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handofdave
handofdave
3515 posts

Re: Youse barred!
May 08, 2009, 13:38
Merrick wrote:
sanshee wrote:
we do still have alot of intelligent thought out there and it will always win.


I'm not so sure it will. And even on the occasions when it does, it comes after a lot of damage. Hitler himself said the Nazis could never have come to power if the Communists had challenged them in the streets. Instead, they were always in meetings.


This is the reason I am conflicted about the west's decision to go after the Taliban. On the one hand, nobody, not even the most fervent leftist, could argue that the Taliban is a friend to their philosophy. A theo-fascist, ultrapatriarchal organization that uses brutality and terror to maintain control... like the Nazis, nobody should have to suffer their reign of medievalism.

On the other hand, to defeat such a foe (fanatical, numerous, with a home advantage, and with no trepidation about becoming a martyr) means, usually, military tactics that are indiscriminately harsh. Lots of civilian death and hardship.

The only possible way for the Taliban to be defeated without all-out war is for the more civilized powers in the Islamic world to quit sitting on the fence and deal with their own extremism. Unfortunately, they've been happy to sit back and let the west take on the Taliban. What these cowardly regimes fail to recognize is that the Taliban means to replace every governing body in the Islamic world with their own brand of power, no doubt precipitating even more hostile action from the west, leading to world-scale catastrophic violence.

Can the Taliban make good their plainly stated threats? They've got Islamabad and Washington pretty nervous.

Yes, the Taliban must be stopped. But it sure would be better if it was the more moderate (by comparison!) Muslim states that were taking care of business. By stepping aside and allowing the west to fight this fight, they are abdicating their regional responsibility. It may well be that they pay the price for not 'meeting them in the streets', as the Communists failed to counter the National Socialists in 30's Germany, because it's unclear if the west can prevail in Afghanistan any more readily than the Soviets, or any invading force thru history, for that matter.

Pakistan and it's nukes are the big wild card in this whole thing. If it looks like the militants have a chance at kidnapping some thermonuclear bombs, the shit's really going to hit the fan.

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