Paul Rieckhoff, Iraq and Afghanistan veteran and founder of Righteous Media, and Jeremy Bash, former chief of staff at the CIA, discuss Biden’s complicated decision to remove all American troops in Afghanistan by August 30th, a choice that will lead to major implications in an already unstable region
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#Afghanistan #Troops #Biden
Feels wrong isnt enough. We don’t need perpetual wars.
I agree, we don’t…but I don’t think you understand what that veteran was saying. There are very real concerns in abruptly leaving the situation.
@olrik parlez good point. I was commenting on how they are always against stopping wars. There are many more people on the left and right..who wanta to keep staying.
@arun kumar Hi. There is much more to consider when dealing with these situations. There has to be a balance of business, ethics, politics, insight and foresight. It’s a very complicated game of chess that can have serious and long-term repercussions if not handled properly. It’s a complex equation that can’t be easily solved.
Unfortunately many people don’t understand the bigger picture. That’s understandable really. Even the biggest brains on the planet have trouble with figuring these situations out. The military vet in this video understood however. At least in part. He was very aware of the potential problems that could arise.
@olrik parlez also its been 20 years….and saying we need more planning is just a delay tactic for the military industrial complex to funnel more money.
@arun kumar Hmmm…sure are lots of folks with one answer that they think solves the whole equation. I didn’t think you would be one of those people. Oh well.
It feels wrong because you’ve been there for 20 years wasting lives and money. Time to let the middle east sort itself out.
It’s complicated, as with any war.
You are right, but Americans have a very hard time sitting idle while other people slaughter each other, or starve death from famine. In this case, it seems many are preparing to migrate to avoid the Taliban. We have a very long history of involvement, sometimes good, sometimes bad.
We saved millions of Russian lives in 1921, by providing food and aid. They were literally eating the dead, to stay alive. And yet, we also get so much backlash and blame. It makes us wonder if it’s worth it anymore.
@Bat Boy I understand but America has enough of its own problems at home they can deal with. They don’t have to go to war just because they can. The money they will save will build the military stronger than ever.
@Bat Boy
The USA only cares about power projection.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Afghanistan is not in the middle East.
@Hiromi Ikegami it kinda is and kinda isn’t
you would laugh when you look at it’s map what they did to it
Who’s gonna protect the poppy fields now
the taliban… same as always?
Not as wrong as when Bush invaded the poor country !
Or when obummer drones little kids
It is way past time that America got the heck out of there !
But bring home those who aided our soldiers. They will be hunted down by Taliban.
@Morris Tillberg
Agreed, but maybe some don’t want to move to America, maybe some would prefer to go somewhere else ?
As a Marine veteran who served in Afghanistan, let me say, that everything about Afghanistan feels wrong.
With that being said, I’m sure that we are in no way completely washing our hands of Afghanistan. If things deteriorate to a certain point in that country, I have no doubt that we will find ourselves intervening in Afghanistan again on some level.
Agree David, and the amount of military experts in these comments, wow. Most of them have no idea what you’re talking about.
Things deteriorates all over the world, what makes it so important if Afghanistan deteriorates that we had to intervene again? If we did, would the results be any different from the last time? Screw that country…..
human rights are being broken all over the world, includingin the USA and our close allies like Saudi Arabia. Should the USA intervene in those countries too? Who made the USA a police force to intervene in sovereign nations? I’m not trying to be rude; I’m just saying if we are going to intervene in protecting human rights in one country then we should do it for all countries including our so-called allies like UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Great comment. 👏👏👍🇺🇸
No Paul we do not have a moral obligation and do you know why? We spent all of those years training the Afghan military so they could take over. We spent millions of dollars to equip those forces. So we gave them everything they needed and what is happening? Afghan troops are giving up before the Taliban even attacks. They are not trying to help themselves and that is not our problem.
The former congressman from Texas Ron Paul, sees it as simple. He’s wrong, the former veteran has a point.
20 years of war is too long. Too many lives lost, too much money spent.
You can’t give a man a fish every day to feed himself. You have to teach a man to fish so that he can feed his family and himself every day.
America’s been doing that for a decade. People have been dying, for what!? It Will NEVER END….I agree we Must leave.
Should have never stayed much past when Bin Laden was killed, you can never win in Afganistan. Waste of human life, over a trillion dollars and not much will change if the forces remain.
Thank you for your service, all veterans, but times, they are a changing. It’s 2021, and we got a PANDEMIC and other … domestic problems to focus our attention on now. Please understand, we cannot occupy Afghanistan.
Good decision, the threat has moved, but we shouldn’t abandon those who helped us the way Trump did the Kurds.
Well said ….
This wasn’t any easy decision for President Biden! (Today, Rep. Jason Crow of Aurora said the war in Afghanistan was ”not winnable “.) He is a former Army Ranger, an lawyer, dad and family man. He served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan! We can’t stay in the region… another year! (I applaud President Biden’s decision.) My only son was in sixth grade, when we went to war in these regions. He’s 33 now. (Millennials have grown up with this military situation. One friend was killed in a minefield in Afghanistan! ) He has a daughter and partner! We must not debate this… endlessly.Biden is the fourth American president to deal with 9/11 and these military operations. It’s time. Rep. Crow says …it’s not easy in Afghanistan. But, our military veterans need our help.
It wasn’t even Bidens decision. Trump did this. Why has everyone forgotten?
Not as bad as the “preemptive” invasion of Iraq felt or the very obvious lack of a plan after invasion of both countries feels pretty bad though….
Didn’t hear all that when trump said “bring the boys home”… Or should I have said “the suckers home”…🙄
Cheap shot at trying to pressure Biden, he’s right on living that hellhole of the third world
This All started based on a lie, by our leaders. We’ve lost so many, many soldiers.
President Biden is humble enough to seek advice from the qualified chiefs of staff . i trust his decision .