So how do you think Afghanistan and Iraq is developing?

[AlxPachino]

Like the question says, how much better or worse do you think Afghanistan and Iraq have been doing ever since the start of the two wars? Take in to fact the economic situation, political tensions, education reform, infrastructure, etc. I am curious to know what people think about this because personally I don't think the underlying situation will change much after we leave.

[Eble]

Iraq is just fine, they will develope quite easily with or without western help, now that the west has secured oil supplies from iraq they have nothing to fear from us.

Afghanistan unfortunately is consigned to history, no force in history have ever defected the Afghans and the western forces are too little to overly effect the future of that country.

When the withdrawls are all completed, the taliban or whoever will walk in and re-take everything.

Western countries have lost interest in Afganistan now, we got Osama, thats the game over, scroll the credits on that conflict now.

Sadly been a large loss of life for what I fear will be little gain.

[AlxPachino]

I kinda agree with the second part you said. Afghanistan is just doomed as long as Pakistan undermines the war by allowing Tehrik-e-Taliban to operate along Waziristan and the other tribal regions. I just don't see it changing. All we have been doing is racking up body counts and not much more than that. We have been there 10 years and they are sick of us being there. More and more men in Afghanistan are supporting the Taliban because of NATO's prolonged presence in Afghanistan. We need to realize that there is not much more that we can do. All we are doing is hurting our economy and losing men. I hate to say that, but it is the cold truth.

[DMarkwick]

I think as a perpetual-war device, they've proved useful

Of course, nowadays our governments don't even bother to tell/ask/inform their own country when the next wars are arranged. Took a few weeks for me to realise we were bombing Libya.

[HyperU2]

Both better than Mexico.

[froggyluv]

I think as a perpetual-war device, they've proved useful

Of course, nowadays our governments don't even bother to tell/ask/inform their own country when the next wars are arranged. Took a few weeks for me to realise we were bombing Libya.

Hehe QFT. I just expect us to be bombing *insert arab country here* at all times less I worry something is really wrong.

[[GR]Operative]

Hehe QFT. I just expect us to be bombing *insert arab country here* at all times less I worry something is really wrong.

As I see, the west has good relations (well, at least 'stable') with (most) arab coutries. Not that many countries have been invaded if you think for a while.

[Beagle]

Afghanistan will fall back to Taliban in 2014...you can see this as a fact and Karsai is already openly negotiating...bin Bin Laden dead nobody will care for Afghanstan anymore. The alternative to Taliban takeover would be a failed state like Somalia with feuding clans.

Iraq wont develop at all, the economical situation will not be far from that in the Saddam Embargo era, but general civil safety will be less due to a less militaristic gouverment.

[mrcash2009]

Personally I think its an illegal invaded mess as a pit-stop to kick the shit out of anyone else in that region to push forth with no real thought to the people or areas so far that have been invaded.

The truths that have come since "diving in" with all its justifications and lies proves the mentality, of which will be the same way of thinking about it all as it gets left.

Same shit different year, with more of a mess to clean up.

[Baff1]

I think life in Afghanistan is significantly the worse for us being there and that this will become worse yet after we leave for a few years and then, after we leave, will settle down into something akin to what it was before we got there.

Iraq has been off my radar completely since the Brits pulled out. I no longer have even the slightest intrest in what happens there.
One thing is for sure, they won't be invading Kuwait again in a hurry.