Weazl's Revenge: Afghanistan Pakistan Taliban analysis (our resident expert, K, is especially invited to comment)

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Afghanistan Pakistan Taliban analysis (our resident expert, K, is especially invited to comment)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...: Layers of complexity is what comes to mind: the US originally nurtured Jihadist, in Afghanistan, to resistant an occupation by the USSR, much of the logistics was facilitated by the intelligence services and military of Pakistan; who were deeply embroiled in the geopolitical struggle against the original great threat, communism.

After the war, Afghanistan was abandoned and with a devastated infrastructure soon crumbed into chaos, children at the age of nine carried weapons and often used it. The lack of industry also fueled the trade in heroin. Pakistan for its part, over a very short period ended up with over a million refuges but received very little financial aid to deal with the influx.

During this period of lawlessness, a small ‘Robin Hood’ style group called the Taliban, stemming from the Jihadists were born; once again encouraged by the US and its PK partner (Bhutto was the PM at the time).

The Taliban’s popularity grew and actually bought a semblance of order to Afghanistan (the heroin production was almost annihilated), they were very successful. So much so, during Pakistan’s own two party dominated elections, the ordinary citizen disaffected by their corrupt leaders saw only two viable options: the Taliban or to become another state of the US, they didn’t care either way but it had to better then Bhutto and Sharif.

A few years on 911 happened and was immediately blamed on Taliban’s guests Al Qaeda, a small group of foreign aided men led by an ex CIA operative, Tim Osman, better known as Osama Bin Laden. Despite denying culpability in the original speech by OBL (he actually pointed at it being an inside job), the Taliban were ordered to hand over this gentlemen. They refused, unless sufficient proof was provided, none was forthcoming and as a result the Taliban were now the new bogeymen.

Interestingly a year earlier, one of Dick Chaney’s companies had given the Taliban an ultimatum to sign a Caspian gas pipe deal through their country or “face the consequences”, the Taliban ended up being rooted out of the capital and replaced by a new President, who also happened to be an ex employee of the very same company.

After the failure of Iraq, the emphasis, largely pushed by the Democrats, is shifting back on the Taliban and one it’s supposed bases in Waziristan. At the same time, as an acceptance as of the likely hood of the next US administration being Democratic and led by a woman; it would make it difficult for it to be seen supporting a military dictatorship in PK, this has resulted in political meanderings which will end up with a more acceptable face of Bhutto - corruption, what corruption?

The Taliban are not anywhere near an international risk that it is made out to be; they are, however, convenient, as is Pakistan. It’s a useful pawn in a larger chess game, where the next useful threat may come from China and/or even India, because wars have very little to do with principals or ideology but rather more to do with economy of the few, at the very very top.

K.; 1:55 AM
The Freewheeling Socrates said...: I really enjoyed reading your post, anonymous. You are delightfully detached from coherent perception of reality by about 50%.

You have moments of clarity but I far more enjoy your escapes into imagination where you profess your dream chaff as truth.

You are funny. Keep up the good work. Who ever said a professor of knowledge had to be spot on in order to please?

I find your prevailing charisma far more alluring than your lack of factual knowledge.; 6:59 AM
Anonymous said...: What only 50%?

Maybe one day I will reach your heights of complete cognitive paralysis, Soc old bean.; 7:40 AM
Da Weaz said...: Soc, you're funny. K only happens to live there.; 6:22 PM
The Freewheeling Socrates said...: "Pakistan for its part, over a very short period ended up with over a million refuges but received very little financial aid to deal with the influx."

Financial from whom? What happened to survival of the fittest? People live or die according to their wits and ability. What do you mean, "financial aid?" What the fuck are you talking about? Does Mexico owe the United States 500 billion dollars in financial aid for the 13 million dirt-poor mental retards it has dumped on us?

"The Taliban’s popularity grew and actually bought a semblance of order to Afghanistan (the heroin production was almost annihilated), they were very successful."

Bullshit. The opium crops are like gold. Nobody would destroy a multi-billion dollar per year crop. The CIA has a long history of heroin trade, for example in the Golden Triangle of SE Asia. Who is presently profitting from the Afghan opium trade?

Upon second reading, and with the Weaze assurance that you live in Afghanistan, I understand your valuable insights better.

Maybe the problem I've been having with you is that you refuse to identify yourself with a bio and you are hiding behind what I consider to be the most cowardly pseudo name on the internet -- not just you, there are many cajoneless characters in cyberspace using the handle, "anonymous."; 9:41 PM
Anonymous said...: I take it that your mother hadn’t actually christened you ‘The Freewheeling Socrates’?

I suppose you haven’t tagged your address and phone numbers against your profile for all to see, why not? For you the reason maybe to avoid the crazy serial type, for me it maybe a crazed government type. Besides, who I am and where I am from has as much relevance as the price of sushi in Brazil.

Regarding the opium thing well poppycock, take a gander at this Socy…

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3071809/

K.; 12:02 AM
Da Weaz said...: I gotta say that I do enjoy it when some of our best guests go at it. I appreciate the insight offered by K, but I do also think that Soc has a very important point. K, you do gloss over the opium/heroin point a bit, as you seem to suggest that the Taliban enjoyed good relations with the CIA and the US. This is not really true, and the Taliban had extensive problems very quickly with the Clinton and Bush administrations, and the opium eradication was further source of the conflict (along with refusing to sign oil pipeline deals). That said, I do appreciate the your insight about certain countries with which you are familiar. So, in that context, I also disagree with the statement that who you are and where you come from doesn't matter: You personally gave me very important information about events that have come to pass in exactly the way that you have mentioned. A person living in Brazil would not have had access to the information, as a general rule.

Cheers, all. Enjoy the debates! We're really not far apart on anything that matters, but it's fun to watch the arm wrestling anyway!; 11:45 AM
Anonymous said...: If what I said comes across as if the Taliban and the US government are in cahoots then this was certainly not my intention. In reality it was quite the opposite, whilst the Taliban were encouraged to flourish at the very beginning they were their own masters, and that was and still is the crux of their problem.

However, the Taliban are simply useful slight of hand, in the greater schema of things they are an irrelevance.

Still the K.; 1:33 PM

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