tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571201204115952544.post3852070906889011997..comments2024-03-15T00:21:37.019-07:00Comments on The Trench: Genie in the BottleJames Gundunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141055666432969361noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571201204115952544.post-61982112113741573002009-09-08T15:49:54.148-07:002009-09-08T15:49:54.148-07:00Octopus Mountain won't deny the truth of your ...Octopus Mountain won't deny the truth of your points. We consider Mullah Omar as only a chance, not a certainty, which is why we used the Genie metaphor. We wonder of his reaction since few people will even raise the subject.<br /><br />First, we don't advocate Omar as the head of the government though he and his officials may need to be given positions. Worse people are already legitimately in government. His son and father, not to mention the bodily harm he suffered himself, are reasons to continue the war endlessly. If they don't get him to the negotiating table they certainly won't cause him to surrender, and many US officials admit the Taliban cannot be defeated militarily. The Taliban might very well refuse negotiation under a US withdrawal, but we're curious of what they would do - no US official has tried engaging Mullah Omar. Lastly, America must define a precise goal which it has still failed to do. Destroying al-Qaeda and the Taliban, nation-building, and upholding human rights are three different objectives, each more difficult than the last. If America is seeking to prevent Sharia law then the odds of success decrease to their lowest point.<br /><br />The fact remains that both withdrawal and escalation are extremely risky strategies. Negotiating with Mullah Omar has the potential to alleviate some of America's concerns if he can be rubbed the right way. Americans are running out of options if they don't favor escalation but don't want to run away either.James Gundunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16141055666432969361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571201204115952544.post-4785971758108698312009-09-08T12:03:41.642-07:002009-09-08T12:03:41.642-07:00If to any extent at all, even the most nominal of ...If to any extent at all, even the most nominal of extents - development is our goal - Omar cannot be the front man in an alternative Afghan future. We killed his 10 year old son and stepfather, and therefore, persuading him to act in our interests will fail today as they did in 2001 before we did so. Also, insofar as the Taliban are succeeding, they won't need to negotiate with us post-withdraw - assuming a weak Afghanistan remains in place. Last, they implemented the strictest form of shari'a ever known to exist which isn't necessarily compatible with development in itself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com