Yes, the Americans have lost all credibility. From the farcical war in Iraq which was entirely based on lies to the bogus war in Afghanistan.
Since you believe that the Americans have lost all credibility, kindly answer following questions:
1. Why Pakistan knocks on the door of IMF to sustain its economy during desperate times?
2. Why US remains the largest donor of foreign aid in the world?
3. Why USD is still the 'reserve currency' of the world?
4. Why a large number of countries continue to have diplomatic and trade relations with the US?
My point is that you are not in the position to make such a tall claim; nobody is. US is just as prominent and relevant in the global picture today as it was before (since the beginning of 20th century). You just don't see it.
The world got over Vietnam episode and Libyan episode. The world will get over Iraqi episode as well. At present, Syria is in the spot light. Names such as Saddam Hussein, Mohammad Omar (Mullah) and Osama Bin Laden no longer make headlines and these individuals have tarnished the image of Islamic community on the whole.
Does the word
Islamophobia ring any bells? You need to thank the likes of Omar and Bin Laden for it.
Regarding Iraq:-
US invaded Iraq for economic factors. Iraq has one of the largest reserves of oil in the world. An hostile regime in Iraq meant that US would not have access to Iraqi markets for indefinite period. In 2000, Saddam Hussein dumped USD for Euro for oil exports; this was a big problem. Should other countries follow suit, USD's status as 'reserve currency' would be in jeopardy. Keep in mind that a stronger Euro is not in the interests of US. Hussein had to go.
Unfortunately for Hussein, neocons came to power in 2001 and 9/11 also happened in the same year. Neocons wanted to find an excuse to teach Hussein a lesson and 9/11 event motivated them towards this end. However, Hussein was not involved in 9/11 event so neocons had to look for another excuse to take action against him. Why not invent one? Thus WMD propaganda came into effect.
Please keep in mind that I am not trying to justify invasion of Iraq. My intention is to convey the ground realities. Saddam Hussein wasn't pragmatic in decision-making, he let his emotions cloud his judgement and his country paid a heavy price for his stupidity.
Regarding Afghanistan:-
This country was attacked because Afghanistan had become a breeding ground for militancy and terrorism (a phenomenon that had implications for the entire world) and something had to be done about it. Bin Laden, in particular, was accused for orchestrating 9/11 event alongside Mohammad Atta and the former's trail was deemed necessary in an American court. Mullah Omar refused to handover Bin Laden to the Americans due to Afghan customs. Learn more from here:
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/29/opinions/bergen-mullah-omar/
Not just the customs, Mullah Omar and Bin Laden were actually relatives. Learn more from here:
http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/usa/Mullah_Moh.htm
In addition to addressing the menace of terrorism, economic interests in the region were also motivating factors. You don't invade a country for a single individual.
It is important to stabilize Afghanistan and convince Afghans to not lend support to groups who are responsible for terrorism in foreign soil. I believe that Pakistan, US, China and Iran have a collective responsibility towards this end. Unstable Afghanistan is not good for the world at large.
It is not very hard to imagine how ISIS/AQ gained strength and spread like an uncontrollable virus throughout the Middle East after the failed US occupation of Iraq. Today, the entire Middle East and even Europe is bearing the brunt. Heck, even the Taliban are in the end a US creation. Needless for me to delve into history. If this is what you call credibility... Only the weak countries listen to the US. The strong countries protect their interests at all cost.
Failed occupation of Iraq?
I remember the developments a bit differently. US occupied Iraq for 8 years (2003 - 2011) and accomplished all of its major objectives there.
Operation Iraqi Freedom was not a failure in military context.
You have a point regarding ISIS. This movement is a stern reminder of instability in the Middle East. Another lesson is that occupation of a country can lead to unintended and/or unforeseen consequences at times.
Some speculate that US have a hand in creation of ISIS movement and benefits from its existence in the Middle East.
Recommended articles:
http://www.cfr.org/iraq/islamic-state/p14811
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/03/us-isis-syria-iraq
The world doesn't listen to the US.
Excuse me?
Look at China, Iran and Russia for instance.
Right! Three countries represent the entire world now.
China:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/09/25/fact-sheet-us-china-economic-relations
Iran:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33521655
Even the mighty USSR was not immune to American influence and agenda. Look at the examples of Cuban Missile Crises and Iron Curtain. In-fact, democratic reforms in the former Soviet Socialist Republics led to desolation of their alliance (i.e. USSR).
