LaughingCat
New member
ha ha
Headlines
Intelligent Diplomacy and Statesmanship- Obama For the Win
- Thread starter jayboat
- Start date
BBB725
Benefactor
Maybe not:
Russia pushed back Tuesday at U.S. efforts to threaten tough new sanctions if Iran fails to prove its nuclear program is peaceful, a setback to the Obama administration's desire to present a united front with Moscow.
After meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow believed that such threats would not persuade Iran to comply and that negotiations should continue to be pursued.
Plus
In an unannounced move, President Obama is dispatching up to 15,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan beyond the 21,000 he announced in March.
I guess it's starting to look like Cheney/Bush II:biggrinjester:
Ratickle
Founding Member / Super Moderator
He did need to send more troops and get that Taliban mess under control. Ans, use more missiles from drones in the hills of Afganistan/Pakistan. If he hadn't, I'd be bashing him majorily.
We went backwards under Clinton with Iraq, which is arguably what helped get this problem elevated.
We went backwards under Carter, which is also an earlier prelude to this same issue.
If we go backwards under Obama, the entire region may be past improving at all. He needs to at least maintain, preferably continue to improve, no matter what he said to get elected.
We went backwards under Clinton with Iraq, which is arguably what helped get this problem elevated.
We went backwards under Carter, which is also an earlier prelude to this same issue.
If we go backwards under Obama, the entire region may be past improving at all. He needs to at least maintain, preferably continue to improve, no matter what he said to get elected.
Many were gravely worried in mid 2007 or so that Afghanistan was becoming something worse. We needed much more support there some time ago to prevent things from building, as they have. It's no secret that we had a minimalist approach there for some time, and certainly no cohesive plan of action. They have no oil, but both India and Pakistan have nukes. A major concern is that spreading influence to Pakistan would become something we couldn't deal with.
It's yet another unfinished mess to clean up, and should have been the first done.
It's yet another unfinished mess to clean up, and should have been the first done.
Ratickle
Founding Member / Super Moderator
Agree.....
jayboat
Banned
'Unfinished mess' is right.
Robert Kaplan tries to make sense of it here. Very bothersome to think about China just waiting and watching us waste lives and treasure there.
From Foreign Policy.com:
We wouldn't intervene if we were starting from scratch today, but some will say that allowing ourselves to be defeated by the Taliban will have disastrous effects on our reputation and encourage bin Laden & Co. to believe they are winning. Robert Kaplan takes this line in an op-ed in today's New York Times, arguing that "an ignominious withdrawal from Afghanistan is precisely what would lead to our decline, by demoralizing our military, signaling to our friends worldwide that we cannot be counted on and demonstrating that our enemies have greater resolve than we do. That is why we have no choice in Afghanistan but to add troops and continue to fight."
This is an familiar line of argument, of course, even though the best scholarly studies of reputation and credibility have found that past behavior doesn't have much effect on future credibility. Be that as it may, one could just as easily argue that U.S. credibility will be damaged far more if we squander another trillion dollars in Afghanistan and end up with a degraded and demoralized military and a population that is truly sick of overseas involvements.
Robert Kaplan tries to make sense of it here. Very bothersome to think about China just waiting and watching us waste lives and treasure there.
From Foreign Policy.com:
We wouldn't intervene if we were starting from scratch today, but some will say that allowing ourselves to be defeated by the Taliban will have disastrous effects on our reputation and encourage bin Laden & Co. to believe they are winning. Robert Kaplan takes this line in an op-ed in today's New York Times, arguing that "an ignominious withdrawal from Afghanistan is precisely what would lead to our decline, by demoralizing our military, signaling to our friends worldwide that we cannot be counted on and demonstrating that our enemies have greater resolve than we do. That is why we have no choice in Afghanistan but to add troops and continue to fight."
This is an familiar line of argument, of course, even though the best scholarly studies of reputation and credibility have found that past behavior doesn't have much effect on future credibility. Be that as it may, one could just as easily argue that U.S. credibility will be damaged far more if we squander another trillion dollars in Afghanistan and end up with a degraded and demoralized military and a population that is truly sick of overseas involvements.
Is that a cut and paste???:sifone::sifone:
Obama the war-monger....It's got a nice ring to it. :USA::seeya:
Ratickle
Founding Member / Super Moderator
But the Chinese, with no principles, morals, or ethics, have done that in every country they possibly can around the globe. It doesn't matter if it is oil in Cuba or Nigeria. Or minerals and other raw materials from other African slaughterhouse regimes. If we say we will not do business with a particular country, the Chinese are immediately there to get hooked up and sign intent for joint developement.
The bigger issue, our government (yes all of them, Reps and Dems) allow them to do this with our deaf ear and blind sight.....and, our money.....
The bigger issue, our government (yes all of them, Reps and Dems) allow them to do this with our deaf ear and blind sight.....and, our money.....
jayboat
Banned
I thought I would try something different. :seeya:
The truth is I would rather read your drunken opinions over and over and then post my own to counter them. That method is so much more interesting and enlightening, so I probably won't do much cut and paste in the future. :ack2:
cuda
Banned
Another example of how to win friends, and influence people.
fund razor
Founding Member
Me too Craig. Have another beer and post up.
Me too Craig. Have another beer and post up.
I have to admit that I don't indulge during the week.
It's part of being a responsible citizen of this great country. You know, like having a job and all that.
Wrinkleface
Founding Member
I have to admit that I don't indulge during the week.
2 bad, U do your best posting on the w/e! So start drink'n during the week! Don't B a quiter!!!!!!:26::seeya:
fund razor
Founding Member
Oh.I have to admit that I don't indulge during the week.
It's part of being a responsible citizen of this great country. You know, like having a job and all that.
I just assumed that it was true.
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