A NATO summit in Estonia has culminated with the much-hyped “road map,” an exit strategy for the alliance from Afghanistan after nearly a decade of war. It will detail the alliance’s new strategy for the conflict and, as is so often the case, lower the bar for what constitutes ‘success’ in the nation.
Amazingly, initial indications are that the “exit strategy” won’t involve actually removing any troops, but instead will hand over select provinces to the Karzai government while keeping the NATO troops there too for support. This “handover” is expected to last decades, though officials were quick to note it was “not calendar-driven.”
The public announcement has yet to come, but it looks as though the big winner in the strategy is President Karzai, as NATO civilian chief Mark Sedwill ‘s comments suggested the alliance will basically shrug off his government’s massive corruption, apparently in the hope that it will eventually grow into a responsible regime.
NATO Chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned that no exit strategy could involve a “run for the exits,” and there seems to be no danger of that, as the alliance’s plan seems to cement NATO’s presence as an occupying power over much of Afghanistan for untold decades to come.
Ok it's an "exit" strategy that doesn't actually involve anyone exiting?
Wow, it's amazing what they can do now.
Troops stay, Afghans exit.
Brilliant NATO strategy as usual.
Shows the loss of the Polish elite has not raised the collective intelligence of NATO.
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I'm guessing Obama will wait until June of 2011 to tell the nation he's extending the timetable a wee bit.
I'm guessing Obama will wait until June of 2011 to tell the nation he's extending the timetable a wee bit.
And thus we create another Iran.
Like Israhell, the US fourth reich will never leave its occupied territories. Watch the security fences go up to protect and defend US interests. This is the US new foreign policy; destroy, occupy and defend. What a complete waste.
On the contrary, they will leave but they will likely insist, as in Vietnam, that it be a rout.
The new Natovision contest song: "Doncha wanna stay a little bit longer"
Well yeah, the oil and natural gas will last for a few decades too. But thankfully opium is a renewable source, so I am sure decades will turn in to millenia. It would be nice if they'd grow some roses so they could throw them at our feet from time to time, but that might cut in to the opium production, and nobody wants that! And the provinces Karzai can have will of course be the ones where opium and gas products aren't located. He's got enough to do without needing the headache of managing all that stuff too. We'll handle it for him, and whoever comes after him. And we can leave the roses to Pakistan. They can supply enough for plenty of carpets I imagine.
There will be no withdrawals. The oil and gas are still there, and our troops will stay to babysit, until someone figures out how to buy security for the wells and pipelines needed to get it (them) out onto tankers to come to the West to help us keep our standard of living, forever. Therefore, our troops will be there forever, viz. Germany, Korea, Okinawa, and the 700+ bases throughout the world.
Cost? We print our money, and the Chinese buy our paper, and we buy their products, so everyone is happy. We can, and will, afford anything necessary to keep the oil and gas flowing, and maybe regulate the prices thereof, so our economy won't suffer. Reigning in our banks is a higher priority.
And, our citizens are basically as docile as sheep, with leaders like the Good Shepherd, Obama.
So, sorry for the deaths, injuries, pollution, destruction, perpetuation of poverty and suffering of these occupied "nations". We are the rulers, and we make the rules.
We will never leave. The Irish say at funerals, "We will hold you in our hearts, and you will never be truly gone." U.S. says, " We need your resources close to our hearts, so we will never be truly gone."
Eh?
Short of a rout before that, which is entirely possible, most likely terminus is when the mainland Chinese tell the US to leave.
It will be short and sweet and the US will be out in six months.
If the US does not take the ultimatum, it will also be out in six months but because of severe casualties and interruption of logistics.
There is no way the Chinese are going to let the US and NATO dominate Afghanistan or any pipeline there.
That was clear even before the US used the pretext of "Bin Laden" to invade.
As for the mainlanders' dependence on USD, that is increasingly absurd.
They are already on the next, post-collapse economic step and the US has neither the resources nor the economy to compete, nor even the slightest idea in which direction of the compass to lead the duck.
The US is a Finance Capitalist sate in the midst of final collapse.
corr "state"