> This is silly.
Do you mean Carrol or me? Or both?
> they were threatened by the Taliban, such as Russia, Iran, China, and every neighbor of Afghanistan.
One would like to hear more about the danger that the Taliban posed to Russia, Iran, China and so forth.
> News Flash: The Afghan War is not about The Man trying to stick it to the masses. The US has no geopolitical interest in Afghanistan.
Which brings us back to the Unitary Hegemon problem. Did the US as such -- assuming there is such a thing, possessing the capacity for action -- then act against its own interests? Or at random, without regard for its interests? Or did one gang of elite gangsters have an interest that the other gangs didn't share, and was that gang able to take the Marines out for a joyride, either because they Bogarted the other gangs or because the other gangs didn't much care?
The third hypothesis seems the most likely to me, but it's all conjecture. I'd like to see a coherent account that gives *any* intelligible and credible explanation for the Iraq and Afghanistan adventures. I would greet it like a long-lost brother.
The idea that the rag-tag Taliban was a "threat" to every great power in the world doesn't ring true for me, alas.
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Michael Smith mjs at smithbowen.net http://stopmebeforeivoteagain.org