Sounds like a spy novel by John le Carré. I agree with the conclusion that this story should never have seen the light of day to protect this spy. Makes me wonder when our president will exfiltrate.
This reminds me of the Paris Peace Accords that were supposed to end the Vietnam War and restore peace and allow American forces to leave. We all know how that ended.
There is little doubt that once America withdraws from Afghanistan, the Taliban will retake the country. They have always controlled significant parts with the central government holed up in its Green Zone in Kabul. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
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The peace deal with the Taliban and Trump was exceptional reporting. I especially found the term,"aggressively defended," refreshingly accurate when discussing the White House regarding hurricane affecting Alabama.
Only wish the majority of reporting of our current Administration would stop using the term,"double down." I believe that is taken as a strength of Trump's leadership by his base. And it doesn't add the true meaning of his wreckless decisions. Thank you for all you do.
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Why, oh why?
Trump creates war. He likes to see war. His cronies profit from war. Even when his friends won't profit from war, he creates war. War, is Trump's state of mind, belligerence, hostility, spectacle, failure...
Has Trump's presidency negotiated anything successfully, or has he, at best, claimed the cessation of his tirade a victory, his acquiescence to authoritarians diplomacy?
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No surprise. The entire Trump Administration is off the rails.
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Historic peace plan collapses? You are as green as a southern pine, no one can Trust the Taliban, not even the Taliban.
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Speaking as an American citizen, the only thing historic here is that we were talking to the Taliban. But, speaking only for myself, we were capitulating in chapters meant only for western consumption, while life and business went on in Afghanistan, pretty much according to the Taliban agenda. There was no bilateral 'good faith' here. The Taliban danced the dance they thought would get NATO and the Americans out.
The invitation to Camp David, while well meaning, was a slap in the face to veterans and all Americans, and it was done for to boost the ego of a man that didn't fully comprehend the enormity of his job and role in the world, and to give him a boost in the numerous political polls. He might as well have unfolded the flag at Camp David and cut it up for party napkins.
The man respects only himself, which is good, because a lot of people suck up to him, but I'll wager that few, if any, respect him.
It is time to give thoughtful analysis to the role that opium plays in this whole scenario, and approach this, at least in part, as a crime problem. Wipe out the opium trade, and a lot of the money that supports the Taliban goes away.
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The Taliban have consistently shown themselves to be fanatical, treacherous and murderous. President Trump was right to call off the negotiations.
However, the Taliban are part and parcel of the Afghan people and landscape.
Afghans have work to do to get past the extremist beliefs that make progress impossible. They need to move beyond their ethnic and political differences so their people can benefit from safety, education and development. Only when Afghans themselves are willing to commit to profound change in their currently impoverished, fragmented, murderous society can peace take hold.
The presence of foreign elements in Afghanistan only contributes to Afghans' failure to date to confront and correct the entrenched forces holding them back. And their situation may worsen or even collapse before they are willing to come together rather than murder and destroy.
So many lives and so many resources have been horribly squandered in a fruitless effort to do for Afghans what they must do for themselves. We should get out today.
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