Afghanistan: I've seen this movie before

This week Duffy gets serious and gives his thoughts on our fight in Afghanistan. I well remember the days back in 1964-1968 when the U.S. escalated our forces in Vietnam. Looking back on that conflict which had such a serious impact on the nation and especially the leading edge of the baby boomer generation, I am still ambivalent about the reasons for fighting that war. In the end it was a huge waste of American lives, not to mention American resources and had a profound effect on American society. Vietnam was a civil war and we backed the wrong side using the wrong tactics with the wrong goals.

Afghanistan is a country larger than Texas, with a 13% literacy rate, no history of democracy or ever much of a functioning national government. In the countryside the population lives in almost feudal conditions in family clans outside the reach of any sort of government. The central government has a long history of corruption. No outside nation has ever "conquered" Afghanistan. The Russians and British tried in the 19th century, the Russians again in the 20th century and now the Americans in the 21st century. Fighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda is somewhat like fighting the Vietcong except now we are fighting religious fanatics with the goal of establishing a extreme form of Islam not only in Afghanistan but across the Middle East. Radical Islam is supplying fighters and arms into Afghanistan from many Islamic countries to fight the Americans. The American forces will never kill "enough" Taliban to "win" the war. There will always be more fighters infiltrating the country to fight the infidels. The U.S. is not fighting a country, we are fighting a radical religion that despises all things Western. This is a civil and religious war going on in Afghanistan.

I've yet to hear Obama state clearly what our objectives are in Afghanistan. How do we "win" and declare victory? Set up a democratic government with control over the whole country? Establish an effective police force and army not riddled with corruption that is respected by the population? Duffy doesn't believe this is possible in Afghanistan. Ever. But, if that is Obama's goal, then he should tell the American people that it will require many thousands of more troops, much more money from American taxpayers, much more time, years and years, much more casualties and with a very uncertain and unpleasant outcome if not successful.

Duffy would reduce forces and concentrate on training the Afghan army and police. Concentrate on the Afghan border working closely with the Pakistani army who now seem to be serious about stopping the Taliban in their country. Concentrate on killing Al Qaeda leaders. (Why haven't we killed Osama Bin Ladin?)
"Nation building"? Forget it. A waste of American lives and resources. Afghanistan is too big, too backward and too primitive to "build a nation". There really never has been one there.

If Obama persists in feeding more and more troops into Afghanistan it will turn into his Vietnam. I have seen this movie before.

The U.S. and Western nations will be fighting radical Islam for many years and the American people will have to understand and accept that reality. The Cold War is over but the Long War started even before 9/11.