14-year old Pakistani girl activist shot by Taliban

[Ed Anger]

I also left out the "firebomb their major cities until they know they've been defeated" part.  But yeah, much harder than Germany/Japan, but as I said...essentially the same model, and on a much longer timescale (40-60 years verses 10 or so).

Why would these guys care if their major cities were firebombed?  Cities are hated because they corrupt the pure, Dark Ages spirit of the Afghan.

No, the Air Force can't win this kind of fight.  It's exactly the sort of fight that the Air Force has been losing ever since it was created.  The only way to win this sort of fight is to have the Army advance, shipping the people away to special camps, and then the Einsatzgruppen clean up afterwards.  Not just the men, but the women and children too.  Mainland Asia as a whole would have to be cleansed of human life, except for maybe South Korea.

I just got a murder boner.

[garbon]

These people have a different culture, a culture that is deeply offensive to us.

I'm afraid that murdering them will do no good and colonial empires have been out of fashion for some time.

I don't think that's an acceptable answer.  First off - this isn't simply a matter of cultural quirks but as Meri said the oppression of over half of their populace and the slaughter of those who think for themselves.

As to your second sentence - so what, we're just supposed to sit by and so well evil things happen in the world, nothing much we can do about it?

[Admiral Yi]

Short of murdering every male above the age of 3 and raising the rest ourselves there's not much we can do.

[derspiess]

Yeah, sad but true.  Unfortunately too many people over there either want to live that way or are at least willing to go along with it.

[Eddie Teach]

Same shot happens in Africa but they don't bother Western cities so we don't care.

Edit- now I see why people keep complaining about autocorrect. Though why it wouldn't recognize shit... 

[Camerus]

These people have a different culture, a culture that is deeply offensive to us.

I'm afraid that murdering them will do no good and colonial empires have been out of fashion for some time.

I don't think that's an acceptable answer.  First off - this isn't simply a matter of cultural quirks but as Meri said the oppression of over half of their populace and the slaughter of those who think for themselves.

As to your second sentence - so what, we're just supposed to sit by and so well evil things happen in the world, nothing much we can do about it?

If it were a matter of "cultural quirks" it might be much easier to solve.  Firstly, there is just the practical problem of what the USA could actually *do* to solve the problem.  I think the experience in Afghanistan and to a lesser extent Iraq has shown how difficult (if not impossible) this could be.

Secondly, I am still unsure why this is America's fight.  Haven't there been enough foreign adventures and spent American blood and treasure trying to enlighten savages?  And in this case, there are arguably very few interests at stake (even fewer than Iraq, if that's possible).

[garbon]

I'm not saying that Meri's solution is the answer - but simply going oh well, nothing we can do, hardly seems admirable.

[merithyn]

Yeah, sad but true.  Unfortunately too many people over there either want to live that way or are at least willing to go along with it.

You're joking, right? A small group of people who have assumed an evil and barbaric form of control - using fear, death, and torture - have taken control of a country, and you're saying that people want to live under them or are willing to go along with it? They don't really have any choice in the matter.

If they voice any opposition, they die, their families die, everyone dies. Or worse, are tortured in front of them, and then they all die.

[merithyn]

If it were a matter of "cultural quirks" it might be much easier to solve.  Firstly, there is just the practical problem of what the USA could actually *do* to solve the problem.  I think the experience in Afghanistan and to a lesser extent Iraq has shown how difficult (if not impossible) this could be.

Secondly, I am still unsure why this is America's fight.  Haven't there been enough foreign adventures and spent American blood and treasure trying to enlighten savages?  And in this case, there are arguably very few interests at stake (even fewer than Iraq, if that's possible).

You're right. It's not America's fight. It's the world's fight, and it would have to be a unified force that went in and beat the shit out the Taliban in order for it to have any long-term affect whatsoever. It couldn't just be the US and the UK and one or two other European nations, either. It would need to be China, India, Egypt, and a fair few others to make the point that their kind is not tolerated by anyone.

This is what the UN was created for, but it's been neutered by its own member nations to the point that it's effectively worthless.

[Camerus]

I'm not saying that Meri's solution is the answer - but simply going oh well, nothing we can do, hardly seems admirable.

In so far as "nothing we can do" means no military intervention can solve the problem (which is what I think RH was saying), then in my view it's just being realistic, even though it is pretty pessimistic and unfortunate.

[Camerus]

You're right. It's not America's fight. It's the world's fight, and it would have to be a unified force that went in and beat the shit out the Taliban in order for it to have any long-term affect whatsoever. It couldn't just be the US and the UK and one or two other European nations, either. It would need to be China, India, Egypt, and a fair few others to make the point that their kind is not tolerated by anyone.

This is what the UN was created for, but it's been neutered by its own member nations to the point that it's effectively worthless.

I imagine nothing short of a Timmayesque alien invasion could galvanize the world's powers into such a coalition, and perhaps not even then.  But you probably know that.

[Eddie Teach]

You're right. It's not America's fight. It's the world's fight, and it would have to be a unified force that went in and beat the shit out the Taliban in order for it to have any long-term affect whatsoever. It couldn't just be the US and the UK and one or two other European nations, either. It would need to be China, India, Egypt, and a fair few others to make the point that their kind is not tolerated by anyone.

China, India and Egypt should probably tend their own gardens first.

[CountDeMoney]

This is what the UN was created for, but it's been neutered by its own member nations to the point that it's effectively worthless.

Sorta conflicts with the whole "self-determination" thing the UN is pretty big on, though.

[garbon]

This is what the UN was created for, but it's been neutered by its own member nations to the point that it's effectively worthless.

Sorta conflicts with the whole "self-determination" thing the UN is pretty big on, though.

Is the Taliban the governing body of Afghanistan or Pakistan?

[Sheilbh]

China, India and Egypt should probably tend their own gardens first.

Yeah.  I was thinking about the prevalence of female genital mutilation in Egypt and the Economist's controversial 'gendercide' cover on India.

To an extent I think the best thing we can do is continue to support women's groups in other countries and push (and help fund) female education - ironically it's one of the things that communist regimes have been very good about.  It may not have an effect in Afghanistan any time soon, but they've been isolated and backward for centuries.  But it can make a difference elsewhere and, I think, eventually even Afghanistan or the tribal areas of Pakistan.