Or any other values. Still agree?
Letter of the law? I suppose I must - doesn’t mean I have to like one damn bit of it.
True, are we relevant though?
To those cultures or our own politicians? Nope.
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I would offer that if they are content with their arrangement, it is their business. There are similar beliefs here.
Of course the problem comes with the imposition.
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I think that is the underlying “issue.” If the population of a country is content with a way of living there is no motivation or chance of long term change. They likely don’t want change anyway. An outside population/country might find faults based on their own beliefs and ideals but that doesn’t mean other countries want those same beliefs and ideals. The idea that if other countries have a taste of good old American freedom they’ll rush to change is false.
You used hubris in another post and I think this is another example. The hubris that other countries should be copies of your own and if not something is “wrong” with them.
Long term occupation aside, I don’t know of many durable examples of an outside force imposing a radically different government despite acceptance of the previous government.
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It’s religion, 100%
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too many people think they can get something for nothing- especially if the “proper” government is in control
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I’m not even talking about so-called American culture, which there’s no general consensus on. Nor about developing our exact form of government. I’m talking about a nation of 40 million folding to a small group if vile scumbags. That’s not simply just being different.
It’s honestly pathetic that out of a country of 40 million there wasn’t nearly enough who didn’t want bad enough to not be ruled and governed by the Taliban.
I completely agree in any segment of a population there’s always a group of people, large or small, who are simply content with how their life is. It’s one of the reasons that in America there’s generational poverty as well as why countries in places like Central America never change.
Bribery and corruption. The Taliban made deals with people in the Afghan government, and the military were told to stand down, when the Taliban started their takeover. For those willing to fight, it would be pointless, they’d just be throwing their lives away, when they aren’t going to be receiving any sort of support.
There are some.
The problem for them came with their bad house guests.
The long term was a condition.
But Afghanistan isn’t a “nation” the way we think of it. It’s a region full of tribes Tajik, Pashtun, Hazara, etc.whose loyalties are not to some unified ideal or nation-state, as the US aspires to be. The same was true in Iraq when ISIS went on its rampage: they were able to do that, in part, because Sunnis felt little connection or loyalty to the (largely corrupt) Shiite regime. Given the choice, lots of them were going to support (or at least, passively enable) a Sunni group—even an extremist one such as ISIS. But that’s also why ISIS was never going to take Baghdad.
Another thing to keep in mind: I was born in the richest, most powerful country the world has ever seen. I’ve never had to deal with open civil war, massive military invasions from multiple countries, artillery or bombs in my bathroom, or third-world life at home under a collection of criminal warlords. As a result, I am circumspect about telling people in countries that we have invaded: “What the ■■■■ is wrong with you, you cowards? Why won’t you fight [for some compromised ideal that’s often alien to their view of the world]?”
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Those are nations. This country is the same way.
Collectivism is that you your new word.
We do not have collectivism in the UnIted states.
We are a nation of individuals.
Allan
True, in some ways. I had written a long hypothetical/analogy about a truly leftist federal government in DC that actually lives up to the rightwing fever-dreams and completely alienates the rightwing base (not just rhetorically, but practically). It’s not that hard to imagine people in other regions, far from DC, either openly supporting or choosing not to resist some efficient and powerful militia/movement that aligns more with their values—even if some of their methods or principles were repellent.
In general I agree with your post. We, like Venezuela did, still have a child-like belief in the documents and institutions that are supposed to protect us from the Will to Power. And like them, we will continue in that belief until we pass the point of no return.
“truly leftist federal government in DC” (or rightest) is subjective and relative.
We have allowed these clowns to divide us to the point where there is no discourse at all. We have become flotsam in a current. And it gets worse each year.
Election cycles are continuous, radicals rule the day and honestly I believe this country is becoming more stupid with each passing day. A cognitive dysgenesis.
We can quibble over the causes all day long, but it’s hard to deny it’s happening.
We are becoming a nation of look down morons incapable of critical thinking.
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Perhaps the problem is that the Soviets and then the Americans have spent most of the last 50 years trying to impose unpopular secular regimes on the country.
The Afghans defeated the Soviets. Now they have defeated the CIA and the US military-industrial complex.
Foreign occupation is rarely welcomed for very long.
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You make very good points, which begs the question why the ■■■■ do our highly paid and ostensibly highly educated and experienced secretaries of state, diplomats, military leaders, and every politician in positions to make decisions on such matters don’t seem to know this also?
What ever the reasons are the spirit of the OP is that whatever blood and treasure (one could include foriegn aid as well) we put into these ■■■■■■■■■■ (or whatever adjective you want to use) countries nothing ever changes.
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