They are cowards
Afghanistan Thread | Taliban Rule
- Thread starter Liu Kang
- Start date
-
- Tags
- afghanistan isis taliban
I would tend to agree with that. Theres no way they could be there for that long, entangled to that degree, and be so wrong on that. Its hard to believe. That's why I find this current method of withdrawal to be irresponsible because it seems as though there are plenty of Afghanis who actually did believe in their government and are now highly likely to be targeted by the Taliban. I defer to you on this issue obviously but it just seems that this operation was hastily done and harmful to people who have already been harmed enough.
Where’s Zawahiri?
Where’s Zawahiri?
Saysumthinfunnymike
VOTE!!!
Joe hit a home run today. Most Americans are right where he's at... Brutally honest and most will also see that as refreshing.
Tony D'Amato
It's all about the inches
I agree. Before his speech I thought to myself it's over for Biden. He was getting trashed in the media bad. However he nailed that speech. It was honest without the extra fluff. He is still getting hit from what I'm seeing in the international news outlets but I feel us Americans think he did the right thing. 20 years is too long it's time to move on anyway you cut it.
Althalucian
All Star
The US just can't get its shyt together. Be forever imperialists, brehs.
88m3
Fast Money & Foreign Objects
Imperialism?
a wild era. this is in the same vein.
Anti-Soviet warrior puts his army on the road to peace: The Saudi
“I started the process, all the troops are coming home, they (Biden) couldn’t stop the process. 21 years is enough. They (Biden) couldn’t stop the process, they (Biden) wanted to but couldn’t stop the process.” -MAGA
Althalucian
All Star
Yeah bro.
Analysis: As Taliban advances, China lays groundwork to accept an awkward reality
Analysis: As Taliban advances, China lays groundwork to accept an awkward reality
read more
"Even if they can't control the whole country, they would still be a significant force to reckon with", an influential social media commentator known to be familiar with China's foreign policy thinking wrote on Thursday. The commentator, who goes by the pen name Niutanqin, or "Zither-Playing Cow", made the remarks on his WeChat channel.
The latest from Afghanistan
- Illegal drug trade a boon for Taliban
- Shops close, security guards flee in Afghan capital
- Taliban surge exposes U.S. failure to build Afghan army
- Timeline: The Taliban's rapid advance
The Taliban's momentum as U.S. forces withdraw is awkward for China, which has blamed religious extremism as a destabilizing force in its western Xinjiang region and has long worried that Taliban-controlled territory would be used to harbour separatist forces.
But China also hews to a policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
It has also drastically tightened security in Xinjiang, hardening its borders and putting what UN experts and rights groups estimate were at least a million ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims in detention centres that China describes as vocational training facilities to help stamp out Islamist extremism and separatism.
Last month's meeting in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin followed a similar visit by a Taliban delegation in 2019, but comes as the group is much more powerful, with Wang saying he hoped Afghanistan can have a "moderate Islamist policy".
"Isn't this the same Taliban that blew up the Buddhas of Bamiyan in front of world media? Shouldn't we have a bottom line?" a Chinese netizen commented on the Twitter-like Weibo below a news clip showing Wang standing next to a Taliban official.
PRAGMATIC CHINA
In dealing with the Taliban, an increasingly powerful China may be able to leverage the fact that, unlike Russia or the United States, it has never fought them.
When the Taliban were last in power between 1996-2001, China had already suspended relations with Afghanistan, having pulled out its diplomats in 1993 following the outbreak of civil war.
"This is us being pragmatic. How you want to rule your country is largely your own business, just don't let that affect China," said Lin Minwang, a South Asia expert with Shanghai's Fudan University.
"When a major Asian power like China shows it recognizes Taliban's political legitimacy by meeting them so openly, it is giving the Taliban a big diplomatic win," Lin said.
State media published at least two analytical stories this week highlighting that Afghanistan had been the "graveyard of empires" and cautioning China not to be mired in the "Great Game", reinforcing a message that China harbours neither the intentions of sending troops into Afghanistan nor the illusion that it can fill the power vacuum left by the United States.
After their meeting with Wang, the Taliban said they hope China can play a bigger economic role.
"This shows that China might have dangled promises of economic aid and investment to a post-war Afghanistan as a carrot to encourage both sides to stop fighting and reach a political settlement," said Zhang Li, a professor of South Asian studies at Sichuan University.
The risks to China of regional instability were highlighted last month when 13 people, including nine Chinese workers, were killed in Pakistan in a suicide bombing on a bus. China is building massive infrastructure projects in Pakistan under its Belt & Road initiative. read more
"China's number one priority is for the fighting to stop, as chaos breeds religious extremism and terrorism," Zhang said.
Reporting by Yew Lun Tian Editing by Tony Munroe and Kim Coghill