Every country protects its interests. From Crimea to trade wars. Just look at the Iranian nuke deal. You name it. The US has a cunning way of blackmailing the weaker countries. This is not what you can term as listening, but this is forceful blackmail. Times have changed though. No one cares about the US. This is why a mad clown like Trump is taken seriously. When Trump says that the US doesn't win anymore he is right. When Trump says that the US isn't taken seriously anymore he is right.
Yes, every country is eager to protect its interests. However, sane leaders look at the bigger picture.
Iranian leadership understood that Iran was on the hit-list of US due to multiple factors (nuclear program being the greatest concern). Should US attack, Iran would be on its own to defend itself. Heavy sanctions were taking their toll on the progress of the country as well. Therefore, Iranian leadership took a
U-Turn in regards to nuclear program. It was in the interest of Iran to develop nuclear weapons but it was also in the interest of Iran to protect itself from harm. Iranian leadership had to make a choice. Call it blackmail or whatever, Iran was not helping its case with aggressive stance towards Israel and American interests in the Middle East. My judgement is that earlier political blunders came back to haunt Iran. You challenge a superpower, you better be ready for the consequences.
Times haven't changed one bit. Everybody cares about the US because its foreign policy affects the entire world. US is still the greatest power in the world.
You call Donald Trump a mad clown! What do you have to say about the nation that made Asif Ali Zardari its president and gave Nawaz Sharif a third chance?
Trump is involved in an election campaign. He would say anything to get more votes.
Taliban movement has an even stronger footprint across the border in Afghanistan. Apart from certain areas in Kabul, Afghans are fully at the mercy of despot warlords and the Taliban. Pakistan has greatly diminished Taliban movement inside Pakistan. From Zarb-e-Azb to fencing the border with Afghanistan. At least Pakistan is taking productive steps to curb Taliban presence. What is the US doing in Afghanistan apart from being childish and resorting to blame games? Instead, the US opposes every proposal by Pakistan to counter the Taliban in Afghanistan. The biggest proof is that China has recently invested tens of billions of dollars in Pakistan because stability has returned.
The map that I posted depicts Taliban's spectrum of influence across Pakistan and Afghanistan. Kindly check it again.
Warlord culture is prevalent in Afghanistan; this is not news. Americans gave Afghans a centralized setup to govern the affairs of the state. Some warlords were willing to embrace the change and accepted this setup. Others continue to defy American intervention. You can learn more from here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/apps/g/page/world/the-warlords-of-afghanistan/967/
What is FM Mullah and other anti-Pakistan TTP elements doing in Afghanistan? Why aren't they attacked and destroyed when Pakistan provides evidence regarding their presence? It is very easy to blame Pakistan for the Haqqani network. It takes two to tango. The Afghans and the Americans have indeed provided safe-havens to these anti-Pakistan groups which are trained and provided arms to kill innocent Pakistanis. Many attacks in Pakistan can be traced back to Afghanistan.
Right.
Do you think that there is transparency in matters concerning military operations and foreign policy in Pakistan? Pakistan is a country where civilians do not fully understand their rights and allow the military brass to determine foreign policy of the country. Pakistan is a country where people are generally kept in the dark about a large number of things by its leadership, therefore Pakistani people look for answers in conspiracy theories.
When TTP became official, Americans declared it a terrorist organization and have history of assassinating its influential figures from time to time for the benefit of Pakistan. Then Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani became COAS and everything went downhill from there.
The Osama drama has been refuted by a reputable journalist in the US. It is highly questionable how US marines entered Pakistan, resorted to gun fire for hours near a heavily guarded military compound and all this "unnoticed". Even a chopper went down up in flames after an explosion. I'm not buying it and neither are many others. This was all in cahoots with the Pakistani leadership.
Right.
Kindly answer following questions:-
1. Why is Dr. Shakil Afridi in jail?
2. Seymour Hersh claimed that a retired Pakistani Brigadier Usman Khalid leaked whereabouts of Bin Laden to the Americans. Why Khalid's family deny this?
Learn more from here:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/889381/...-denies-claims-he-was-cias-walk-in-informant/
B/W Nobody said that the incidents of gunfire and blasts went unnoticed. This raid took place during night time and nobody in the surroundings suspected involvement of foreign troops this deep in Pakistan.
First responders were as much confused as the public was at that time.
Mullah Akhtar Mansour was only killed inside Pakistan once he entered from Iran. It is bad for these Mullahs to be in Pakistan, but it is perfectly okay for them to be in Qatar, Iran and elsewhere. We know how the world works. Double standards and hypocrisy have become the order of the day.
I know how he was killed.
Double standards and hypocrisy have certainly become the order of the day, my friend. Time for introspection on our end as well.
No I don't like it. Give me a proof for it.
Kindly visit the affected areas for answers.