The war in Afghanistan may be winding down. But the Pentagon’s chief of irregular warfare still sees a war against al-Qaida that will last decades, all over the world — a prospect that prompted astonishment and constitutional debate in the Senate.
Asked at a Senate hearing today how long the war on terrorism will last, Michael Sheehan, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, answered, “At least 10 to 20 years.”
It was just two months ago that the top U.S. intelligence official testified that al-Qaida had been battered by the U.S. into a state of disarray. A year ago, the current CIA director, John Brennan, said that “For the first time since this fight began, we can look ahead and envision a world in which the al Qaeda core is simply no longer relevant.” Just this week, the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Votel, told a Florida conference that he was looking at missions beyond the counterterrorism manhunt.
"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual." Thomas Jefferson
"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual." Thomas Jefferson
Quote: Weird Tolkienish Figure wrote in post #3It will never end. But we should get out of Afghanistan.
DING DING DING! We have a winna!
You can kill people with bombs and bullets,but you can never kill an idea. Only time and evolution can do that.
And what makes this problem worse than most is there are so many influential people on both sides and even no sides at all that are making MAJOR money and gaining MAJOR power from keeping it going. After all,they ain't the ones dying or being maimed.
Quote: Weird Tolkienish Figure wrote in post #3It will never end. But we should get out of Afghanistan.
DING DING DING! We have a winna!
You can kill people with bombs and bullets,but you can never kill an idea. Only time and evolution can do that.
And what makes this problem worse than most is there are so many influential people on both sides and even no sides at all that are making MAJOR money and gaining MAJOR power from keeping it going. After all,they ain't the ones dying or being maimed.
Of course, I have no problem with killing people with that idea, either. But Afghanistan is unwinnable at this point. Time to nuke it or leave.