Pakistan, Taliban, and American Ignorance

[Tiberias]

This thead is about Pakistan's support of the Taliban. You made a snide comment about Pakistan serving their own interests rather than "bending backwards" for America. Not the world. Not the coalition forces in Afghanistan. America. Implying that it is only in America's interests that Pakistan not support the Taliban.

So, again, how is a resurgent, even victorious, Taliban in the best interests of, say, Britain?

[Kezef]

Originally Posted by Tiberias

This thead is about Pakistan's support of the Taliban. You made a snide comment about Pakistan serving their own interests rather than "bending backwards" for America. Not the world. Not the coalition forces in Afghanistan. America. Implying that it is only in America's interests that Pakistan not support the Taliban.

So, again, how is a resurgent, even victorious, Taliban in the best interests of, say, Britain?

It's neither for or against the interests of Britain.

Prior to 9/11 nobody gave a damn about Afghanistan, what the Taliban did to their own people was their own problem. People have been playing the heroin card, suggesting we need to beat the Taliban to beat the heroin trade but this is just bull and a weak attempt at justification.

The simple truth is Afghanistan is a post 9/11 war of vengeance led by America and the rest of the world is starting to realise this. Pakistan knew it from the start and they also realise the war is futile and so continue their relations with the Taliban because after this war fails (as all the other wars havd failed in Afghanistan) they will be left in the same position as before.

I'd venture that pulling out of Afghanistan is in the best interests of Britain as we have already pulled out of Iraq. The conflict has nothing to do with us and all it has managed to achieve is the loss of british lives in a conflicyt that does not concern us.

[Garm]

Originally Posted by Kezef

. Pakistan knew it from the start and they also realise the war is futile and so continue their relations with the Taliban because after this war fails (as all the other wars havd failed in Afghanistan) they will be left in the same position as before.
.

"their relations with the Taliban" was the basis for the Taliban seizing control of most of Afghanistan in the first place

You are making them sound like some innocent bystander

[Kezef]

Originally Posted by Garm

"their relations with the Taliban" was the basis for the Taliban seizing control of most of Afghanistan in the first place

You are making them sound like some innocent bystander

I'm making them sound like what they are, an involved and interested party who will still be there long after the coalition forces leave.

[Garm]

Originally Posted by Kezef

I'm making them sound like what they are, an involved and interested party who will still be there long after the coalition forces leave.

Yes, though the "invovled" part looks to be rather downplayed in your accounting of it

Of course they know the war is going to be futile for the West

That made it that way

[Kezef]

Pakistan plays the long game, they know the west can't offer tem enough to off-set making an enemy of the taliban.

[Garm]

Originally Posted by Kezef

Pakistan plays the long game, they know the west can't offer tem enough to off-set making an enemy of the taliban.

Ever heard of the Balochistan insurgency?


Pakistan has no problem keeping an armed revolt down and their boot on the neck of a rebelious province when it suits them, absolutely no worries about making an enemy there

Despite the problem that factions of the Taliban have already turned on the state the majority of the Pakistanis are actually more worried about Indians than the Talibs

Pakistan has nukes and jihadis to deliver them if India should decide to attack, it's not like these fundamentalists are just going to sit idly by when the hindu hordes come aravaging in

Why Pak has this paranoia is a long story

So yeah, they want to have some talibs on hand just in case