Not sure what your point is. No one was supposed to be able to pacify Chechnya until Kadyrov did so. All it took was a brutal campaign of rape and murder backed by the full force of Russia. I’m sure we could manage the same in Afghanistan, but only if we had a leader with no moral compass, willing to write a blank check to the military, and learning at Putin’s feet. Do we have one of those?
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Yes, these would be substantial events - if they occur. That’s my point. There’s a huge difference between saying you’re going to do something and doing something. Trump’s speech gave no indication that he has any specific plans for how he’s going to achieve any of the things he said he wanted done.
I think that as a Rich Businessman, he believes that his announcing that Things Should Be Done will cause the little people to do them.
Apparently the specific plan is to kill Pakistani terrorists in Pakistan whether Pakistan likes it or not. We have been paying them billions and billions of dollars, after all. The money part really is true. And…
doncha think the authorities in Pakistan have heard Trump’s announcement? Do you really want to believe there are no wheels turning already?
Or with India. If you prefer to check with them first and see if they are on board with this strategic alliance, I understand. But under the circumstances, I bet they don’t care very much about Trump’s pussy grabbing, or the stability of his psychology, or a lot of other “tabloid news issues”; they care about what the US can do for their people, and very well may be interested in performing military favors in exchange for some help.
It has been the US and NATO. Now it is the US and India. You are right, maybe all of this talk will turn out to be so much hot air, but you must admit it was a rather prepared statement as far as Trump speeches go, and that the POTUS has considerable latitude to unilaterally direct military operations, as opposed to repealing Obamacare, building a stupid wall between the US and Mexico, banning Muslims from entering the country, and a slew of other things in which he is caught in a web of checks and balances.
I bet every authority in the world has at least heard this plan and has thought about how to respond to it.
We’ve been making attacks in Pakistan since 2004. I realize President Trump may have just learned that this week. So it may seem like a new idea to him. But it isn’t.
That’s pretty tepid praise for a president. Why not applaud his ability to dress himself while you’re at it (assuming he does) ?
In other words, ‘to be discounted immediately.’
I don’t think we have been making attacks in Pakistan in cooperation with India since 2004.
Excuse me for taking it seriously. I am not a Trump fan, but honestly I found Trevor Noah’s response to be immature and vapid. To me it looks like the US is stirring the pot with nuclear foes and changing it"s stance. Seemed worth noting. If it is all a big nothing burger then I guess I got trolled by the POTUS.
Why would you think the vague phrases were worth noting this time when promising the moon and delivering … well, nothing, has been the standard throughout the campaign and presidency so far.
He promised great health care, said he had the way to do it cheaper and better. Then he said it was complicated. Then left it to congress. Applauded the house bill. Then called it mean. And now wants them just to pass anything at all, never mind cheaper and better like he promised.
He promised a tax plan in the campaign. Then promised a tax plan was forthcoming surprising his cabinet who had to come up with something. Presenting a nothing. And now, months later, congress is apparently proceeding on the assumption nothing of relevance will emerge from the White House and they need to starting moving on their own.
He promised an immediate infrastructure bill. Nothing.
Promised to bring China to heel. Nothing.
Promised to bring down drug prices, then decided high drug prices was actually fine …
But I have better ways to spend my evening.
What Trump said was that people with actual expertise told him all his ideas were bonkers, and he’d decided to let them get on with it. The people with actual expertise are the same who’ve been running things, albeit with more oversight than DJT is planning, for the last decades. If they had any sure fire ways to solve things, it would have been solved already, but at least this way Trump can blame the generals if things don’t go well, and take credit for letting the generals have their way if things go well.
What on earth makes you think we are going to be doing that now? Or that some new strategic alliance with India has been formed? Based on this?
That sounds a lot less like Trump saying we have a military alliance with India and India is goin to attack Pakistan as part of this alliance (an alliance which would be news to India to find out and something I’m sure they’d have a few things to say about) and more like Trump thinking that India should pay us or being in Afghanistan, rather like Mexico should pay for his wall.
It’s worth pointing out, for whatever it’s worth, that a lot of Russians now think that their efforts to hang on to Chechnya and fight secession were not worth it. This is partly for ethnic nationalist reasons, partly for financial reasons and partly b/c of disgust at Kadyrov. Half of Russians “would be OK with” Chechen independence, up from 11% in 1998. (This was taken in 2012, I think, but since ethnic consciousness has grown in Russia since then, and Kadryov’s violence and profligate spending have gotten even more over-the-top, I would bet the numbers are even higher now, although advocating for secession is illegal I think).
If we follow the same route in Afghanistan we can probably expect to be regretting it in ten years just like the Russians do.
What part of AK84 comment did you find difficult to read? because it was perfectly plain to me.
The mutual dislike between Afghans and “Indians” is very ancient, for a whole bunch of historical reasons, and there are serious and complex territorial disputes between India and Pakistan as well. America really ought to stay neutral and not take a side between India and Pakistan, and in particular should not try to recruit Indian assistance in Afghanistan. Particularly when India is under the rule of a Hindu nationalist government.
Why are you so into the idea that America and India are “natural allies”, whatever that means?
We haven’t been making attacks in Pakistan in cooperation with the United Federation of Planets either. Trump should have promised an alliance with those guys. They have phasers.
“And now, for my next racist trick…”
Trump pardons former Sheriff Joe Arpaio
Funny how there was ‘no pardon paperwork’ according to the Justice Dept. just last week…
He tried to slide that one by, doing it late on a Friday. Guess what? It ain’t sliding.
That’s because he skipped involving them, but I’m sure there will be (or is) a separate thread on this.