We’re Leaving, Mmmmkay?
The US withdrawal from Afghanistan is still being targeted by ISIS-K, as indicated elsewhere.
Might be simpler if the ISIS-K people focused on their real mortal enemies instead of taking potshots at those departing.
Now, China may have “agreements” with the Taliban, but there is that “be careful what you wish for” aphorism: China may find that it’s not quite as hunky dory dealing with the Taliban as they’d like to think. I’m curious to find out what will come down that long road to land in China’s lap. They’re in a border squabble now with India, as it is. You’d think that would keep them busy, wouldn’t you?
From the article: The fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban and the ensuing chaos present a “complicated situation” for China, a Cornell professor told CNBC.
“At one level, what is happening in Afghanistan might be considered a win for China because it suggests that the U.S. has a lot of weaknesses in terms of its intelligence … the way it deploys its massive military arsenal and economic power, sometimes to not very productive ends,” Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell University in New York told CNBC “Street Signs Asia” on Tuesday. – article
All China sees is raw materials that mean cash in the cash drawer. That’s the short term. The long term doesn’t mean anything to them. Being short-sighted is not a good idea, ever.
So if Beijing thinks it’s all gonna be hunky-dory, I have a beat-up old phonograph I’d like to sell them.
Category: 2020 Election, Afghanistan, China
China will lean that money cant buy everything.
Maybe China can “enroll” them in one of their “re-education” centers to learn a skill.
Seen this movie before. The Taliban aren’t a tribe, and Afghan Civil War, the Next Iteration, will start up soon.
Have fun with that, China.
Well, I, personally, am looking forward to it. I have a chart showing all of China’s missiles and how far they can go, e.g., up to 18,000 miles.
Now we can settle in and watch to see who starts shooting first and make bets on how log the shoot-shoot-bang-bang goes on.
“Now, China may have “agreements” with the Taliban, but there is that “be careful what you wish for” aphorism: China may find that it’s not quite as hunky dory dealing with the Taliban as they’d like to think.”
Afghanistan is well known as “The Graveyard of Empires”, just ask the British, French and Russians. Left alone, their local tribes and Warlords will fight and kill each other until some Foreign Entity comes in trying to take over and then the Afghans unite to expel the “Foreign Devils” until said outsiders give up. The Soviets thought for sure they could conquer that fleabitten patch of hell and we all know what happened, I say let it happen to China!
I am counting on ti, API. Absolutely counting on it.
Hack Stone and his lovely bride Rosetta we’re having this conversation yesterday as we were heading for the traditional Sunday Brunch (free samples at Costco). If China does move in to harvest the precious minerals in Afghanistan, how the hell are the going to export it. No port facilities. Probably no rail system, and the roads are probably manned y tribal militias all demanding payment. These fuckers can not cope outside of the14th Century, the Chinese are going to learn the hard way what the rest of the world already knows.
“No port facilities. Probably no rail system, and the roads are probably manned y tribal militias all demanding payment.
A lot of major highways and byways going in and out of that hellhole are an ambusher’s wet dream cone true with the Khyber pass being the #1 example of that.
Preach it, all of you!
They may be “major” today, but in another 5 or 10 years with no maintenance and they will be just another goat path.
We all know that the Chinese Communists just want the available raw materials, in particular, the rare earth minerals. And they want to finish their new “Silk Road”. They will not use half measures or humanitarian nation building tactics to get those things. I’m sure that the Packies and the Hindus will be watching very carefully to what is happening there. We can only pray that the Chinese Communists find themselves as bogged down in that Graveyard of Empires that everyone else has. The Chinese Communists know, also, that we will not intervene, our grubermint has been bought and paid for.
The best hope (which hope is NOT a plan) is for us to make buddy buddy with every country surrounding China, QUIT BUYING from the Chinese Communists, and be ready for the economic, biological, and possible shooting war that is on the way.
The last US plane out has left Afghan airspace, as of 1630 EDT.
Thanks for the update.
Closest 2 points for the China Railroad to Afghanistan is the between the Kashgar and Hotan Perfectures near the border in Xinjiang province.
Given China’s lack of concern for other countries when seeking natural resources (oil, gas, fish, etc.,) would have no qualms running a railroad through Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor Nature Refuge.
I’m sure they’ll use it to teach the Uyghur population a vocational skill to the tune of “I’ve been working on the railroad…”