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Is it time to cut and run from Afghanistan?

Is it time to cut and run from Afghanistan?

  • Yes, as quickly as possible

    Votes: 28 87.5%
  • No, we should stay and continue the mission.

    Votes: 4 12.5%

  • Total voters
    32
After the most recent events in Afghanistan, is it time to cut our losses and bring the troops home?

not sure. i do think the country would be overcome by taliban the moment we left. is that a danger to us?
 
It was time to do that a long time ago. We're wasting our time in Afghanistan. The minute we leave, the Taliban is coming back because the people of Afghanistan want the Taliban in power. All we're doing is keeping them on the fringes at the point of a gun. Once that gun goes away, it's coming back with a vengeance.

You can't impose democracy on anyone, they have to want it for themselves and be willing to work for it without being forced.
 
I don't think "Cut and Run" is the best way to phrase a withdrawal. I think we should have withdrawn, on a positive note, as soon as Ben Laden was killed. That was the purpose for being in Afghanistan, and it would have been good timing. The mission into Pakistan to get him, was launched from Afghanistan. Now, withdrawing after staff sergeant murderd a bunch of civilians, not so good. But, we need to get out.
 
No, now is not that time. 2003 was, before the prolonged occupation and further warmongering in the Middle East had further galvanized public opinion against the United States and gave the Taliban a resurgence in popularity. Now is the time to get the military presence out of Afghanistan, but keep our attention there, attempt to make amends, show the good side of the USA, and prove that friendship and peace with us is better than siding with the Taliban.
 
After the most recent events in Afghanistan, is it time to cut our losses and bring the troops home?

Why would you want to give the Taliban that much equipment?
 
Now that Bin Laden has been greased, I think a phased withdrawal should have begun shortly after he went to meet Allah. We've been there long enough nation building. If Karzai can't protect himself now, he never will.
 
You mean like we did in Iraq?

We didn't up and abandon anything in Iraq. When we left, and the last unit left Iraq just this month, we took everything we wanted with us. Afghanistan, however, has no sea ports and we can't use Pakistan's anymore. If we "cut-n-run" by just putting people on aircraft and flying away, we would leaving behind billions in our latest technology, just parked in the motor pool waiting.
 
We didn't up and abandon anything in Iraq. When we left, and the last unit left Iraq just this month, we took everything we wanted with us. Afghanistan, however, has no sea ports and we can't use Pakistan's anymore. If we "cut-n-run" by just putting people on aircraft and flying away, we would leaving behind billions in our latest technology, just parked in the motor pool waiting.

So how do you think things should go down Jerry?
 
We have been in Afghanistan for 10 years, the country is hardly any more stable than when we arrived. Karzai is hopeless and nobody actually has a plan to build a halfway functioning government. Pakistan with its nuclear arsenal is being destabilized by the fighting next door. Perhaps the biggest problem is that their is a complete lack of leadership on the issue. Nobody, not Obama, his predecessors, or any of the current presidential candidates has demonstrated any kind of willingness for hammering out a decisive strategy. The situation might be salvaged, but I have no confidence is any of the people in a position to do so.
 
So how do you think things should go down Jerry?

The withdrawal should stay on the existing schedule. The US has been leaving Afghanistan for nearly a year, "force reductions" are ongoing, we're even dropping people from my company again soon. The US and nearly all international ISAF forces expect to be 100% out of Afghanistan by mid to late 2014.

It actually does takes that long to get out of that ****hole of a country. We can't even just pack up and drive out because our convoys get attacked regularly.

We would leave Afghanistan quickly if only the Taliban would step aside and let us.
 
The withdrawal should stay on the existing schedule. The US has been leaving Afghanistan for nearly a year, "force reductions" are ongoing, we're even dropping people from my company again soon. The US and nearly all international ISAF forces expect to be 100% out of Afghanistan by mid to late 2014.

It actually does takes that long to get out of that ****hole of a country. We can't even just pack up and drive out because our convoys get attacked regularly.

We would leave Afghanistan quickly if only the Taliban would step aside and let us.

Well, I'm not gonna bother giving my two cents, because you seem spot on. Not surprisingly really.

Let's just hope you and all your buddies can get out of there safely.
 
