Barnett Rubin, "The Afghan Quandary: Should We Leave? Can We Leave?"

[@donquixote1026]

The US has been clearly taken a hostage in Afghanistan. Either pay the terrorists, their Pakistani sponsors & the warlords or risk another attack. My favourite Pak army general Mirza Aslam Baig used to talk about this kind of hostage situation all the time. For him the main utility of nuclear weapons is the ability to take others hostage & extract ransom. Funny that the Indians are next door but not only they don't care, they just ran away with Kashmir. But the US can't extract itself.

[@arundwibedi1933]

Pakistan has been the proverbial "our son of a bitch" for the US in south Asia.. Remember FDR's formula about Batista.. "may be a son of a bitch but".. " is our son of a bitch." But problem starts when that "our son of a bitch" gets its own son of a bitch (Taliban) and both want to chew dead Americans' bones. Even worse when it offers to be "our son of a bitch" of China.

[@lewdnclear495]

@PakMan Indians think internet propaganda should help Pakistan against the US...remember, even though Pakistan has the highest % (80% or so) anti Americans, India still has the largest number of anti Americans.

[@Kavala76]

I found this talk most interesting and enlightening. Thank you.

[@lindyswing4368]

57:00 , no wonder Karzai is alive and active now in Kabul. He had the eye on the ball this whole time and it was Dumbsfeld that was the idiot.

[@acommon1]

Spot on as usual. Nails it again.

[@steven7650]

The other big problem that will continue to grow is the coming water crisis. The majoirty of water and the karez system is fed by mountain melt water that has been severely diminished by global warming. Areas especially in the west by Herat where dams are being constructed to save water in Afghanistan, is choking water supply to Iran and creating future conflicts.

[@chanegun]

turns out the answer was yes to both.

[@lisaray6108]

Afghanistan will be a battle ground for proxies of other Islamic nations. However its amazing how the Hindu banias of Hindoostan picked 30 some old Saudi crown prince and Im d dim (Imran) got 90 some old Malay Maverick Mahathir.

[@lindyswing4368]

What ?

[@justinmalinowski]

I'm sorry, increasing tax as proportion of GDP is an achievement?!

[@zalmankelber3078]

Decreasing a country's reliance on foreign aid to fund its government is indeed an achievement

[@alexamadams]

Yes it absolutely is. Look at the countries with the lowest citizen tax rates. I promise you wouldn’t want to live in them. Their governments hold no responsibility to their citizens as they take foreign aid rather then taxes. Now look at the countries with the highest tax rates- Germany, Sweden, etc… all enjoy high levels of democracy and “happiness” in multiple studies. If someone wants to imagine what a libertarian country would feel like- look to Afghanistan, DR Congo, etc.

[@justinmalinowski]

@@alexamadams Good points. Though, I would suggest that in countries like Germany and Sweden, it is the culture that created the wealth from which the politik was able to take taxes. And that culture came from Western philosophy. Afghanistan and such entities need a radical reform in philosophy and then culture before we can hope for political reform. It's recent folding to the Taliban is case in point.

[@m.j.1523]

Seriously thought he was OfJoseph

[@anjir1]

lol

[@qualquan]

Guy talks too much without coming to any conclusion