Afghanistan Crisis

[101]

42 minutes ago, Ric said:

Here is the full interview, it's about 25 minutes long..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-58223530

That strangely sounds quite liberal especially compared to some of the other legitimate government's in the region obviously they have some way to go to actually implement it when there will always be a more extreme branch of folk wanting things back to the old ways.

[Jacksgranda]

2 hours ago, doulikefish said:

That's the president fled to Tajikistan

 

2 hours ago, Richey Edwards said:

Shitebag.

Is that the name of the capital?

[101]

 

This boy is having a rare old time.

 

[Ric]

16 minutes ago, 101 said:

That strangely sounds quite liberal especially compared to some of the other legitimate government's in the region obviously they have some way to go to actually implement it when there will always be a more extreme branch of folk wanting things back to the old ways.

It certainly seems like the lad had been on a PR training course, that's for sure. Should we be surprised, it's the modern age, they know how to play the game. In many ways they could return to the same level of religious zealotry, but so long as they are seen as a strong power, they are infinitely better (in entirely dry geopolitical terms) than a permanently unstable Afghanistan with Iranian, Russian, or local insurgency troops waltzing through the place.

I can't say for certain it's going to be "a shit day all around" for those under Taliban rule, but their history and the religious pressure of their neighbours would suggest it very well may be.

Edited August 15, 2021 by Ric

[Arthur daley]

13 minutes ago, 101 said:

 

This boy is having a rare old time.

 

Who marches round the corner immaculately dressed but Dicky Farnborough, holding a bottle of port and shouting at the top of his lungs, Where’s the bloody party? 

[Florentine_Pogen]

Adam Curtis' film Bitter Lake. Recent Afghan history. Interesting. Shows the Saudi link. Contains some disturbing scenes.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p02gyz6b/bitter-lake

Edited August 15, 2021 by Florentine_Pogen

[Fullerene]

1 hour ago, 101 said:

That strangely sounds quite liberal especially compared to some of the other legitimate government's in the region obviously they have some way to go to actually implement it when there will always be a more extreme branch of folk wanting things back to the old ways.

In the 12th century, Merv (in present day Turkmenistan) was the largest city in the world.  It was attacked by Mongols who assured the inhabitants that if they were allowed in there would be no wholesale slaughter.

Fortunately the Mongols were good for their word and that is why Merv is still the world's largest city.

Oops.  I think I got something wrong there.  On the same basis, it would be equally wrong to trust the Taliban.

[printer]

Al jazeera  broadcasting live from the presidential palace just now with the Taliban all huddled round what appears to be a presidential desk.

[Theroadlesstravelled]

The Afghan army was shite.

Folded quicker than Rangers after HMRC gave them a call about maybe owning a few quid.

[sparky88]

3 hours ago, 101 said:

That strangely sounds quite liberal especially compared to some of the other legitimate government's in the region obviously they have some way to go to actually implement it when there will always be a more extreme branch of folk wanting things back to the old ways.

They've murdered plenty of people outside of Kabul in the last few weeks. It's complete bullshit, unbelievable that people are falling for it. 

[ICTChris]

One of the interesting things about this is that the Taliban now control what, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, were the heartlands of the Northern Alliance. I’ve heard it suggested that the Taliban have changed since the 1990s but no-one really knows I guess. I doubt they will have relationships with al-Queda or any group like it, the downsides rather obviously outweigh the up.

How they deal with the local actors who have been opposed to them in the past is interesting to me. How Afghanistan and the West deals with the exodus of Afghans is another big open question. I saw videos of people fleeing to Iran and Uzbekistan online earlier, if the flow becomes as large as it could then these countries could be destabilised. Also, European countries will face large numbers of refugees trying to reach the EU which will have its own impact.

[Detournement]

The Taliban have had offices in Doha for the past decade so they are most likely very different to the 90s OGs. They have said that they are open to doing business with American companies so there is a fair chance that all of this has been agreed in advance. 

[ICTJohnboy]

14 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

How they deal with the local actors who have been opposed to them in the past is interesting to me. How Afghanistan and the West deals with the exodus of Afghans is another big open question. I saw videos of people fleeing to Iran and Uzbekistan online earlier, if the flow becomes as large as it could then these countries could be destabilised. Also, European countries will face large numbers of refugees trying to reach the EU which will have its own impact.

 

Not just the EU. How will Boris's big Brexit supporters react to them coming to the UK in substantial numbers?

 

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by ICTJohnboy

[Detournement]

It will be funny if the Taliban just let girls go to school and all the blue tick libs will be absolutely snookered. 

Edited August 15, 2021 by Detournement

[Deanburn Dave]

Time for a wee song from James Taylor:-  

 

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

10 hours ago, tamthebam said:

It's the reaction of the immediate neighbours that might be interesting.

Iran aren't terribly keen on the Taliban (wrong kind of Muslim), China are apparently keeping an eye on things (they have a small border with Afghanistan and Terry Taliban won't look kindly on China's treatment of the Uighurs). I can't see the People's Liberation Army marching in though, Beijing will have learned the lessons of the Soviet and US invasions.

Pakistan seems to have a fairly cosy relationship with them, the Taliban leaders having lived quite happily in exile there.

 

The Pakistanis are baw deep in all this. Bin Laden hiding out a mile from their military college and they apparently didnt have a clue? 
 

Feel quite conflicted about Afghan, my cousin served there in the scots guards and said the ANA were utterly useless, corruption rife and they expected the western forces to do all the fighting for them. Considering the sacrifices made its shameful the british government’s reaction to all this is a shoulder shrug. 
 

In terms of America it continues to be fucking bewildering just how badly Biden is doing, its as if he wants Trump in again. 

[dirty dingus]

There was another documentary about the Afghan army where it showed most of the potential recruits smashed on heroin and joining up to settle family scores by jailing folk under the "they're Taliban" line.

[Thereisalight..]

A near 20 years and countless loss of lives basically for nothing. What a legacy 

From the news reports it said the Afghan army havent fought back, makes me think they're quite satisfied to have the Taliban in charge 

[parsforlife]

28 minutes ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

The Pakistanis are baw deep in all this. Bin Laden hiding out a mile from their military college and they apparently didnt have a clue? 

Considering the sacrifices made its shameful the british government’s reaction to all this is a shoulder shrug. 
 

Pakistan are clearly involved in this and have been for a long time, but taking on a nuclear power just isn’t going to happen.

As for sacrifice, not sure what you mean, it was a case of cut our loses on a fight we couldn’t win. And I’m not sure we’ve actually losed a lot from being involved.   We’d have given jumped up generals funding in another conflict instead.

[101]

33 minutes ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

In terms of America it continues to be fucking bewildering just how badly Biden is doing

Their intel was clearly off although they took the rug out from the Afghan government as they went over their heads and met with the Taliban.