Iran offers its good offices to India to talk to Taliban in Afghanistan

[padamchen]

Indians, Persians and Afghans is an old equation.

Like a comfortable shoe.

However, the important bit is for all three to maintain a degree of separation, for things to work smoothly.

Cheers, Doc

 

[maithil]

Things moving forward on Iran-India front. Iran opening banks in India, India taking over Chahbahar and now this.

 

[Darwin]

Problem is that the taliban are just a rag tag militant force that is good for hit and run tactics.
Even if they again come to power, what's the future for Afghanistan under their regressive regime ?
I can understand that for Pakistan the taliban will be useful as a friendly regime on their western borders but for Afghanistan as a nation what do they really bring to the table for their citizens ?
Pakistanis calls the decades after zia as the lost decades and take pride in being on the route to inclusiveness. But for Afghanistan they want a govt worse than zia's.

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

Problem is that the taliban are just a rag tag militant force that is good for hit and run tactics.
Even if they again come to power, what's the future for Afghanistan under their regressive regime ?
I can understand that for Pakistan the taliban will be useful as a friendly regime on their western borders but for Afghanistan as a nation what do they really bring to the table for their citizens ?
Pakistanis calls the decades after zia as the lost decades and take pride in being on the route to inclusiveness. But for Afghanistan they want a govt worse than zia's.

Wrong about everything. I have never read such poor analysis on this subject before.

Things moving forward on Iran-India front. Iran opening banks in India, India taking over Chahbahar and now this.

Iran has just isolated itself because of Chahbahar. Both Afghan resistance and Pakistan are watching India very carefully.

Both of us are aware of Indian proxy terrorist using Afghan soil.

Sometimes I really wonder who is running foreign policy in Iran.

Being surrounded by friendly Muslim nations (Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq) which it periodically isolates itself from and actively funds, supports their enemies can never be good policy.

This is why I refer to Iranian foreign policy as completely paradoxical as of late.

Both Iran and India are the biggest losers here.

 

[VCheng]

Yes, but here we are confronted by the US strategy as transmuted in a limited brain. I expect a year or two of irreparable damage before the US can recover its strategic direction, and afterwards, it will be hamstrung by the scar tissue formed during this interim period.

The real battleground in within USA, and most intensely with the Beltway and not in the conflict zones outside. The next two years will be important. Scar tissue is easily resected when the time is right, no problem for USA. But, it will create uncertainty abroad that will damage many innocents and allies in the meantime, you are correct.

You keep thinking "blubberbrain" is some overriding tour de force steering a vast US policy. You have to understand US policymakers have long had this debate internally (and not a very "civil" way like most people are strangely forcefully nostalgic about now to try contrast in some dull headnodding way against blubberbrain) well before zerobama or even Bush-douche were president....much of what blubberbrain (well his team) is doing regards massive voids of sustained core credibility (esp "red lines" blah) left by zerobrain and his team before him.

A president decides whether the circle goes into the square...or better off using a square for it. But he does not create the circles and squares to begin with (or how one goes about figuring that stuff out)....neither is there blind application without explaining the results of both clearly (among the whole system and its feedback loops of policy "advising" to begin with). I'd point you to just what the US govt did after the US civil war ended for the next few decades so they weren't caught unaware of such a buildup again (it is unfortunately a an extremely long conversation to have, esp what carried on long term in relevant way compared to the founding fathers intentions)...and how this was applied more broadly to the foreign domain after Woodrow Wilson decided to bite that bullet....so his enemy Teddy didn't have anymore chance at politics after that. Each successive since has had a larger and larger "bulk"...so its not really an issue of the locomotive pulling the train anymore but the trains inertia being the most dominant thing.

Often one cursory visit to something several relations away from the Pentagon will confirm that. The "non-orthodox" policy wonks are really controlled opposition of something larger and already hedged with as a valid course of action with multiple contingencies.

The days of FDR (and its long been argued how much he actually steered to begin with even back then) type presidency are long gone and dusted away....Ike already gave hints at what was happening during his presidency....and the debacle that was Vietnam came not long after that (which really set the course into concrete as it remains now....if you know how exactly Mcnamara for example operated in the "space" afforded to him by LBJ...or was it really the other way around?....say no more than Nixon-Kissinger after that...till that became too obvious so had to be "toned down" optically...doesnt mean its gone....not by a long shot, in fact its only grown to vast new frankenstein proportions over time....just not allowed to bubble up so much....though Trump certain has created a mild simmer more than any other before in a long time...and thats a good long overdue thing in my opinion).