The withdrawal should stay on the existing schedule. The US has been leaving Afghanistan for nearly a year, "force reductions" are ongoing, we're even dropping people from my company again soon. The US and nearly all international ISAF forces expect to be 100% out of Afghanistan by mid to late 2014.

It actually does takes that long to get out of that ****hole of a country. We can't even just pack up and drive out because our convoys get attacked regularly.

We would leave Afghanistan quickly if only the Taliban would step aside and let us.

Thanks for your input and your service!
 
We have been in Afghanistan for 10 years, the country is hardly any more stable than when we arrived. Karzai is hopeless and nobody actually has a plan to build a halfway functioning government. Pakistan with its nuclear arsenal is being destabilized by the fighting next door. Perhaps the biggest problem is that their is a complete lack of leadership on the issue. Nobody, not Obama, his predecessors, or any of the current presidential candidates has demonstrated any kind of willingness for hammering out a decisive strategy. The situation might be salvaged, but I have no confidence is any of the people in a position to do so.

My team leader said it best: Romans had a higher standard of living 4,000 years ago then the typical Afghani has today. We're not even talking about westernizing Afghanistan or instiling democracy; these people don't have running water, a modest highway maintenance program or regular schooling.
 
The withdrawal should stay on the existing schedule. The US has been leaving Afghanistan for nearly a year, "force reductions" are ongoing, we're even dropping people from my company again soon. The US and nearly all international ISAF forces expect to be 100% out of Afghanistan by mid to late 2014.

It actually does takes that long to get out of that ****hole of a country. We can't even just pack up and drive out because our convoys get attacked regularly.

We would leave Afghanistan quickly if only the Taliban would step aside and let us.

that's the issue, though......they haven't. if if they do step aside, we KNOW they will just step right back out when we are gone.
 
It was time to do that a long time ago. We're wasting our time in Afghanistan. The minute we leave, the Taliban is coming back because the people of Afghanistan want the Taliban in power. All we're doing is keeping them on the fringes at the point of a gun. Once that gun goes away, it's coming back with a vengeance.

You can't impose democracy on anyone, they have to want it for themselves and be willing to work for it without being forced.

Actually the Taliban has something like a 4% approval rating among Afghans. If they come back, it won't be because they have popular support...it will be because they take power by force and/or reach an accommodation with the Karzai government.

But I agree that it's time to get out. The US military isn't much more popular than the Taliban.
 
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that's the issue, though......they haven't. if if they do step aside, we KNOW they will just step right back out when we are gone.

That's right. We know terrorist influences, if not the Taliban directly then the Afghan President's own family and tribe from Pakistan, will take over once we leave. This will happen regardless of when we leave.

I would just appreciate it if they would step aside long enough for us to get out of their way. We won't let the door hit us on the way out. We've been in Afghanistan for far to long.
 
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It was time for the US to leave before they arrived.
 
Why would you want to give the Taliban that much equipment?

We already did, back when we directly supported them in the fight against Russia. Funny how all of the regimes we're fighting today were people we used to throw money and equipment at.
 
We already did, back when we directly supported them in the fight against Russia. Funny how all of the regimes we're fighting today were people we used to throw money and equipment at.

So why give them more?
 
We already did, back when we directly supported them in the fight against Russia. Funny how all of the regimes we're fighting today were people we used to throw money and equipment at.
Like the South Vietnamese? Or, South Korea?
 
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We didn't up and abandon anything in Iraq. When we left, and the last unit left Iraq just this month, we took everything we wanted with us. Afghanistan, however, has no sea ports and we can't use Pakistan's anymore. If we "cut-n-run" by just putting people on aircraft and flying away, we would leaving behind billions in our latest technology, just parked in the motor pool waiting.

take the time and set charges. Blow everything up we can't take.
 
Gee, I had a choice in this poll!
We as a whole don't understand nation building. Bush sent a group of 6 to Afghanistan and had the concept that it would take a cople of years. The experts that met with them there informed them that they were several orders of magnitude off in staffing and funding and an order of magnitude off in the time required. The Afghans don't have a culture that is functional in the modern world. That's too bad. Fixing it is not our responsibility but it may be the cheapest way to go. The other solution is to keep an eye on the terrorist groups there and take them out (too bad for their wives, children and neighbors) as needed with no end in this type of activity.
 
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