That would be nice and clean, but it doesn’t work like that. A failed state/nation, like Afghanistan after 30 years of constant war, was a lawless place.

Lawless, except for local warlords and Muslim fanatics, like the Taliban and others who invited the Saudi Osama bin Ladin to stay with them.

It was that lawlessness that allowed the Crazies to plot and carry out their plan for destroying the infidel “West” with absolutely no fear of reprisal.

It was our invasion and extermination of Al Qaeda and friends that *did* surprise them. If we leave now, Afghanistan will revert to being a failed state and the Crazies will return. Afghanistan will then become their “safe haven” for plotting even more violent attacks on the West. Remember, the Taliban may not be a direct threat, but Al Qaeda still is. And the Taliban likes hosting Al Qaeda.

If we leave now, the West will gain a few years’ respite from fighting there, and then “the horror of it” will return to the USA and Europe.

In other words, do you know how to spell “Nuclear Attack”?

Are you and I the WE that instituted the Marshall Plan?

Are WE that generation? If you are, then I aplogise to your generation. But I am not.

I am sure there were some in that generation that did ask why should we? But most supported it as the right thing to do.

Now it is the exact opposite with the baby boomers and after. Whom the majority are more concerned with their own self-absorbed behaivour than being compassionate.

So long as it means they can have their booze, TV and creature comforts; it would be OK.

But if they have to go without a single french fry… well then there is going to be hell to pay.

But sadly, these types of people (no matter the generation) will fail to see that the ounce of kindness they pay now reaps tons of reward later.

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Maybe it has something to do with all those Al-Qaeda training camps. The place was a freaking moon base alpha for terrorists, and the Taliban “government” (such as it was) refused to turn over Osama. The alternative was… what? “Oh well, carry on then!” Right.

It’d be pointless to ask if you even remember history, since 9/11 is in living memory unless you’re six years old.

I find it hard to believe that there are still some totally indoctrinated people out there capable of thinking that all Muslims are responsible for 9/11. One can only imagine that due to some intellectual dysfunction they find it necessary to simplify things down to a level their intellects can handle. There are mercenary and terrorist training camps located in the USA, are the american people responsible for what their radicals do?

Your last sentence is contradicted by what you wrote in the first paragraph. The Marshall Plan treated others as we’d like to be treated.

But that would have meant treating other people as we would ourselves want to be treated. And that is patently UN-american.

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#2: If you really want to piss the Afghans off, try to convert them to Christianity or any other religion other than the various flavors of Islam in that area. Lots of Christian martyrs will be created…

I direct you to my comment at #3

In answer to your question. ON 9/11 they killed 3000 Americans. While this may seem trivial to you and something easily forgotten these people see themselves as Holy warriors carrying on the war that Mohamed began. The infidels must die or at least be reduced to subservience and you are almost certainly an infidel. Are you ready to convert, fight for you right to live as your wish, or do you just want to kill yourself? They aren’t going away.

A number of countries have used Afghanististan as a proxy.

America used Afghanistan as a proxy zone to bring a little hotness to Cold War with the Soviets.

Pakistan used Afghan fighters as proxy warriors in Kashmir.

Saudis used Afghanistan as a proxy zone to develop the militant wing of Wahhabism.

Not to mention that bin Laden’s strategy of the 911 attack was to bait America to invade Afghanistan where the Taliban would wage a war of attrition. And Bush stupidly took the bait as the conservatives cheered him on… and closed our bases in Saudi Arabia! If we ever do kill bin Laden, he will still die a happy man since he surely believes he “won” this war.

There are a couple more obscure “proxies” I can think of and probably more that I am unaware of.

Surely, several countries are using Afghanistan, right now, to wage a proxy skirmish with the USA and keep us pinned-down there.

Iran, North Korea, the Russian mafia, and various Arab states all come to mind. Even if they have no affinity with the Taliban, it is in their own national interest to see the US mired there. (Just as Reagan funded the Mujahadin to keep the Soviets pinned-down.)

That’s why America needs to declare glorious victory and leave.

I think you’ll find the terrorists involved in the 9/11 tragedy were Saudis, not Afghanis.