What a mess - NOT amateur radio

We have fought wars in Afghanistan of about 200 years. We left ignominiously recently having spent billions along with the USA. The latest cock-up is revealing the identities and photos of interpreters whose lives are now in mortal danger. 

I am conflicted, but feel after the last 20 years we have spent a lot of money and achieved very little. Maybe we should learn the lessons of history. There is little doubt over the original aims after 9/11. Nation building was never, publicly, an aim.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58629592 .

Afghanistan - NOT amateur radio

In the end, I hope the political situation there settles down and everyone is treated respectfully. 

For almost 200 years external forces have tried to "sort the country out".  In the short-term this may have appeared to work. In the long term it has not.

Personally, I am very conflicted: I find the apparent treatment of women and gay people as poor by our standards. However, after almost 200 years and billions of pounds I think we should leave them to it.

I think the evacuation of those wanting to leave is shambolic and could have be done so much better.

Retreat from Kabul 1842 - NOT amateur radio

Apparently we retreated from Kabul in 1842 as the photo of the picture shows. We never learn from history.

Note the date!!!

See www.historic-uk.com  . 

Afghanistan - NOT amateur radio

Why? 

We have been fighting wars in Afghanistan since the first half of the 19th century when Victoria was queen. Countless people have been killed or maimed. 

What will happen now the western troops leave? Most likely it will descend into civil war again and the Taliban will again fight for control. In many ways things will be as bad as when we arrived.

In my view, we should stop interfering. Yes, we wish to support democracy and freedom, but we do not exactly a good track record. Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan to name a few. 

We have a great record in soldiers and civilians being killed or maimed and wasting billions. Instead we could spend the money on fighting climate change.

Afghanistan - NOT amateur radio

In the middle of the 1800s we were fighting in Afghanistan. Recently I read that the Taliban now controls the main city in Helmand province where many US and UK troops lost their lives. Was it worth it? Probably not.

If we have been fighting in Afghanistan for so long, you would think we'd mind our own business. Some battles are not worth fighting. Putting our troops in Afghanistan must have wasted billions. Better we spend the money on something more useful.

Voice of America cutbacks

In my early days as a shortwave listener, the various VOA transmitters around the world were popular station targets for reports. I even copied "this is the Voice of America, Monrovia" (West Africa) on my little 4 component SW crystal set.  Now I see that the VOA is having to cut back transmissions because of the USA's budget issues. Like many shortwave broadcasters, VOA is feeling the pinch in hard times. The shortwave broadcast bands are no longer the same as they were back in the 1950s and 1960s: there are fewer and fewer English language transmissions to be heard nowadays.

As an aside, and I try to avoid political comments in this blog but feel compelled to share this, I read today that the audited costs of the Iraq war for the USA are an estimated $767bn. With ongoing healthcare and support costs the final figure will be well over $1trillion. All nations make mistakes and enter wars they later deeply regret, including the UK. What saddens me is the total WASTE this represents: Saddam was no saint, neither are the Talibhan in Afghanistan, but there has to be a better way to change nations. The phrase "swords into ploughshares" comes to mind. Jaw jaw is better than war, war. Just think how $1 trillion could have been better used.