Yes, I think it is a good question to ask.
Since some of our kids could end up there it is a very good question to ask.
Iraq, Iran I understand.
But why would we think we could be successful in Afghanistan when the Soviets weren't. What strategic benefits are there to being there?
What do we hope to accomplish? What are our goals?
Do we hope that it will become another Iraq?
Insights please.
Fair enough. Since I can only give you my OPINION, and NOT OFFICIAL USA POLICY, I will try to answer your questions based upon my involvement in both OIF and OEF.
a. Why do we think we would...when the Soviets weren't?
Answer: First, if you have the chance, you should read "Charlie Wilson's War" to gain a great bit of insight into WHY the Soviets failed as he was VERY involved (it's a great read!) A little known congressman from Texas had a HUGE impact on that war. He literally found ways to fund the Afghan Mujahedeen fighters with modern weaponry; the KEY item being shoulder mounted surface-to-air missiles (Stinger's). This enabled the Afghans to down Soviet helo's and that started the downfall. More weapons followed (wire guided missiles, heavy weapons, etc., and the Soviets were suddenly involved in a war they were NOT prepared to fight with a conscript army that did NOT want to be there.
b. What strategic benefits are gained by being there?
Answer: Initially it was a method of removing open terrorist training camps that flourished under the Taliban government. A by-product was to remove the Taliban from control of a hugely impoverished nation that made its living by growing opium poppies and selling opium/heroin worldwide (read: mostly to the US).
c. What do we hope to accomplish? What are our goals?
Answer: Tougher questions to answer. Its easy to say "...to bring a democratic government to the Afghan people, to enable them a better way of life, etc...etc...but that's not realistic and worse, it's not fair/right. The Afghan way of life is tribal; first and foremost. Second, its a religious lifestyle, with the family/tribal focus on faith, tribe, community. I think our goals/hopes would be to deny terrorist groups a locale where they can train and inculcate their dogma to low-educated groups with the end-goal of recruitment for combat/terror operations. If we can help the Afghan people to create more than a tribal theocracy that is "backward" compared to other nations of the world, that's fine, but not terribly realistic, IMHO.
d. Do we hope that it will become another Iraq?
Answer: Not sure what you mean here. Iraq...working towards a non-sectarian parliamentarian democracy (kinda like Turkey)...may actually get there, eventually. But again, Iraq, like MANY of the nations in the region, is TRIBAL. People are loyal to God (Allah) and their TRIBE, first and foremost. The concept of a nation-state in the entire middle-eastern region is really a by-product of the Sykes-Picot Treaty back in WWI. These nations didn't really have governments like we "prefer" back then. Heck...the "Saudi's" weren't: they were nomadic tribes joined together in a...wait for it....HOLY JIHAD against the infidel Turks in WWI, trained/aided by the British. Remember T.E. Lawrence? He helped the House of Saud to form a nation.
Just my opinion on this and more learned folks may/probably DO have differing opinions and that's GREAT! Discussion/debate are great things to enhance learning and I love that!
LONG TERM bottom line: we're going to be in both places for quite a few more years.
Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83