people on OLO who have the brainpower and vision to see the Yanks for what they are: Brutal Plunderers and Greed-driven Philistines!

The marvel is that they've conned much of the world that they are saintly guardians of human rights and freedoms while, at the same time, they rampage around the world killing and destroying! It's the greatest con-job the world has ever seen!

It's time the U.S. was treated as what it is: a rogue nation that is trying to control the whole world.

<< If the stupid Yanks and their acolytes had stayed out of Afghanistan, the Taliban would have stayed out of Pakistan>>

And if us Westerners would all just hold hands and sing "Kumbaya, my Lord" those nasty jihadis would not want to further their faith--no siree!

While I agree the US should have kept out of Afghanistan--AND KEEP OUT OF SYRIA!

Anyone who thinks things would all have been hunkydory if the US had stayed out, either has to be a totally ignorant of Islamic history, or is motivated by a twisted desire to scapegoat the West , or combining BOTH, an Ozzie lefty/Green.