@VCheng @Hamartia Antidote @Desert Fox



LOL...sigh. Anyway you will see in the end for yourself. Joe you take things portrayed to you by the media too seriously my friend. You come from an earlier old school time when it was lot more relevant and there was lot more correlation....so I will give you a pass on it.

Well put, but I will just refer you to my reply to Joe above, for now.

 

[Yankee-stani]

Iran has just isolated itself because of Chahbahar. Both Afghan resistance and Pakistan are watching India very carefully.

Both of us are aware of Indian proxy terrorist using Afghan soil.

Sometimes I really wonder who is running foreign policy in Iran.

Being surrounded by friendly Muslim nations (Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq) which it periodically isolates itself from and actively funds, supports their enemies can never be good policy.

This is why I refer to Iranian foreign policy as completely paradoxical as of late.

Both Iran and India are the biggest losers here.[/QUOTE]

Iran is doing that not because they are "Shia majossi" problem is Governments in Pakistan never took Iranian offers seriously the only time we helped Iran was doing the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s after that we basically went "chummie chum" with Oily Sheikhs in the Gulf's and we listen about how "ebil" Iran was and frankly Washington twisted Pakistani policy makers whenever there was close Iranian-Pakistani co-op regarding gas pipelines and cheap electricity, as for Turkey well again I will burst Pakistani fourm member bubble Turkey is NATO member and in fact the Turks dont trust the Iranians they support Azerbaijan which is a Anti-Iranian regime and they kinda support the South Azerbaijani rebels in the border provinces of Iran, only reason why Iran and Turkey are more cordial is Turks need oil and gas for their industry and country

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

So Blubberbrain will throw a bone to the spooks, keep an advisory presence, hand over the killing of civilians to contractors and hope that some Talibunnies die in the general mayhem. That constitutes a strategy? Seems to be several elements missing: perhaps a Trump Tower in Kabul? Or (gasp) Abbotabad?

Blackwater is Blackwater; we needn't faint over their capabilities. But they, and the military, and the spooks, can work only within the perimeter set by BB's capabilities. I expect nothing far-reaching or useful until 2020.

People seem to be placing a lot of faith in potential 'relaxed Rules of Engagement'. I've talked to recently retired US military personnel who (perhaps out of frustration or some being more along the lines of 'grunts') argue the same thing: "the US would win if the military were given a free hand". The problem is that the Soviets tried this and failed, and the Afghan security forces (who are doing the bulk of the current fighting) already don't abide by US RoE.

Massacres of civilians by 'White Western invaders' is going to be an easy propaganda and recruiting tool for the Taliban.

Not sure if there is any more to this proposed strategy, but US 'privatization' of the war, without parallel political solutions involving regional players, could make the situation worse.

 

[Sam.]

Please tag me also on anything west of Pakistan.

Cheers, Doc



Sounds ominous. Kehna kya chahte ho bhai?

Should I WhatsApp or will there be Blackhawks circling over my bunngalow?

Cheers, Doc

Truth is best (of all that is) good. As desired, what is being desired is truth for him who (represents) the best truth. (Gathas 27.14)

No blackhawks but few shadows.

People seem to be placing a lot of faith in potential 'relaxed Rules of Engagement'. I've talked to recently retired US military personnel who (perhaps out of frustration or some being more along the lines of 'grunts') argue the same thing: "the US would win if the military were given a free hand". The problem is that the Soviets tried this and failed, and the Afghan security forces (who are doing the bulk of the current fighting) already don't abide by US RoE.

Massacres of civilians by 'White Western invaders' is going to be an easy propaganda and recruiting tool for the Taliban.

Not sure if there is any more to this proposed strategy, but US 'privatization' of the war, without parallel political solutions involving regional players, could make the situation worse.

You can not stop the rambos now

 

[Sam.]

@Cthulhu @haman10 whats up guys ?

