I like your play on words with faker although it's spelt fakir
The main problem seems to be that a lot of Afghan people support the Taliban. After 10 years of Western occupation maybe they want their country back, and Western soldiers to stop pissing on and killing their fellow countrymen/women/children. If we are so concerned about human rights in Afghanistan why not Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iran, China, Syria, Myanmar, Palestine, etc, etc, etc.
Sometimes a strongly worded letter from the Ambassador isn't enough to stop internal repression and human rights abuses, also it may help if we stopped supplying these countries with weapons that are routinely used against their own citizens.

We're in Afghanistan as part of the broader plan to create a pro-Western Middle East with the Israelis and Saudi Arabians, and the main aim of that plan is to destabilize and remove the counter to that, the Syrian-Iranian axis. Hence, we're in Afghanistan, which borders Iran and will allow the West to step up pressure on Tehran.

Of course, the even greater angle - U.S.-Chinese relations - is paramount as well. China has lent some degree of support to the Syrian-Iranian axis (exercising veto against condemnation of Syrian regime, offering to buy Iranian oil freed up by the EU embargo), and so not only does the battle for the Middle East become important in terms of U.S.-Chinese relations, Afghanistan itself does border China and is near the tendentious Tibet region.

Afghanistan wasn't about oil companies (per se), wasn't about humanitarianism, wasn't even really about democracy (imposing Western sociopolitical infrastructure as a means to create a pro-Western state in the territory of Afghanistan) - it's always been about the greater aim of winning the geopolitical cold war for the Middle East against China and against the enemies of the pro-Western power bloc emerging in the Middle East.

*note: discussion of Israel and Saudi Arabia both being pro-West is not to suggest direct diplomatic relations between the two, as they don't officially have relations, let alone an alliance - but rather, Saudi Arabia and Israel are both close allies of the United States, and the three of them are working to create a pro-West Middle East.

@ NigeeBaby

A lot like the Taliban but most don't. 72% of Afghans do not want the Taliban to return to power.

The basic point of the OP is spot on, well done Nigee.

America and the UK are not democratic in any meaningful sense.

I'd like to make a comment. That's right before I get back to work which is more pressing. :-)

What if 55% of the Afghans want the Taliban? The Taliban will then stop girls from going to school and destroy churches and what not. I'm sure the "equal before the law" principle will cease to exist (if they ever had it). And then what happens? Is the Taliban going to organize elections every four year where their rule can be tested? Not likely.

Even if a majority of the people is in favor of something, that does not immediately imply that it's democratic to respect that majority.

"72% of Afghans do not want the Taliban to return to power."

Where did this number come from? I for one would like to know the survey methodology. I imagine it would be a little difficult to do conventional telephone polling in a country without telephones.

Gentile, Carmen, and Jim Michaels. "Afghanistan: A Decade of War." USA TODAY. 07 Oct 2011

My mistake. It's actually 75%. Of course, that stat is outdated, especially in light of the recent Koran burning and killing spree. But it still indicates strong majority opposition to the Taliban.

The US fucked up when we focused on Iraq. The Iraq War was not very well-planned, thanks largely to Donald Rumsfeld. If you guys haven't read General Hugh Shelton's memoir, you should. He was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs for the last part of Clinton's second term and the first part of Bush's first term. He retired a couple months after 9/11, and Rumsfeld was trying to blame Iraq that early. Rumsfeld also rejected General Shelton's proposed invasion strategy for Iraq because it involved too many troops. I believe that if the Iraq War had either been A) not carried out, or B) been much shorter and more decisive by using General Shelton's war plan, the War in Afghanistan would have been won by now.

USA Today is quoting an unlinked DoD report. Surely, our government would never lie to us about the progress of a war and the unpopularity of the enemy. I don't know what I was thinking when I questioned that number.

Everything President Eden said. Also, Afghanistan is a nice airbase from where the US can support Central Asian dictators. Also IIRC, weren't large mineral deposits recently found in Afghanistan.

