Over the weekend we learned that the leader of the Taliban, Mullah Omar, offered the United States some advice: study the history of war in Afghanistan.
Not that we should be listening to the leader of the Taliban, but fighting in Afghanistan has historically only guaranteed failure. Just ask the former Soviet Union about its non-success there.
Other notables who failed in Afghanistan include Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, the Turks, and the Brits.
In fact, a recent report leaked to the Washington Post has the United States military admitting more troops or a new strategy is critical to victory in Afghanistan. Without either or both, we lose.
And it appears that Afghanistan is just getting more and more dangerous. But, as GreatHistory’s Frank Chadwick remarks, if anyone can win there, it’s the United States.
For a satirical synopsis of why war in Afghanistan in futile, watch this episode of Jon Stewart’s Daily Show.
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Brian King said:
Wow, that video is hilarious. Just love the Daily Show for sarcasm. You can’t deny the facts though; the reason no one ever wins is that it just a rotten piece of geography. Far from everything. Nothing of value. Fragmented tribal society. As Stewart says, it is the gold standard of quagmires.
September 22nd, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Great History said:
[...] Great article on The History of War in Afghanistan; http://greathistory.com/the-history-of-war-in-afghanistan.htm [...]
September 22nd, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Gerald D. Swick said:
The August/September 2009 issue of Military History magazine had an article on “Indomitable Afghanistan” by Steven Tanner that looked at the many failed attempts to subdue the country. In short, it is easy to invade, impossible (so far) to conquer. Invaders are like police responding to a domestic disturbance call – the members of a family that don’t really like each other all that much suddenly unite to beat up on the intruding cops. “Central government” is an oxymoron in Afghanistan’s tribal culture. In the current war there, perhaps the most important question is, “What conditions will define when victory has been achieved?” The answers to that should define the allied war/pacification strategy.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:31 am
Brian King said:
Steven Pressfield has a series of pieces of an interview with a tribal leader in Afghanistan here;
http://blog.stevenpressfield.com/
It gives insights into how we might succeed in our mission there. It appears there IS an answer to the question of “victory” there – but whether it is something our leaders are addressing is another beast altogether.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:59 am
History Roundup 09-25-2009 « Great History said:
[...] That decision is still up in the air, but here is an article with some perspectives on that nation. The History of War in Afghanistan on Great History. A related article asks if the US currently has the Best Army in History? Lastly [...]
September 25th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Brian King said:
Here is a great article for some bullet points on why the war in Afghanistan cannot be won.
http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/columnists/hugh-gusterson/why-the-war-afghanistan-cannot-be-won
October 7th, 2009 at 2:58 pm