 

[Joe Shearer]

People seem to be placing a lot of faith in potential 'relaxed Rules of Engagement'. I've talked to recently retired US military personnel who (perhaps out of frustration or some being more along the lines of 'grunts') argue the same thing: "the US would win if the military were given a free hand". The problem is that the Soviets tried this and failed, and the Afghan security forces (who are doing the bulk of the current fighting) already don't abide by US RoE.

Massacres of civilians by 'White Western invaders' is going to be an easy propaganda and recruiting tool for the Taliban.

Not sure if there is any more to this proposed strategy, but US 'privatization' of the war, without parallel political solutions involving regional players, could make the situation worse.

I don't think that this failed strategy, that was tried extensively and with horribly bloody results in Africa, will succeed in Asia.

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

Iranians are scumbags in general. We should host a party for the gulfies in Pakistan.

Indeed, a serious reply to Chahbahar is in order.

It seems Iran just missed the anti-Pakistan proxy terrorism bonanza led by US, India, and NATO.

Major rebalancing of our relationships are in order as long as Iran gives quarter to our enemy state.

As a Pakistani who is generally pro-Iranian, this is a big stab in the back.

 

[Yankee-stani]

Indeed, a serious reply to Chahbahar is in order.

It seems Iran just missed the anti-Pakistan proxy terrorism bonanza led by US, India, and NATO.

Major rebalancing of our relationships are in order as long as Iran gives quarter to our enemy state.

As a Pakistani who is generally pro-Iranian, this is a big stab in the back.

Depends again you gotta look at Iran not from a Pakistani lens they are isolated politically and historically the sectarian blowhards in Islamabad never took overtures to Iran seriously what you expect big deal if they give them office we still have reign of those groups in Afg regardless the fact Iran is ditching NA elements is good sigh

 

[kingQamaR]

Iran has just isolated itself because of Chahbahar. Both Afghan resistance and Pakistan are watching India very carefully.

Both of us are aware of Indian proxy terrorist using Afghan soil.

Sometimes I really wonder who is running foreign policy in Iran.

Being surrounded by friendly Muslim nations (Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq) which it periodically isolates itself from and actively funds, supports their enemies can never be good policy.

This is why I refer to Iranian foreign policy as completely paradoxical as of late.

Both Iran and India are the biggest losers here.

Iran is doing that not because they are "Shia majossi" problem is Governments in Pakistan never took Iranian offers seriously the only time we helped Iran was doing the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s after that we basically went "chummie chum" with Oily Sheikhs in the Gulf's and we listen about how "ebil" Iran was and frankly Washington twisted Pakistani policy makers whenever there was close Iranian-Pakistani co-op regarding gas pipelines and cheap electricity, as for Turkey well again I will burst Pakistani fourm member bubble Turkey is NATO member and in fact the Turks dont trust the Iranians they support Azerbaijan which is a Anti-Iranian regime and they kinda support the South Azerbaijani rebels in the border provinces of Iran, only reason why Iran and Turkey are more cordial is Turks need oil and gas for their industry and country[/QUOTE]

Not. Very supporting of you too be pointing at Pakistan for Iran relationship. Not there. Stop beating yourself up about it.

Historically. Pakistan and Iran under the shah had there best times then. They are public if you look for them. Hint why it’s a mess now look whose running there country now. What there drive is?

And please don’t insult our allies in the gulf. They don’t make Tehran policies.

We are not involved in Syria or Yemen so Arab gulf can not be dictating to us. Otherwise we be in there. With them why always bringing in Saudis for?

Millions of Pakistanis live and work in gulf states. Not in Iran.

On Iran, let’s be honest is a selfish neighbor who wants everything his way Like they support Northern goons running Afghanistan With Indians allies. Extremely hostile to us Pakistan.

Ground situation is We are competitors to Iranian, Indian joint network interests. Which is aimed deliberately to harm us.

We are not going to let that happen! Iran or no Iran. They got too lot to answer for. Not to long in the future now they will find out price you pay meddling in Pakistan.

 

[Yankee-stani]

Iranians are scumbags in general. We should host a party for the gulfies in Pakistan.

None of them tbh I prefer Iran >>>Gulf Arabs, anyways but a balance of ties is better than leaning to anyone PAKISTAN FIRST

 

[Nilgiri]

Please tag me also on anything west of Pakistan.

Will do....even if I forget to, I am sure you will sniff it out soon like the bloodhound you are.