I am reminded of a scene from “Full Metal Jacket”

Pogue Colonel: Don’t you love your country?

Private Joker: Yes, sir.

Pogue Colonel: Then how about getting with the program? Why don’t you jump on the team and come on in for the big win?

Private Joker: Yes, sir.

Pogue Colonel: Son, all I’ve ever asked of my marines is that they obey my orders as they would the word of God. We are here to help the Vietnamese, because inside every gook there is an American trying to get out. It’s a hardball world, son. We’ve gotta keep our heads until this peace craze blows over.

Private Joker: Aye-aye, sir.

Hear, hear. We never learn from history, do we?

This points to a very deep cultural divide between any western troops and our “Allied” counterparts. It reminds me of our army’s relationship to the Apache Scouts. It’s a tenuous employment of savages to kill each other rather than ourselves. Things will go wrong and “Our” will savages turn their weapons in the wrong direction, especially when we try to impose civilized behavioral norms on them. Just prohibiting their rape of little boys can set off real trouble.

Our use of Apaches to rid us of Apaches rendered peace in Arizona and New Mexico. What will we gain by organizing good Afghans vs bad Afghans? To quote Geronimo, “Nada.”

We should cede the honor of being the last to leave Afghanistan to the French, who are highly experienced in the withdrawal protocol of fin de siecle colonial enterprises.

首先评论《泰晤士报》的文章。
“有人问为什么在我们入侵2014年后的XNUMX年，这些人仍然没有能力部署武装部队自卫”？

我想如果你不认为“塔利班”是阿富汗人的话。

I often wonder, after a victory in 2002, over Taliban rulers, in Kabul, why do our leaders insist on occupying foreign lands, and installing leaders to our liking ?? It only worked in Japan (1945), when massive death & destruction occured with the A-bomb. In 2012, unthinkable.

阿富汗人对西方士兵的杀戮凸显了两种价值体系之间的根本不相容。 只有我们被种族灭绝、不道德的精英们可能病得很重，以至于想把我们的士兵和财富浪费在与我们没有共同之处、没有真正理由关心的人身上。

Forget about cutting a deal with the taliban. Just get out.

This is a little off topic, but perhaps somewhat relevant.

Wouldn’t the methodical reduction of our global overstretch go better if we could somehow show the American electorate what redeployment would look like? If you’ve got tens of thousands of troops in Europe, why not have the President push to identify the regions of the US those troops could potentially be redeployed?

If an economically depressed area like (just for example) Flint, Michigan got wind that we could be relocating an Armored Cavalry Regiment, with lots of soldiers, family, civilian workers, etc., would that not get Congressmen competing to get these bases? Not to mention the Chambers of Commerce across the country. Create a constituency that can be used to level the playing field against the political forces that support the status quo (e.g. Private Security contractors in the Middle East).

I can see it now. Why relocate those troops to a new base in Michigan when Fort Dix is right here? Turn Congressional habits into a force for reeling in our global commitments.