In early 1989 the last Soviet troops fled Afghanistan, capping a failed ten year occupation that cemented the nation’s reputation as the Graveyard of Empires in the modern context. That bloody war is still fresh in the minds of many Russians, but increasingly not so with top officials, who are looking for a way back in.
“We want to help stabilize the situation. We would do anything short of military involvement,” insisted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, insisting the government is eager to provide helicopters and engineers to help with the US-led occupation, itself tottering on the brink of failure some nine years in.
With NATO forces now occupying many of the same bases and backing many of the same crooked politicians that the Soviets once did, Russian officials are said to fear the deleterious effect another failed war would have along the Russian frontier.
Yet Russia, unlike the Soviet Union, does not border Afghanistan, and the end of the Soviet occupation was not followed, despite many predictions to the contrary, with a flurry of external attacks by the victorious insurgency. Rather the group ousted the government and then settled into fighting amongst themselves. If the fears of the predicted “Taliban attacks” resulting from NATO’s exit are really the problem which is prompting Russian involvement (which would almost certainly involve a formal military presence later, to the protect the non-military presence), they seem to fly in the face of historical evidence.
Junior Yeltsin, aka Medvedev must be Obama's poodle.
Afghans will forever be suspicious of a power that killed 2 million of her citizens and propped-up the minority against the majority Pashtuns. Those who collaborated with the Soviets now hold powerful portfolios and are supported by the so-called U.S.-led ISAF/NATO.
This is of course what happens when powerful nations attempt to micro-manage a culture about which they have no knowledge.
Afghanistan needs help that only the U.S. can provide, but leave the decision-making and management up to the people. It is time to butt-out. Corporate America needs to be sidelined and Russia needs to approach Afghanistan with profound caution.
I've always thought the US and Russia would fight together in the clash of civilizations eventually.
Albert Pike said in one of his letters about how to start three world wars..The final one which WWIII would be between Zionist Christian & Muslims to the benefit of the Golobalist. Of course fantasies are fruitless when it comes to reality..They stepped on the wrong stone which will bite their feets..Welcome back Russian to their killing field, hence, Americans, Europeans & Russian afterall are all CROSS brothers..This war will end with the collapse of the great Empire and the appearance of Al-Mahdi who will lead Muslims to victory and control of the whole world with justice & prosperity for all man kind.
Funny thing is the Soviet puppet regime in Kabul outlived the Soviet Union. Not by long but there you go.
What is it about European civilization that simply cannot resist Empire building. Russia is crazy to do this. They are falling back into the status of an underdeveloped country and they are going to waste time and resources – and blood – on such a foolish endeavor.
Or are they simply happy to see the US bogged down in a venture of this sort? To the call, "America, Come Home," the Russians might add, "Russia, Come Home." We should all learn to mind our own business militarily.
jw
awright… I see… one superpower is not enough to take on the Afghans..??
either way, I supppose getting your arse kicked in once is not enough for the commie bandits that they have to go back for more…
"What is it about European civilization that simply cannot resist Empire building. " –Typical leftist anti-European line. You learned well in public school, didn't you? Or did you just watch Avatar and cry about how the evil Westerners oppress the peaceful/perfect aliens? ALL peoples in the world have invaded other tribes and countries and built empires when they had the chance. Learn history. Chinese, Japanese, Mongolians, Arabs, Persians, North American Indians, South American Indians, countless African tribes. And slavery was all over the globe for millennia.
Only ONE culture invented moral arguments against conquest and slavery as such. WESTERN culture. The European empires ended slavery by force in Africa, the tribes refused to give it up at first. Likewise, the world couldn't understand the Western idea that conquest was something bad in itself – and no one could understand how Westerners could give up their own empires voluntarily, and throw stones at those Western countries who still fought imperial wars, like France in Indochina. For everyone else, this was incredible stupidity.
The Left has filled Westerners with self-hatred over our "imperialist" history. And they made sure Westerners would not be studying the immense history of non-Western wars. Mustn't distract us from the latest Hollywood movies about Southern slavery and the Holocaust ™, right?
Wonderful point Carpenter Also the Fact Russia is not consider Western culture unless your referring to Western in the large historical sense and then it includes North Africa( Ancient Egypt, etc) and Arabian Peninsula. I Guess people skip Western Civilization to the 1600 class.
I would not even brother with people like him they have no understanding of the conflict and radical Islam. Terrorist follow a sect of Islam called Wahhabism and it a danger to all people including other Muslims. It was used in the 70s-80s by Western powers as a proxy war against socialist movement and the Soviet Union. Now a days Saudi Arabia is center of Wahhabism and it uses it's oil wealth to fund missioners and media to convert other Muslims. I suggest Searching for many articles on Wahhabism.
Wonderful point Carpenter Also the Fact Russia is not consider Western culture unless your referring to Western in the large historical sense and then it includes North Africa( Ancient Egypt, etc) and Arabian Peninsula. I Guess people skip Western Civilization to the 1600 class.