Think of the following scenario: our Polish general feels he needs extra troups/extra equipment/extra this/extra that. He's been asking for it many a times in Warsaw, but he got nothing out of there. Our general and his American counterparts have frequent meetings.
Maybe the American military leaders tell the general to increase patrols or whatever. Our general will answer that he would love to, but because of <this or that> he isn't able to. And then he gets an idea: he asks his American counterparts to produce some general, anonymous statement that the Polish soldiers aren't up to their job, because as things stand he cannot guarantee full and meaningful deployment of his troops. (The Afghan security forces say the same about all the foreign troops, so that doesn't really count).
So these American counterparts "coincidentally" run into this Times-reporter who probably is embedded and they do exactly what the Polish general wants. It not only helps the Polish general, but it helps them too.
Now this message WILL be heard in Warsaw. The general can say to his superiors "Hey, I didn't say that, but maybe we should review <this or that>, because our American allies feel that <etc>".
We (USA&Alies) shouldn't be there on the terms we are in the first place! We should educate them and fight islam really hard! Like allowing them sharia and stuff they will come back in ten years and make terrorist attacs again! Not supporting the soviet approach here, but if the soldiers, polish US or any soldiers, were told, we going down to teach the ************* how to do things, instead of helping them do things their own way, we would be a good way further solving the problem!
Ach, the Americans are just using their age-old strategy of deflection. They are focussing attention away from the fact that they are hardly any closer to defeating a group of frail old beardie folk. Let's set up a battle scenario. Polish soldiers Vs American ones. The Polish boys would strike fear into them, I can tell you that much.
The Americans are still stewing over their flawed strategy and McCain has put many to the sword and taken them to task over it. Negotiating with the Taliban, ROTFL. If that isn't an admission of defeat and a slap in the face of normal Afghans, I don't know what is. Get the ANA fully prepped and let them get into key strategic positions. They have local knowledge, speak the local language and are accustomed to rugged terrain. ALL major advantages.
I thought Operation Moshtarak was about telling the soldiers to step up their efforts. Do they really want to win this war or...?
Have they ever complimented any fcuking army other than their own? Oh wait they complimented the Germans only to kiss their own backsides a little more.
They should have complimented the North Vietnamese all right. Straw hatted, plimsole and pyjama wearing short dudes whooped the greatest military power in the world. LOL.
Now they have turban donning, scabby boot and old togs wearing bearded dudes doing the same :) You can't criticise their consistency but where's the progress? ;)
Wrong, the slit-eyes did not defeat the greatest military power on earth, the cowardly Washignton politicians did... those that succumebd to the pressue of hordes of unwashed, pot-puffing hippy pacifists and the liberal media. Ultimately the US hardliners of that era were right, becuase communism could have collapsed a coupla decades earlier. Also that might have nipped China's economic expansionism in the bid. As things went, the only result has been the internal disarming of American society leading to the break-up and social rot we see all around us today.
Pol3, that's a racist remark and I take offence to it as I have friends from Asia. They are as they are and variety is a great thing.
WB is right. You are entitled to your opinion, of course, but it's full of drivel and hatred spewing BS. The US ALLOWED communism or have you never heard of Yalta/Tehran? They needed a future enemy and this need has been a mainstay throughout their approach to wars. At least the Polish army can fight conventional wars without weapons that maim innocent people. Oh, and collateral damage. How many innocent lives have drone attacks and wayward shots taken? (with feckin precision instruments, I might add). You know, given that the Polish army doesn't have access to the newest tech such as those IED mine destruction devices (a favoured weapon of the Taliban), I'd say they were doing fine. They don't fight in such large numbers and that's another point.
Simply put, America is a victim of its own strategies through a lack of forethought.
Yeah, I heard they use dumb Polak as slang for Poles. Ever heard of that? Now, can you stay on topic!?
Americans need to appraise their own troops first before pointing the figure at others. 30,000 more troops and what progress has been made? Answer that honestly and we'll see who's really crap.
Afghanistan's rugged topography -- impenetrable terrain with endless hide-outs in the hills -- has made that country unconquerable to Brits, Russians and probably NATO, barring the use of nukes which seems highly unlikely. Only if a clear Afghan majority reject the terrorist insurgents and trim them down to size can peace prevail. It's still a toss-up and depends how much NATO is prepared to invest in the effort.
We are not going to use nukes on anyone. The last thing we need are nukes involved in this. There are so many countries with nuclear missiles that pretty much guarantees they will not be used. So let's not push the panic button.
those that succumebd to the pressue of hordes of unwashed, pot-puffing hippy pacifists and the liberal media.
Typical thinking there, wrapping all that ails America in one neat little package and scapegoating as usual. At least you got half of it right, after achieving their aim those pot-puffing hippy pacifists and the liberal media returned to their rightful place and were content with puffing the magic dragon, it’s the lobby of the corporate greed that saw a market with over a billion potential customers that gave away the store and contributed to the rise of China the most. Starting with Ping pong diplomacy of the Nixon era and all subsequent governments who were granting China the most favored trade status for well over 30 years just to gain a foothold on that market, which btw were royally screwed in the process. I’m sorry but lack of negotiating skills on the part of your best and brightest CEO’s can’t be blamed on pot-puffing hippy pacifists.
As Ocean Colour Scene once sang, 'there's no profit in peace' for arms manufacturers. For us on the ground, we aren't witnessing benefits at all. I've love to discuss this with Obama in a frank way. He is just a line spinner.
