# Karzai, US In Talks With Taliban: Effect on Troop Morale? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 18, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karzai-us-in-talks-with-taliban-effect-on-troop-morale/585938 "2011-06-18T14:43:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karzai-us-in-talks-with-taliban-effect-on-troop-morale/585938/21 "2011-06-20T15:44:45Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > OK, obviously I’m being silly to illustrate my concerns, which are; If we and the Afghan government can work out a deal with the Taliban, how can any good come from this for women, gay people, or other minorities, or people who want freedoms the Taliban don’t want people to have? Baby steps. You’re not going to transform any country in the Middle East into the Netherlands anytime soon. I imagine the negotiations are focusing on ceasing terrorism, cooperation on capturing Al Qaeda, and working with the Karzai government. As for the rest, they can do what they want. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karzai-us-in-talks-with-taliban-effect-on-troop-morale/585938/22 "2011-06-20T18:29:47Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > The Taliban aren’t just oppresssive like say Hosni Mubarak but literally mediaeval fucktards who imposed stoning for virtually every crime, and was probably the most barbaric government in the world when it was overthrown in 2001. Plus if we leave Al-Qaeda would almost certainly return. There are a lot of medieval fucktards all over the world. Are we going to invade all these places? If al qaeda returns we can exercise “kinetic military operations” to let a bunch of kids with joysticks in Las Vegas bomb the crap out of them until they leave again. I don’t see why we need to stay there. ---
**Author:** ![Kyomara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8edcca/32.png) [@Kyomara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyomara)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karzai-us-in-talks-with-taliban-effect-on-troop-morale/585938/23 "2011-06-20T20:13:36Z")
I was reading about this in the NYT yesterday, but now I can’t find the article anywhere. I was under the impression that we are negotiating with the Taliban because they have been severly weakened and we are in a good position to make a deal in our favor and get the hell out of there. I’ll keep looking, but did anyone else see that article? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karzai-us-in-talks-with-taliban-effect-on-troop-morale/585938/24 "2011-06-20T20:55:19Z")
How does news that the war will be ending mean that the soldiers’ work was in vain? If anything, I’d think it would be the opposite: If the troops thought that we’d be there indefinitely, _that_ would mean that their efforts would be in vain. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karzai-us-in-talks-with-taliban-effect-on-troop-morale/585938/25 "2011-06-20T21:13:02Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > The Taliban aren’t just oppresssive like say Hosni Mubarak but literally mediaeval fucktards who imposed stoning for virtually every crime, and was probably the most barbaric government in the world when it was overthrown in 2001. Up there with the Saudis, certainly. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karzai-us-in-talks-with-taliban-effect-on-troop-morale/585938/26 "2011-06-20T22:21:20Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > There are a lot of medieval fucktards all over the world. Are we going to invade all these places? They’re not even comparable to say Iran or something, the Taliban are full-on reactionaries. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karzai-us-in-talks-with-taliban-effect-on-troop-morale/585938/27 "2011-06-21T03:42:03Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Baby steps. You’re not going to transform any country in the Middle East into the Netherlands anytime soon. Fingers crossed that there’s more to it than simply, “Stop shooting at us.” And just out of curiosity, why did you pick the Netherlands as an example? ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karzai-us-in-talks-with-taliban-effect-on-troop-morale/585938/28 "2011-06-21T06:12:15Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > Fingers crossed that there’s more to it than simply, “Stop shooting at us.” > And just out of curiosity, why did you pick the Netherlands as an example? It was probably the most socially liberal country he could think of quickly. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karzai-us-in-talks-with-taliban-effect-on-troop-morale/585938/29 "2011-06-21T15:33:36Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > Fingers crossed that there’s more to it than simply, “Stop shooting at us.” > And just out of curiosity, why did you pick the Netherlands as an example? > [@Mosier](#): > > It was probably the most socially liberal country he could think of quickly. Yup, that’s it. Those silly Dutch and their weed-smoking prostitutes! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karzai-us-in-talks-with-taliban-effect-on-troop-morale/585938/30 "2011-06-22T01:43:02Z")
And for the Taliban it’s opium smoking multiple wives. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karzai-us-in-talks-with-taliban-effect-on-troop-morale/585938.md?page=1)