USA vs Afghanistan : win, lose or draw?

[rockcasbah]

At least Sharbat Gula got a 3,000 sq ft house in Kabul out of the deal.

 

[rockcasbah]

Big house, big pic:

https://i.natgeofe.com/n/2c1da60f-cab4-4be4-aae8-f4d54234656d/02-sharbat-gula-house.jpg

 

[rockcasbah]

The Boston Globe is calling it a Loss.

Afghanistan and Vietnam: How did the US lose two wars?

I doubt the Taliban is going to give the last American solider out of Afghanistan any souvenirs, and I wonder, too, how long Afghanistan’s government can last. In Vietnam’s case, it took just two ...

The Boston Globe

 

[HisArpy]

It's a loss.

1. We shouldn't have been there in the first place. If we could eliminate Soleimani by drone strike, we could have done the same for OBL with a lot less blood and treasure being expended.

2. When the pajama's in power in the world finally decide that they're the problem and step back into their sleepsacks, we will maybe begin to realize that "police actions" aren't "war" and if we're going to go to "war" then we'd better be willing to actually wage it.

 

[rockcasbah]

Maybe the UN could recommend a small war somewhere the USA could win and get her groove back?

 

[Dribble]

Loss. Look at the cost. Look at how we created more terrorism in the area. Far easier ways to have caught Bin Laden. But stupid people made the decisions...so it is what it is. Only history will highlight how much this will impact our future

 

[rockcasbah]

What about Haiti?

The USA might be able to take'em.

It's nearby and the other half of the island has lots of nice hotels with Wi-Fi.

 

[HampshireBoy]

Loss. Look at the cost. Look at how we created more terrorism in the area. Far easier ways to have caught Bin Laden. But stupid people made the decisions...so it is what it is. Only history will highlight how much this will impact our future

Agree entirely. The people whom launched the attacks obviously didn't pay any attention to history, The Sikh Empire, British Empire and the Russians had all previously found to their cost that an invasion is certain to fail to supress all resistance - the Soviets were especiially brutal and still failed. A short, sharp special forcs insertion to take out Bin Laden (assuming they could find him) should have been the limit.

So many dead and maimed people, on both sides, and a rallying call to Islamic militants - total failure.

 

[rockcasbah]

Has the USA ever actually won a war by itself?

 

[Paul_Chance]

Has the USA ever actually won a war by itself?

Depends on how you're defining "war". The last declared war we fought on our own was the Mexican-American war and the Spanish American War. The wars of the 20th Century were echoes of the alliances formed in WWI and solidified in WWII. Allies played significant roles in every major conflict since the turn of the 20th century. In between wars were a crap ton of interventions, some of which were all US (I am thinking Grenada, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, etc.).

As for win or loss on Afghan:

It all depends on "what happens next". If the secular government of Afghanistan holds, then it's a win. If it falls, and we see the resurgence of the Taliban, ISIS, or another radical group, then it's a loss. I'm in the never should have gone in (except maybe to just blow the crap out of things and leave) - the Graveyard of Empires keeps it nick name and motto "Never conquered since Alexander the Great"

 

[Philthy_Phil]

Desert Storm was successful and not drawn out.

 

[rockcasbah]

The last declared war we fought on our own was the Mexican-American war and the Spanish American War. "

That's what I thought...

 

[hobbit.]

its a war - no one wins except business. People die, some people make a lot of money, but no one wins.

 

[BoyNextDoor]

Has the USA ever actually won a war by itself?

Grenada.

 

[hobbit.]

Grenada.

At this moment Edinson Cavani is beating granada.

 

[rockcasbah]

Grenada.

Epic conflict!

 

[hobbit.]

Epic conflict!

As referenced in one of the DieHard films...

 

[BoyNextDoor]

I saw a Clint Eastwood move that said the US is 1-1-1 with the "win" being Grenada so it must be true.

 

[rockcasbah]

I saw a Clint Eastwood move that said the US is 1-1-1 with the "win" being Grenada so it must be true.

It was a Coalition with Jamaica and 5 other Resort Island "Defence" Forces, so not a Solo US Victory.

 

[slutindianwife]

WHO CARES??!!

 

[njlauren]

How do you win something that has no rules or even a definition of winning? Afghanistan has been a sore point probably since the day anyone bothered to live there, it has been poor, violent, ungovernable and unattractive for longer than there is written language.

 

[rockcasbah]

The Jamaican Navy has big black cocks, does that help, bud?

 

[PaxNurgle]

Has the USA ever actually won a war by itself?

You could declare both Iraq campaigns as victories, in that they achieved their aims: 1991- liberate Kuwait. Mission accomplished. 2003-2014; Overthrow Saddam Hussain. Mission accomplished, although at a cost of destabilization of the country and much suffering and hardship, along with increasing Anti-American sentiment and terrorism.

Wins or not, I have long argued that neither of those wars was necessary or productive in terms of US interests. Particularly the 2003 one, which was based on false justifications from the get-go.

 

[KeithD]

The board Trumpettes need to walk very carefully on this. The Russian lost in Afghanistan big time before the Americans got there. Nobody wins in Afghanistan.

 

[Pairaclities]

No one in the history of the world has conquered Afghanistan.
The US joins a long list of countries that made the attempt and failed.