The whole Kony 2012 thing is related to Afghanistan in the sense that America is trying to combat Chinese imperialism. The latter have been investing heavily in Africa, and the US is a bit late to the game.

I'm just asking for caution with regard to withdrawing from Afghanistan. Afghanistan happens to be an extremely strategic location, and we shouldn't forfeit that position unless absolutely necessary.

Also, I would rather send soldiers to fight the Taliban in a faraway land like Afghanistan than have to constantly worry about a terrorist threat on our own soil.

"The veneer of legitimacy of our own goverments these days is no thicker than that of the Taliban"

You have no idea how lucky you are.
To be born in an anglo-saxon country is to win first prize in the lottery of life.

Sorry I can be pretty isolationist in situations like these. I feel it's pretty arrogant of us to feel like it's absolutely fine to just go into any other country and make them change their government. If another country tried to do that to us we'd be horrified at the mere thought.

Also, the funds, time and man power used in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars could be better put to use to rebuild our decaying infrastructure or any number of internal issues.

@celticfox - it's already happened. United Nations.

Never said I was a fan of the United Nations, not has the United Nations said we don't like your democracy you must turn into a communist society.

You don't get it, do you?

celticfox I agree with your sentiments. But, the reality is the usa and its allies use the vast bulk of the worlds resources. Can you guess where most of these resources are? :D
The sad fact is the global resource war is a fight to the death, a zero-sum game, with usa et al having everything to lose.

Too late King, this forum is full of NWO/UN functionaries.

We have hit peak oil and rather then fighting for what little there is left I'd rather see alternative being researched into. One day there won't be any more... we need to figure out what to do now rather then then.

"72% of Afghans do not want the Taliban to return to power."

Well, at least we know that 84% of stats are fake.

@ King

Well, I think that at least 50% of Afghans don't want the Taliban to return to power. Women were not treated well under the Taliban regime.

@ Celticfox

My problem with alternative energy is that it's not the magic answer people like to think it is. Sure, you could have electric cars with nuclear power plants, but trains and airplanes still need oil and will need oil for the foreseeable future.

Also, you can't call Afghanistan a war for resources, because it's not. Afghanistan's exports are heroin and misery.

Women aren't being treated well in Afghanistan now, how the hell were the Northern Alliance any better?

As for renewable energy, may be not cars and planes but surely we can start with domestic use? Chuck some solar panels on your house, and depending on where you live, you should be fine.

@Gunfighter I should of clarified. I believe we should be research for the future not for now. We have 30 maybe 40 years left of oil. Let's put resources into research the alternative for then now.

Afghanistan wasn't necessarily a war for oil but damn its in a nice location. I wouldn't be surprised if we do go after Iran after all. Just looking at the map that is.

30-40 years?! Many countries have large oil reserves that they could reserve for 50+ years...

Doesn't make the problem go away.

largeham - we might as well use the petrol because its essential for the military anyway. If the western military 'went solar' today, it would be a 4th rate military power tomorrow.
-NWO :)

@ largeham

"Women aren't being treated well in Afghanistan now"

Not by Western standards, no. They're getting treated like crap. But at least they're starting to go to school, serving as police officers, and getting elected. Under the Taliban, they were getting stoned, beaten, and shot for the smallest infractions of their strict interpretation of Islamic law.

I'm not proposing we stay in Afghanistan to simply protect the women of Afghanistan. But I guarantee that every single woman in Afghanistan is opposed to the idea of the Taliban returning to power. Every single woman = ~50% of populace

@ Celticfox

"I should of clarified. I believe we should be research for the future not for now. We have 30 maybe 40 years left of oil. Let's put resources into research the alternative for then now."

I don't disagree per se, but gas prices need to get down to Earth now so that the economy can improve. We need more oil to buy time to develop alternative energy.

Also, the government should not be funding the development of alternative energy. The government already spends too much money.

Sure, they are being treated well: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/06/hamid-karzai-afghanistan-womens-rights?newsfeed=true

@fiedler, lol solar powered tanks.