Good article,Bruce.The psychology of prior investment is one hurdle which the West will have to jump in order to get out of Afganistan.
There is also the geopolitical aspect with resources looming large as well as great power rivalries.

In the latter case,what Halford J MacKinder wrote in 1942 in his "Democratic Ideals and Reality" may still be valuable.

Now that the USA is talking to Iran, they should simply let Iran take over Afghanistan,and let Muslims deal with Muslims. The idea of sending Christian Soldiers to fight Muslims, in a country as rugged as Afghanistan is simply not intelligent.

Iran will use laws they understand against them,and stop the flow of opium, and have a fairly effective and efficient Army.

Let us be sensible about this.

What a confusing jumble of items .. what are you actually writing about?

The summary asks what US and Australia are doing in Afghanistan when there is so little chance (in your opinion) of finding Bin Laden or breaking Al Qaida. If the UN in Afghanistan, its not just US and Australia I hope you realize, pulled out, would you berate them for giving up?

Then the conflict is compared to the British time there, which was not all a failure, but that's the part that populists remember. Then the Russian time there, when they were up against the Mujahadin and the USA.

Then a comparison to Vietnam, which is a really long bow to draw. Vietnam was so politicized you can't genuinely compare it. It had all the silly BS with DMZs and cease fires, which both sides ignored and both sides tried to use the media which ultimately the US regretted. Anyway, the UN was NOT in Vietnam.

Then to a possible of Taliban killing women and children for propaganda reasons, but of course you are trying to bring up the ghost of My Lai and Lt Calley, (poor bastard, crucified by the press, then his own government).

To end up you say the minister can't ask CDF to investigate an alleged incident with our troops, as if the CDF is a sneaky untrustworthy type. Who would you get to investigate it, the ABC's Media Watch, Warringah Council, the RSPCA? What an absurdity.

So ultimately, this is a just a loose collection of items being used to undermine our military and it reflects poorly on you for doing it.

By all means write another hate piece on the USA, but keep the allusions of Australian treason to a minimum, please.

Iran arent stupid. They know what it means to fight a war in Afghanistan and how pointless it is and how unwinnable it is. Only idiot, so called "superpowers" are dumb enough to sacrifice thousands of their children to the fields and mountains of Afghanistan.

First the British got the crap kicked out of them. Then the Russians had a go and got slaughtered and now the Seppos and friends are falling into the same trap and will inevitably leave with their tails between their legs and Afghanistan will return to its age old ways until the next fools decide to have a go.

Pretty impressive really. Who else defeated the British at their height of empire, humiliated the Soviets and is now grinding down the Americans. All with primitive weapons, society and tactics. And they grow almost all of the worlds opium. You'd think they would be a bunch of drugged hippies who couldnt organise a bbq let alone a war but somehow they manage to continually defeat the worlds best with nothing more than a ragtag bunch of tribesmen and local knowledge.

A better article than Bruce's last one pounding 'hearts and minds' in Afghanistan.

While 10 Austalian soldiers have been killed in that barbaric country, Rudd has allowed several boat loads of Afghans to arrive illegally and live in Australia.

While Labor supporters and left looneys rubbished Howard for Iraq, they are not heard on Rudd and Afghanistan.

While Afghanistan has a 'government' run by that character with a name sounding like a dunny, the Taliban will never be defeated.

The 'fight against terror' has nothing to do with Afghanistan. Australia can protect itself from terrorist without fighting tribal thugs in another country.

As P the B suggest, let Muslims all over the world kill each other and work out their own problems.

In response to the question " Why are we in Afghanistan"
Simply put: It's because the military are making decisions that should be made by the Parliament.

This is a matter that should gravely concern the Australian Public.
We have a military 'cabinet' that's perceives a need to spend it's budget allocation making War lest it be reduced....We are in Afghanistan because the USA want us as part of the coalition of the willing to help justify their slaughter of civilians as they conduct the 'war' from the safety of their air arm . Who had any doubt despite the mutterings of the Prime Minister that we were going to send more troops ?

Blind Freddy can see what such a converse role of the military is doing in Indonesia. The way we are going, we are in danger of fulfilling Keating's prophecy and becoming a banana republic.

We should not be in Afghanistan and the sooner we decide to get the hell out of there, the better.