"Commentary: Playing with fire" UPI - de Borchgrave

"persuaded Congress in 1975 to cut off military assistance to the South Vietnamese army.

A few hours later, the South Vietnamese army, which had fought well without U.S. advisers for two years, decided the United States had betrayed them -- and resistance quickly collapsed."  UPI - De Borchgrave

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Arnaud's point here is about the level of US corruption in Afghanistan, something I have railed against, but there is so much more in this essay.  pl

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Analysis/2010/09/08/Commentary-Playing-with-fire/UPI-32611283952855/

Comments

[SD]

I guess I really did not fully understand the 'Global Village' concept 'til now.

Indeed we seem to be at the mercy of the myriad global village idiots.

Recruits in the U.S. Army overseas during the cold war were counseled that they were unofficial ambassadors to their host countries and their actions would reflect upon themselves and their country. Our citizens, (sadly in this case) as well.

In this information free-for-all any fool in front of a camera is heard.

To my mind an act like this aides and abets the enemy, as makes recruitment for them easy.
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The nation building now extends to teaching the host nation troopers/levies to read.

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/09/army-illiteracy-090610w/

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In Anatolia in the Ilhara Valley I saw beautiful early Christian shrines. Some of them had been defaced. The guide explained, "This is done by people who have no education". Any bookburning is also done by the willfully ignorant.

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I wish this so called minister would think of his Christian coreligionists in the near and far east,the Christians upon which the fury of the mob may be visited.

[LeaNder]

De Borchgrave was one of the rare media people of integrity in the US post 911 universe, there weren't many of them.

[walrus]

I left Exxon Mobil in disgust a few months after my boss bragged about the wonderful time he had in Vietnam and how much money he made building and rebuilding fuel depots. The VC would wait till they had finished, then mortared the place, it was rebuilt, mortared, ..ad infinitum.

I assume similar newly rich braggarts will appear after we leave Afghanistan with stories about their heroics keeping Starbucks open, photocopiers serviced, etc.

[dilbert dogbert]

A few hours later, the South Vietnamese army, which had fought well without U.S. advisers for two years, decided the United States had betrayed them -- and resistance quickly collapsed." UPI - De Borchgrave
Yikes! The analysis is blinding. Where was DeB when all this was happening? Attached to frontline elements of the ARVIN?