Afghanistan presents a conundrum for America, having planned to invade it as far back as 1999, long before 9/11 was used as the bogus excuse.
Dr Alf will recall the desire to build the Turkmenistan oil pipeline, the quest for lithium and copper totalling 6 trillion USD in the Aynak mine which 350,000 Chinese mine workers now work in and the ever-present spectre at the feast, the Afghan poppy crop.
History tells us that Afghanistan used to be part of India, so the Indian Government ought to be encouraged to send troops there, as the price for getting BPO/IT related work and call centre outsourcing from the West.
Pakistan is venal, corrupt and a breeding ground for terror, via the ISI , which is has links to the Taliban. It is also China’s ally.
The US should talk to President Xi Jin Ping and agree a way to contain Pakistan and eradicate the Taliban, ideally using robots, rather than wasting the lives of young soldiers. Drones need to be used more widely to effectively occupy Afghanistan without such an overriding need to send more troops and Erik Prince of XE who has suggested replacing regular US troops with his security people should be listened to seriously.
America has not run out of ideas but, as the conqueror of Afghanistan, needs to impose its will more by clearing out the Waziristan tribal regions, punishing Pakistan with a full range of options, including cutting off aid if they fail to curtail the activities of the Taliban.
Afghanistan itself needs to be less corrupt and that may mean imposing “cleanskin” from the Diaspora as a puppet ruler.
Dr Alf's Blog 