US Army Sgt Bergdhal, thoughts?

[Keith]

Considering their fierce tribal divisions, one would have been forgiven for thinking that the Camel Jocks sitting on the oil might have been a softer target for them (AQ) rather than the West. Perhaps if the Saudi family and their ilk had been fairer in the distribution of the oil spoils, AQ may not have had such a rich breeding ground.

Blame the Brits. Their lines in the sand have become blood red over the years almost everywhere they appear, and yet when I was at school, Empire was a masterpiece of Anglo-Saxon global social engineering... :shifty:

We were brought up to believe in the Empire and Empire Loyalists dogged Parliament quite militantly right up until at least the late '50's early '60's.

Like most middle class families, I do not believe we cared that much about 'Empire' - that was another lot higher up..

However, a lot of people from the UK earned a lot of money in the Empire - ordinary people too, and many have very fond memories of Africa & India before the shit hit the fan.

(Sorry for the thread drift. It happens at my age and the quantity of medication doesn't help either)

 

[Larry L.]

You're not a non Muslim Larry, you're worse - you're an Unbeliever! :laugh:

You 'got' that right - as regards 'Allah', that is.

Annnnnnd I'm also "worse" in a 'lotta' other areas, Keith. Many here will concur with that, I'm sure!

 

[Jeff Young]

Considering their fierce tribal divisions, one would have been forgiven for thinking that the Camel Jocks sitting on the oil might have been a softer target for them (AQ) rather than the West. Perhaps if the Saudi family and their ilk had been fairer in the distribution of the oil spoils, AQ may not have had such a rich breeding ground.

Blame the Brits. Their lines in the sand have become blood red over the years almost everywhere they appear, and yet when I was at school, Empire was a masterpiece of Anglo-Saxon global social engineering... :shifty:

We were brought up to believe in the Empire and Empire Loyalists dogged Parliament quite militantly right up until at least the late '50's early '60's.

Like most middle class families, I do not believe we cared that much about 'Empire' - that was another lot higher up..

However, a lot of people from the UK earned a lot of money in the Empire - ordinary people too, and many have very fond memories of Africa & India before the shit hit the fan.

(Sorry for the thread drift. It happens at my age and the quantity of medication doesn't help either)

LOL..no worries and you are DEAD ON right about the sheiks needing to share the wealth. much of Al Qaeda comes from poor 20-30 year old Arab men in countries where there is fabulous wealth. I'm sure failure to share is a big part of it.

On the whole, I can't see how you can argue the British Empire was not a good thing for the world. Trade, commerce, good government in fits and starts. Its time passed, just as Pax Americana will pass, but you guys did your best to improve things (while make a few quid, but hey, that's human nature). Tip of the hat to you.

 

[Doug S.]

WRONG.

Says you...other than your assertion, do you have any proof? AFAIK at the end of WWII POWs were exchanged...not man for man, but in their entirety.

And that brings up another thing - who besides Obama SAYS the war is ending? Have you heard/seen/been promised by anyone that Al Quaeda is going to cease hostilities by day 'X'???

Now, Larry, think about this. Nobody, certainly not me, ever said Obama said the war would be over. My only statement was something to the effect that Obama was withdrawing combat troops as he had promised...and when he promised. I remember very clearly being quite upset that he wanted to leave ANY US soldier in Afghanistan as long as 2014...and yet here we are in 2014 and he wants to leave some non-combat forces there in an advisory capacity...something with which I, again, disagree.

He never, ever promised that the war would be over...he is far too astute too have made any such blunder, because he knows, just as the whole world knows, there is no way to ever stop those radical Muslim factions from killing each other. Don't believe it? Look at what is happening to Iraq (another of the cluster-blunders committed by the Republicans that Obama had to get us out of) right now!

Doug

 

[Larry L.]

Says you...other than your assertion, do you have any proof?

How am I supposed to "prove" a hypothetical??????

Good grief...

Read a little history on Truman and Ike. There's NO WAY either would have gone for that deal. NO WAY.

 

[Nick]

LOL..no worries and you are DEAD ON right about the sheiks needing to share the wealth. much of Al Qaeda comes from poor 20-30 year old Arab men in countries where there is fabulous wealth. I'm sure failure to share is a big part of it.

On the whole, I can't see how you can argue the British Empire was not a good thing for the world. Trade, commerce, good government in fits and starts. Its time passed, just as Pax Americana will pass, but you guys did your best to improve things (while make a few quid, but hey, that's human nature). Tip of the hat to you.

Jeff,

The origins of Al-Qaeda are traceable back to the Soviet war in Afghanistan, where the fighters were encouraged and supported not by “poor 20-30 year old Arab men in countries where there is fabulous wealth”, but by U.S. military leaders and US government and a president who at the time described them as freedom fighters.

If only the West had left well enough alone. Never has the phrase “we reap what we sow” been more apt.

 

[Al Wohlstrom]

Jeff,

The origins of Al-Qaeda are traceable back to the Soviet war in Afghanistan, where the fighters were encouraged and supported not by “poor 20-30 year old Arab men in countries where there is fabulous wealth”, but by U.S. military leaders and US government and a president who at the time described them as freedom fighters.

If only the West had left well enough alone. Never has the phrase “we reap what we sow” been more apt.

The Afghan fighters the US supported were the Mujahideen, not Al Qaeda.

 

[Nick]

The Afghan fighters the US supported were the Mujahideen, not Al Qaeda.

Al,

Al Qaeda did not exist at the time. The Mujahedeen in Afghanistan where the fanatics supported and encouraged by the US that changed their name to Al Qaeda.

 

[Al Wohlstrom]

Al,

Al Qaeda did not exist at the time. The Mujahedeen in Afghanistan where the fanatics supported and encouraged by the US that changed their name to Al Qaeda.

There were factions of the mujahedeen that became al Qaeda, but not all mujahedeen.

 

[Nick]

There were factions of the mujahedeen that became al Qaeda, but not all mujahedeen.

Ok Al,

1 What factions of the Mujahedeen became Al Qaeda.

2 What factions of the Mujahadeen did not become Al Qaeda

 

[Al Wohlstrom]

Ok Al,

1 What factions of the Mujahedeen became Al Qaeda.

2 What factions of the Mujahadeen did not become Al Qaeda

I'm saying not all of the mujahedeen became al Qaeda. The fundamentalist radicals became al Qaeda.

The Differences Between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda
The Taliban in Afghanistan - Council on Foreign Relations
Al-Qaeda