observer Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 Well Obama's promised to bring the troops out of Iraq, which means we'll be coming out too; some face saving political spin will be put on the evacuation, prior to Iran filling the vacuum. However, there's still a commitment to the re-inforcement of failiure in Afghanistan, where our Armies are just bleeding to death, and where most military experts are admitting we can't win. So is it time to cut our losses and save ourselves ?billions of debt, which the US has funded with credit from China; and draw a line under this Quixotic adventure, that is the Bush/Bliar legacy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 The reason we can't win is that we fight with one hand tied behind our back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted November 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 Errm; with all the high-tech weaponry available to the West, perhaps you could itemise what isn't being used, aside from nukes, to fight these medievil tribesmen with AK47s?! As the Yanks learned in Viet-Nam; in order to win, you have to defeat the enemy "on the ground" and secure ground, this costs in terms of casualties, and air strikes on innocent women and kids merely aids Taliban recruitment. Don't think the Russians "had one hand tied behind their back" when they failed in Afghanistan?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve the Original Posted November 8, 2008 Report Share Posted November 8, 2008 Adam means we cant fight them the way they fight us, they dont take prisoners, we do and then set them free because someone said something that might of upset him.. Â If we could use all means possible with no one being put in jail for their actions then we could proberly do a better job.. Â Â Â Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted November 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2008 In Viet-Nam, the Yanks kill ratio was around 1-10: so for 50,000 dead Yanks, their were 500,000 Vietnamese dead - the difference was, the VC had the moral fibre to endure, whilst a modern western society hasn't. No doubt, in Afghanistan the kill ratio is similar; but when fighting an opponent with a belief system that allows them to commit suicide attacks, they can take the casualty count, indeed they revel in it, because each (in their opinion) becomes a martyr, so telling them your not going to take any prisoners is an empty threat. The use of so-called high-tech weaponry, like air strikes, actually works to our disadvantage, because each time a family of innocent civilians gets wasted, it breeds hatred and promotes recruitment. As most political and military experts are now saying, the only way to close this one down will be through diologue with the Taliban, who will remain in situ co that is their home; we on the other hand will leave eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfie Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 Apparantly more Americans were murdered in Chicago last year than murdered in Iraq Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted November 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 .. and no doubt more are killed on our roads etc: but folk don't focus on such statistics, they count the body bags, that are coming home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
safeway56 Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 Apparantly more Americans were murdered in Chicago last year than murdered in Iraq How many wedding parties were bombed in Chicago ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve the Original Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 Obs i?m not so much on about nott aking prisoners but the way the soldiers have to fight, they cant do this or that without risk of being charged for murder ect... i am sure if we were allowed to use the same methods of interrogation as they no doubt would we would have a far higher hit ratio with less deaths on our side.. so why cant we fight the same way they do??.. Â Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted November 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 ... in order to retain the "moral high ground" of a civilised Nation, fighting (presumably) to maintain those values in the first place; descend to your opponents level and you become no better than him, you demean yourself and your cause. Such is the burden of trying to retain the appearance of being "the good guy". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter T Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 What happened to "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted November 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 The Romans didn't have an instant worldwide TV audience watching their every move, nor did they have any human rights legislation or Geneva Conventions! BTW. the Romans were defeated in the forests of Germany and the deserts of Syria, and ultimately swamped by immigration! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve the Original Posted November 10, 2008 Report Share Posted November 10, 2008 What you dont see..... Â I do see what your saying but the end should justify the means and of course it doesnt meant hat we stoop to their levels but we should be able to react without the worry of being prosecuted , fight fire with fire.. Â Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted November 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2008 As I'm sure your aware Ste; most operations are governed by "rules of engagement", usually formulated by lawyers in the cool atmosphere of an office, and young squaddies are expected, in the white heat of a situation, to maintain their cool - such is the burden of a diciplined profession. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve the Original Posted November 12, 2008 Report Share Posted November 12, 2008 Quite true... Â Â Â Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted November 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2008 wondered where that post went?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted November 13, 2008 Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Posting in the wrong topic Obs ... or are your trying to start a war between grumpy twirlies and snotty toddlers in the playground Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted November 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2008 Back on topic - see this Government are already taking orders from the new President and are sending an extra 2,000 squaddies to Afghanistan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 wondered where that post went?! Â Nicely edited Obs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted November 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 Passed your bedtime Diz! Sleep perchance to dream! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted November 14, 2008 Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 Back on topic - see this Government are already taking orders from the new President and are sending an extra 2,000 squaddies to Afghanistan. Â Mmmm... makes you think that it will NEVER end eh? Â Seems a lot of the UK want the troops withdrawn according to a recent poll... the USA now want more to go in ....and no-one can find a plausible reason to disagree and actually say NO MORE. Â I may have heard the news wrong though... if so I applogise in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted November 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2008 The whole thing has been a con from the start - the so-called "war on terror", invented by the neo-cons. There were no terrorists in Iraq, if we discount Saddam, but lots of oil. There were terrorists training camps in Afghanistan which could have been taken out surgically by pin-point air strikes and special forces, but that wouldn't have secured an oil pipeline from Russia. They now reckon Bin Laden is hiding in N/W Pakistan, so what next - invade Pakistan? That should do a lot for community relations over here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goonerman Posted December 23, 2008 Report Share Posted December 23, 2008 I wonder what the explanation for 9/11 which pre-dated all this is, then, since there was a genuine terror to fight, albeit the powers that be messed up on that one? Or did we imagine it? So, what, in other words, do we do with Pakistan? I say the more precise actions Obbs recommended. Oops, us agreeing on something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer Posted December 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2008 Islamic hatred for The US has been there for some time, Bush merely made it a lot worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goonerman Posted December 23, 2008 Report Share Posted December 23, 2008 And Islamist hatred for the Muslims who trade with the US too. And not a thought for the Muslims living in America. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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