*Sigh*... why didn't I see that one coming?

This post was edited by Black XistenZ on Jan 18 2024 01:10pm

From a countering Iran perspective, I wonder how much the neocons are licking their chops at the possibility of drawing Iran in a border war with Pakistan which is no scrawn. I don't think our fingers are in this but it sure as hell would be one of the more favorable ways to weaken Iran, with having Pakistan do our dirty work. Ala Ukraine vs Russia.



tyrannosaurus rekt

and the other country with balochs weighs in;

https://twitter.com/QaharBalkhi/status/1747922759319998700

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers the recent violence between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan alarming, and calls on the two neighboring countries to exercise restraint.
In light of the region's newfound peace and stability after protracted imposed wars and instability, both sides should direct efforts towards further strengthening regional stability and resolving disputes through diplomatic channels and dialogue."


ye and these are the taliban boogeymen of the 2000s

Lots of people still don't want to admit/recognize that the Taliban have always been the good guys in Afghanistan

One level-headed statement doesn't undo the violence, fundamentalism, oppression of women and general backwardness of the Taliban. The proper argument to make with regard to Afghanistan isn't that the Taliban were the good guys, or at least "not that bad". No, the correct argument is, and always has been, that the country is a lost cause, that efforts to develop a civil society and a democracy over there are doomed that the whole war and occupation were therefore a waste of resources. This does not, however, make the Taliban any less awful.

Any fair assessment of the Arab world has always been that their cultures are simply incompatible with democracy at best and openly hostile to it at worst. Most of them are tribal and sectarian, few have national identities, and those that do straddle between predisposition to monarchies and religious zealots who must impose their will on others. It was absolutely a waste of resources and a sham to try to build a democracy, but does it make the Taliban awful? The Taliban are a bunch of goat herding tribal chieftains who have learned to coexist by respecting each others autonomy and generally leaving each other alone. That's about the extent of their national identity- that and banning opium. Their oppression of women and general backwards fundamentalism falls more on their individual regressiveness and islam. That's what the people believe in. If you gave them a free and fair vote, that's what they'd vote for. If it wasn't the Taliban, it would be someone else. The Taliban aren't imposing that upon them, and only a foreign master imposing our will upon them could try to change their way for them. And thus was the failed legacy of American neoimperialism and world morality police.

Crazy statement

They were the somewhat good guys when they were shooting down Soviet choppers

Individual regressiveness and islam don't explain, or excuse, why the Taliban were hosting Al Qaeda though. Them voluntarily associating with a radical islamistic terrorist group can only be explained by a political or religious affinity which goes beyond the usual backwardness of orthodox islam. Basically, all we can do is hope that the Taliban have learned their lesson from 2001 and won't host terrorists again.

This post was edited by Black XistenZ on Jan 20 2024 03:57am

Yes and no

Imran khan who is a sports celebrity in Pakistan was PM up to the Ukraine /Russia conflict. One of the most secular leaders the country has had in a few decades. American pak relations were actually doing quite well with trump in office. After the Russia conflict, he continued to do business with Russia, similar to India really. Papa Biden was not happy with this. Within 2 weeks he was ousted by an American backed religious coalition , and a guy who was previously exiled from the country (sharif) put into power.

Meanwhile imran tried to call for actual elections and was trying to set a date. In doing so he was put on house arrest , shot, and now being held indefinitely in prison. An Oxford educated secularist who could have lived in retirement comfortably with millions but will die a martyr trying to improve his country

Regarding Iran, pak is most certainly acting on American whims, but Irans actions are really a head scratcher. America has played a role is election interference to create an effective pawn, but Iran was the instigator here



This post was edited by Bazi on Jan 20 2024 01:04pm

Yes, back when they were fighting the Soviets they were considered great heroic freedom fighters against the oppressive Soviet Union. Then they suddenly became the baddies, funny how that works..

While the Taliban would be wholly unacceptable in our proper Western society, they are saints as far as Afghanistan goes.

The moral atrocity of the endemic Bacha Bazi practice among the Afghans is alone enough to justify the Taliban's rule.