quote:
Originally posted by Silver Cheetah:
But yes, going back to evil actions that take place, and that have consequences. Obviously we have to take steps to deal with those actions, and if we can, prevent them from happening again. But I'm not one of those that thinks that violence solves all problems. All that happens is you temporarily stun the problem, which then gets up again when you're least expecting it, grabs your weapon, and beats the shit out of you with it. (Which is basically what has happened in Afghanistan.....)
Violence doesn't solve everything, but neither does pacifism. The problems in Afghanistan have not been caused by US actions. The tribes in Afghanistan have been fighting one another for thousands of years. We aided the freedom fighters against the Soviets. We didn't stay around after providing them the aid to do that, but our goal wasn't to put into power a specific group, it was, instead to eject the Soviets. The Taliban was not a group put into power by the US, but instead a group that seized power from those who claimed Afghanistan after the Soviets left.