United States involvement in Afghanistan has always been seen as a problem by many observers, since the Soviet Union suffered its downfall to a great extent due to their military engagement in that nation from 1979 to 1988.
It was also the graveyard of earlier attempts at military takeover, including the British Empire.
US and NATO involvement in Afghanistan has been based on the threat of the Taliban, who have associated with Al Qaeda, and since September 11 occurred due to Al Qaeda being in Afghanistan, it seemed essential that this nation invade and overcome those who did this dastardly deed!
But the Afghan War has not gone well for years, and the country is a disaster area as far as the levels of poverty and corruption that exist! Afghanistan has long been a “failed state”, and its leader, Hamid Karzai, has a horrible reputation as an evil, corrupt man, whose own brother is allegedly involved in the cocaine trade. What a despicable alliance that the Western powers are associated with, and to be connected with such a venal family and his followers! 🙁
And now, Karzai has attacked the West and suggested he might join the Taliban himself!
This makes one wonder why in good sense we continue to feel a need to fight and die in Afghanistan, when the Taliban are no threat to attack us, and Al Qaeda has gone elsewhere, including Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen as their havens.
With other nations rapidly leaving Afghanistan, President Obama needs to make a commitment to withdraw our forces over a measured period of time, and not allow any Republican or conservative opposition to stand in the way of a sane policy, of taking us out of the impossible Afghan morass, which has no winners and no hope for major improvement in the future!
President Obama, take what President Hamid Karzai has said as the justification for US withdrawal from a country not worth fighting for! We have spread ourselves thin and endangered our own economic and security future by allowing ourselves to be engaged in Afghanistan for the past nine years, and it is time to withdraw, and soon!