Afghanistan,

[Gorth]

Perhaps the thing to do would be to look at this as analagous to the u-boat threat?

Drop depth charges on the taliban?

 

Probably not what you meant, even if they are the lowest of the low.

[Orogun01]

No, erm, what I mean is that the Talibs are masters of concentration of force - at least so far as the locals are concerned. I shouldn't need to point out that in terms of actual firefights the Talibs still get knocked about by our troops. So it's the ability to concentrate force on a village which is interesting me.

 

Thinking logically I can see two options: increase the force presented by the village a la Malaya, or increase the force available from outside the village. Except that might be really trciky on such a large and disparate scale. Perhaps the thing to do would be to look at this as analagous to the u-boat threat?

Interesting, I will have to look at it more deeply before reaching a solid conclusion.

[Walsingham]

I'm a bit rusty on ASW, Gortho. But I thought most subs were hit on the surface?

[Gorgon]

Erh, get pummelled almost to submission before developing air escorts with range enough to cover the whole convoy route ?

 

Air power is arguably one of the reasons we are not winning the battle for hearts and minds. Smart bombs are great when you have good intelligence, drop them in the middle of a large engagement without being entirely sure who's who however, and civilians still get killed at alarming rates.

[Orogun01]

Algebra to the rescue! A solution appears, apparently.

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/...00917090835.htm

[Gorth]

Algebra to the rescue! A solution appears, apparently.

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/...00917090835.htm

Wow... it is actually more effective to kill their leaders than the footsloggers!

 

Good thing we have geniuses like that, otherwise we would never have figured that one out

 

Now we just need another one of those geniuses from the department of practical math to tell how to actually accomplish it in the field.

[Kaftan Barlast]

Back on the boylovers trail: Ahahahaha, I cant believe I hadnt heard of this before.

[Walsingham]

Algebra to the rescue! A solution appears, apparently.

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/...00917090835.htm

 

This sounds like a derivation of Social Network Analaysis. And that's been around for yonks. Moreover, thr principle of targetting leadership hubs? Give me a break. Tukhachevski was talking about that in the 1930s.

 

Sorry to sound dismissive. I'm not attacking you, Orogun. But it seems to me that so-called popular science and other popular journals operate about ten years behind actual science. And it's beginning to piss me off.

[Wrath of Dagon]

Some supposedly insider info on the US Afghanistan policy: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/22/world/as...olicy.html?_r=1

[Walsingham]

Some supposedly insider info on the US Afghanistan policy: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/22/world/as...olicy.html?_r=1

 

I think it's good that Woodward's brought out some of these issues. It's healthy to have a broad debate over policy at the high level, but what is not healthy is to follow that debate with utter confusion. Moreover, the excerpts I've read in the media indicate that Obama simply can't be arsed with Afghanistan. I could be wrong because the same quotes could simply indicate a desire to see it swiftly to a snesible conclusion. but frankly I have no faith in that analysis. He simply wants to engage in domestic reforms at the expense of all that has been sacrificed, and all that would be sacrificed. Which begs the question why he didn't get along with Gordon Brown any better!

 

I can't put this any more bluntly. Afghanistan isn't a long way away. It's less than 13 hours away by plane*. It's next ****ing door. And it's not a box of toys you can just pack away. We weren't involved with Afghanistan from Oct. 7th, we were involved as soon as Al Qaeda embroiled them in their campaign to turn the whole world into a dustier and less magical version of Disneyland. We will remain involved so long as Afghanistan threatens to domino Pakistan and India. And if we LOSE in Afghanistan then we will be involved indefinitely as it becomes a rallying example to radical Islamofascists everywhere.

 

And just because this sucks doesn't make it less true.

 

 

 

 

*Roughly.

[Wrath of Dagon]

Having to fight a war just interferes too much with the whole Jesus complex Obama got going. But how is it going to domino India, isn't it overwhelmingly Hindu?

[Hurlshort]

Having to fight a war just interferes too much with the whole Jesus complex Obama got going. But how is it going to domino India, isn't it overwhelmingly Hindu?

 

If Pakistan goes radical, a war between India and Pakistan is likely. Given that these are nuclear countries, it would be hard for an country not to get involved. A la WW3.

[Calax]

Having to fight a war just interferes too much with the whole Jesus complex Obama got going. But how is it going to domino India, isn't it overwhelmingly Hindu?

This is like asking "How would German getting all radical involve France?" Circa 1932

[Walsingham]

Having to fight a war just interferes too much with the whole Jesus complex Obama got going. But how is it going to domino India, isn't it overwhelmingly Hindu?

 

It's Muslim in patches, but the real point is that there are dingbat Hindu radicals who'd just leap at the chance to purge India of Muslims. There have been HUGE riots in the past to the same effect.

 

So I don't mean India would become Islamized. But it could be drawn into a war with 'Islam' which would turn nastier than a night out in Portsmouth.

[Wrath of Dagon]

I don't really believe whatever happens in Pakistan/Afghanistan will have that much effect on India. India is on its way to becoming a world power, the other two will remain backwaters (and sources of all kinds of nastiness no doubt) for the forseeable future.

[Nepenthe]

I don't really believe whatever happens in Pakistan/Afghanistan will have that much effect on India. India is on its way to becoming a world power, the other two will remain backwaters (and sources of all kinds of nastiness no doubt) for the forseeable future.

 

'Peace in our lifetime'

 

-Neville Chamberlain

 

Or - when your neighbor has nukes, it doesn't really matter what direction you are going if they want to **** up your day.

[Calax]

I don't really believe whatever happens in Pakistan/Afghanistan will have that much effect on India. India is on its way to becoming a world power, the other two will remain backwaters (and sources of all kinds of nastiness no doubt) for the forseeable future.

Uh, dagon, Pakistan has this little thing called a nuke that makes it a VERY serious interest to India, and thus India will react if they believe that Pakistan is getting to pugnacious, or there is a real threat of Pakistans nuclear arsenal falling into other peoples hands. Hell America would react if the latter happened.

 

Hint: Generally when your neighbor has something that can blow up everything you own, you tend to react to what they're doing, even if they're in a cardboard TV box compared to your Palace.

[Walsingham]

'Mumbai' attacks across Europe thwarted .

 

- The threat ain't going away

- Note it's 'Mumbai' style. As in Indian city. Since we're on the topic.

[Orogun01]

'Mumbai' attacks across Europe thwarted .

 

- The threat ain't going away

- Note it's 'Mumbai' style. As in Indian city. Since we're on the topic.

Good thing that they failed, now we get to keep you.

[Wrath of Dagon]

'Mumbai' attacks across Europe thwarted .

 

- The threat ain't going away

- Note it's 'Mumbai' style. As in Indian city. Since we're on the topic.

The drone strike is an outrage! Has anyone informed the ACLU?

[Oblarg]

'Mumbai' attacks across Europe thwarted .

 

- The threat ain't going away

- Note it's 'Mumbai' style. As in Indian city. Since we're on the topic.

The drone strike is an outrage! Has anyone informed the ACLU?

 

That was a pretty ****ty joke, bro.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

The drone strike is an outrage! Has anyone informed the ACLU?

 

It's almost like you're not even trying to make sense.

 

Edited September 30, 2010 by Deadly_Nightshade

[Walsingham]

I think our cthonic colleague may be in favour of air strikes for traffic violations. Which I concede would be awesome.

[Gorth]

I think our cthonic colleague may be in favour of air strikes for traffic violations. Which I concede would be awesome.

[Walsingham]

200,000 troops suggest India may have the teensiest concern about sectarian violence.