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The whole point of going through the UN is to avoid war at all costs.
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Do you mean all the time, or just for the latest Afghan war?
"Clusterfuck" in Afghanistan: US has been employing a strategy heavily dependent upon local allies. The US air force is bombing what they describe as "pockets of resistance". Afghan warlords tell the US to bomb "Taliban" forces in a certain location, when in fact they are bombing rival warlords.
The US has been unable to establish anything resembling stability. It has created the impression of some semblance of order in Kabul – where the "national" government is located – but outside Kabul, they have little or no control. The American forces do not even control the same territory that the Soviet army controlled in 1979-1989. In fact, the US is not really attempting to control the entire territory of Afghanistan. The U.S. is maintaining the fiction of a "united" Afghanistan, without providing any troops to enforce central rule. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force patrols only Kabul and the surrounding area, while various regional warlords and their soldiers rule their respective territories.
Al Qaeda and its sympathizers remain free to roam largely at will and conduct hit and run guerrilla attacks. Although al Qaeda can no longer use Afghanistan as a major training base, it is still active there and is using the country as a launching pad to send its fighters into Iraq, they may not have been present before the invasion – but they certainly are now!
All that the American imperialists have managed to do is to spread instability to other parts of the region – especially, but not only, Pakistan.
Contrary to 'Damn That Davids' ideas on global weather, snow does in fact make it to the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and I am guessing that the winter weather is just in it's last days. The winter weather and the mountains do not permit the deployment of tanks and other equipment needed for conventional modern warfare. Americas technological advantage is severely reduced. Above all, their enemies can count on the support and sympathy of the local Pushtoon population, wh ohave hated almost every foreign invader. (Can you guess which one that some Pushtoon villages sent young men to fight with?)
The onset of Spring will create more favourable conditions for a new offensive by the United States. Hence, the 'major' millitary ofensive planned. This kind of timescale also has a political logic; assuming a favourable outcome (although this is a lot to assume) it would coincide neatly with the Democratic National Convention in... July...right? Since Bush feels sad about to the accusations concerning his military record (or lack there of), a military success in Afghanistan would be welcome.
A blow against al Qaeda would be a good way of diverting American public opinion away from this bloody mess and increase the Presidents ratings. But there is a problem, after the blitz of Afghanistan early on Al Qaeda is now based in Pakistan! With its usual arrogance, US imperialism is mercilessly pressurising its "ally" Musharraf. they are telling him: either you sort out al Qaeda, or we do it for you! So it is not very popular "support"...
CLUSTERFUCK
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