Are you getting tired of hearing about someone we trained surrendering to insurgents?

Changing affiliations like that has been a part of their culture for a long time.

We aren't talking affiliations. We are talking their desire to stand and fight. We can train them all we like but the simple fact is, they will never stand for direct confrontation like we were training them to do.

I also believe we can culturally understand them. IF we set aside our own cultural biases and try to understand why things are in place in this culture and for what reasons they exist rather than just dismissing them as savages and judging them by our cultural mean. We look at things and just say that's fucked up! Based solely on how we are in the states and how our culture is the "right" one. We can illicit real change here if we stop being cultural dictators and start working within their system, through and by their own values and beliefs, and making small adjustments with a lasting impact. We want to help these people but always with our own interests in mind first. We aren't doing this altruistically like we should be. FOR EXAMPLE: and I don't want anyone flipping out here. I'm not attributing my own opinion just an observation. Afghanistan is a sovereign nation. We keep making sure all know that. But many of the program's here were directed at "stop growing opium". Who the fuck are we to tell another country what they should or shouldn't do? It's not "right" we said. Not right to whom??? Are we doing it only because we can't control our own borders and our own people? There is almost nothing in this country useful in international trade. Opium constitutes something like 90% of afghanistans income. So again. Are we saying don't do it for the afghanis or for us? Care to hazard a guess as to what country is the largest importer of opium products from Afghanistan? It's this duplicitous Nature that causes issues.

So yes. A very long winded way of saying we can understand these people culturally. We can make changes and influence hearts and minds. BUT we need to start believing in what we say, acting how we believe and undertaking these things separate from our own biases and our own motives.

Sorry for any typos. Was using my phone.

You got to have heart. You are absolutely correct.

Not really sure if we ever got around to defeating the enemy. With all of the money and things we put into Iraq, there was absolutely no way to say it was a war. We helped the country out, all while losing comrades/battle buddies, more than we did defeat the enemy.

That's the point, we have not properly fought since WW II. Our leadership thinks we can build a country while fighting a war.