You are the resident expert of the subject at hand in this forum..hehe.
--> Thank you for your kind words but in book an my Expert
--> has a very high bar, I'm an expert at what I do for putting
--> bread on my family's table
--> There are people here who have more in-depth knowledge
--> of aspects of the Afghan situation (not that I agree with them)
-->
@Samandri on his knowledge of Pashtun culture
-->
@A-Team from an inside Afghan perspective
-->
@That Guy has worked with Afghan refugees in Pakistan
--> there are other members who visit Afghanistan and have
--> been part of ISAF, projects in Afghanistan
-->
--> I actually approach Afghanistan from the perspective of
--> a layman -- I try to point out inconsistencies
--> and consistencies between experts
Voicing my personal opinions :
1. I don't think Pakistan does not want to retake Kabul. The desire and strategic importance of the same was there before. The reasons are governed by the location. I believe the desire is still there, and always will be. Afghanistan is the gateway to Central Asia after all.
--> Well the reason voiced for Pakistan not wanting an outright
--> Taliban victory is that the Afghan Taliban will immediately
--> give succor to the Pakistani Taliban
--> The Afghan Taliban have a relationship of convenience
--> with Pakistan -- nothing more
--> For example Mullah Omar never condemned the
--> actions of the TTP inside Pakistan
--> Pakistan's priority list seems to be [in descending order] :
--> 1. A friendly regime in Afghanistan "the Musalmaan bhai" like Turkey is to Pakistan
--> 2. A client regime in Afghanistan like Bhutan is to India
--> 3. An internally weak Afghanistan that cannot be a threat
--> 4. [nightmare scenario] An Afghanistan that is internally strong and hostile [as in the 50s]
2. West will spend only pennies for the Afghans, that's a given..That's what they did last time, that's what they are did this time.
--> Yes Agreed
--> As some recent articles have pointed out
--> Pakistan is not the most dangerous country in the world
--> But Pakistan can be the greatest danger to the world
--> A collapsed Pakistan is a nightmarish scenario that
--> could trigger WW III
--> So the West's security interests are tied up in Pakistan
--> The West will never favor Afghanistan over Pakistan
They spent billion, equally backed up by the Saudis last time. But how much money they spent on rebuilding schools and wells ? That's a joke actually.
3. For the last part, I will quote that Spiderman movie, "Great powers come with great responsibilities". I mean, if they don't do it right this time, then they will need another 9/11 to make it right.
--> Well the West's point of view is that they have done their part
--> They have tried to inject almost 200 billion dollars directly into
--> Afghanistan with much more spent indirectly
--> The Afghan squandered that opportunity
--> Remember 200 billion on a nation of 30 million
--> For example Pakistan (a nuclear power) does not
--> expand ties with Tehran at the cost of upsetting the Arab world
--> although textbooks will tell us as a sovereign country
--> Pakistan has the right to develop relationships with any
--> country it chooses
--> After 9/11 the Taliban had disbanded -- Mullah Omar was
--> so disillusioned that he went to being a madrassa teacher
--> it wasn't until Afghanistan took an overtly pro-India tone
--> that Pakistan is said to have considered the need for Plan-B
--> instead of playing into the India Pakistan rivalry
--> had Afghanistan's leadership made the decision to be
--> say Bhutan to Pakistan -- not because they liked it
--> but because of reality, how different would things be.
--> The people responsible for Afghanistan's situation are
--> principally Afghans and to a lesser degree Pakistanis and Indians
