this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2023
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[–] Smacks@lemmy.world 55 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

There was an attempt at nation building and it didn't go well. Afghanistan and the Middle East is a culturally complicated place, it's mostly tribes and smaller villages with a lot of history. It's hard to point fingers at the US for leaving when a decent chunk of the country either didn't care, or didn't want them there anymore.

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 36 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Even if the US intentions were good (and they were not great, basically being revenge for 9/11), who wants to be ruled by a foreign invader?

If some alien superpower invaded the USA tomorrow, gave them free healthcare, 40 days holiday a year from work, legalised abortion again and mountains of affordable housing in the places people actually wanted to live, they'd still fight back. Even if it meant things going back to how they were before.

[–] Shagdaddy@lemmy.world 32 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Bold of you to think people would fight back against that lol.

That actually sounds incredible

[–] terny@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Just like Afghans, many liked the US, the taliban didn't. There'd be a percentage of the population fighting tooth and nail.

[–] assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

And it creates the question -- what should the aliens do long term?

If they leave, what do they owe those of us who liked them?

I really struggle with this. I can't say as an American that we don't owe them anything. But I also can't say that it's our job to go back and invade once more. We've done that. I don't know what changes we could make to change the outcome.

Sorry for the sudden musings, haha

People won't fight back against anything because they are morally opposed to fighting back, regardless of what's actually happening.

[–] Mediocre_Bard@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

I would take that deal. All hail our Alien overlords. Now, the south would not be pleased ... but they have a losing record in armed conflict.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I would not fight that. I already think that we are ruled by outsiders (rich, geriatric boomers).

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 6 points 1 year ago

Most boomers are just who the oligarchs have pointed angry millennials at.

They'll watch you fight for crumbs while they scoff cake. This is Bumfights for them.

[–] chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I mean, literally any other country in the world is welcome to step in and fix it. Imagine the bragging rights at the next UN summit. "We fixed Afghanistan!" No? No takers? Alright.

[–] joel_feila@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

As cynical as a take as that is, yeah national building hard espically out there. People will resist change, you have very little infrastructure to work with, and a poor little esucation population

[–] Kahlenar@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The proper noun Middle East needs work.

[–] Smacks@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago
[–] hoshikarakitaridia@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago (3 children)

The second part sounds a bit like a copout. They have done military interventions in a lot of different regions. The US has ransacked a growing number of countries just to get rid of a small amount of "baddies".

You don't get to destroy shit and leave. If you play world police, start doing the whole job, not parts of it. And I'm totally fine with US starting less interventions because they don't wanna clean up after themselves. Probably a net positive given the history in the middle east.

[–] astral_avocado@lemm.ee 11 points 1 year ago

I think at this point it's best that the administration just got out because it appeared it was never going to get better. Just my perspective at reading about the attempts to build administration and actually get local citizens to build and manage their own sustainable government structures in place and it never taking off. Just read anything about the army's attempts to create a competent Afghani security force.

We never should have intervened in the first place, and should have gotten out as soon as we could.

[–] lingh0e@lemmy.film 7 points 1 year ago

I agree with you, but also... they absolutely did not want us there. America isn't trying to colonize.

The people in power are corrupt, the world around. Religious states, doubly so.

We can't even control the zealots rising up in our own country.

[–] assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The thing is, we weren't there for a decade just destroying things. A few years, absolutely. But the rest of the time was spent trying to clean up and rebuild. Maybe the US just isn't good at that, but what else can we do at this point? Returning would just be meddling again and earn ire.

Rebuilding translates to funding the lavish lifestyles of our puppets. Very colonial.