I heard recently that Russia has just formally recognised the Taliban, which, at least historically, was a Pashtun based group. And the Taliban are very interested in the BRI, which is going to require stability across the area/region. Fingers crossed the Taliban leadership can impose enough discipline, and can crack down on the various western fronts, such as the AQ and IS groups, that mainly cause all the trouble.
(As a side note, the Talib dignitaries that visited Moscow were very impressed by the Russian women - that alone may well cause more social change for women in Afghanistan than every single Western bomb and bullet).
Modi's behaviour is almost guaranteeing future conflicts, with his treatment within India of minorities especially Muslims, and the unilateral revocation of Kashmir's Special Status, and the ethnic-cleansing he initiated there.
And as it seems every time the local Muslims will fight back against these outrages, Pakistan is going to be blamed (From the playbook of Israel's blaming of Iran), I fear it's going to take a miracle.
But they do happen, from time to time.
I'm one of those that thinks "Hope" was the cruellest release from the box by Pandora, but sometimes that's all we have left. xxx
I remember reading about that delegation visiting Moscow as well. I lived in Konduz as a special operations soldier in 2002 (the kind with no uniforms) and learned first hand all of the lies the western governments were telling everyone back home in the west. Although I despised the Taliban for their strict Sharia laws, I was awed by the way the people adapted and shrugged their shoulders. They are a very resilient people. I miss some of my comrades I worked with there. I often wonder what has happened to them after all of these years.
I'm afraid you're right about Modi and that scares me a little. He is always looking for an excuse to pick on the Muslims and this may be the spark he wants. I hope not because the Muslims will fight back if pushed too hard and things could escalate quickly with factions from around the region running to joint the new fight. I can see Al Qaeda factions and Daesh factions running down there to join up. Not something anyone wants. At least the sane ones anyway. Let's keep our fingers crossed that things will settle down in the coming days.
I visited Quetta on a study tour in 2000 (And was sold a Taliban outfit by a Pashtun trader there - he didn't bother to mention it was Taliban colours on the turban lol, it was much later I learned why there were so many raised eyebrows when I wore it lol, the bastard :'D ). Pakistan is easily the most extreme culture I've ever experienced, but it has it's good sides too. It's their system, I guess.
Islam is not for me, but I can admire many aspects of it, and those good and decent people who live up to the Sharia restrictions on bad behaviour - such as Gen Soleimani - are, or in his case sadly were - very noble people.
I prefer it to militant Christianity, that's for sure.
Although given a choice, I'd strongly prefer the pagan Hindu system (Not so much Modi's imposed near-monotheism, however).
That whole region creates natural warriors, the Punjab's Sikhs only a fool would attack. There were many stories about normal Afghan farmers watching Britain's and US's best special forces sneak around with great amusement. If we had behaved considerably better - not restarted the opium trade would have been good move, along with curbing the EXTREME corruption of the imposed occupation regime - we might have had a considerably easier time of it. Needless to say, 'we' were only there TO cause regional problems, to prepare for the planned attack on Iran, and regarded the locals as little better than cattle. Well, once again an arrogant empire learned the bitter way.
If Modi doesn't stop all his BS - and there's no sign he is even considering that - it's hard to avoid the conclusion an explosion is due to take place. Both within India, and also around India. And with his dalliance with BRICS, the Western powers will do all they can to facilitate that.
It's an unholy mess. TBH, I wouldn't trust the Congress Party one inch either. Like us in Britain, there are simply no good choices for elections.
At least Ireland has Sinn Fein, the lucky so and sos. And by damn they deserve a break after the last few centuries.
Don't know how Daesh and AQ involvement will go down in Afghanistan, certainly they are rightly seen as western backed terrorist groups by the authorities, - but then if they were genuinely fighting for Islam and oppressed civilians (Which would be a first), maybe leeway would be given.
Indeed, an unholy mess. I remember my Afghan compatriots also laughing at the pretend American soldiers, both the regular Army and the special forces soldiers. When my friends pointed things out to me, I was able to take off the blinders and laugh with them. When I had an instance of standing my ground with a local Afghan war leader (not Taliban), I gained more respect from them than any of my American team mates ever gained, which lasted until I went home. If I hadn't had a family waiting for me after being gone a year, I would have volunteered to stay a little longer. I even gained a Dari nickname out of that dustup, given to me by the war hero I nearly killed that night.
I also was a part of the western hypocrisy over the opium. We were told not to see the poppy plants growing in between the sun flowers when we went to certain villages. But, the U.S. government wanted to crack down on the opium trade. I followed orders but my thoughts were very dark. My views on western imperialism are known publicly through my weekly podcast and with my conversations with people such as yourself. The only concern I have now, is how long I'll be able to continue with Trump's secret police coming after people.
I would also offer a word of caution regarding the new ideation of Sinn Féin. Take it from someone who has been an Irish Republican for my entire adult life. This new version is all about unification, which I am as well. But their attempts at trying to browbeat the Dáil and the Taoiseach into their way of thinking isn't winning them a majority. I'm watching them from afar to see if they can tweak the message a bit in order to win over more people.
As for the factions, they are like moths to a flame. Whenever there is a new conflict between the imperialists and their downtrodden Muslim brothers (their words), they come a running and usually end up making things worse. Wherever Al Qaeda and Daesh show up, bad things happen and the people end up the worse off.
I doubt Modi will be able to convince the BRICS members and partners to side with him in a war with Pakistan. Russia, Iran and China have enough on their hands to deal with, so will offer some moral support but not much else. All we can do is watch and hope for the best. I have no wish to see more people die for imperialism.
Agree on all counts, although I didn't know that about Sinn Fein. I wondered why their rapid ascendency had suddenly slowed - figured it for the typical Establishment/media stitch-up. (As happened to Corbyn too). Wasn't aware that they were making mistakes too.
The UK regime is also lining up the dissidents... I'll be on that list, too, as you won't be surprised to learn.
It takes a lot for people of that region (Or Africa), to authentically respect Westerners, no surprises at all you treasure that memory. On two occasions I had separate Danes saying that I was "More Danish than we Danes!" - not for standing up in a firefight, I might add, lol; but even so, it MATTERS. When times are dark.
"Wherever Al Qaeda and Daesh show up, bad things happen and the people end up the worse off." - what else would one expect from CIA cut-outs, tbh?
"I doubt Modi will be able to convince the BRICS members and partners to side with him in a war with Pakistan. Russia, Iran and China have enough on their hands to deal with, so will offer some moral support but not much else. All we can do is watch and hope for the best. I have no wish to see more people die for imperialism."
This is true, and at least one small light. China is even more likely to support Pakistan in any bust-up, although Russia and Iran strictly neutral. I'm so sick of Imperialism, and what it does to ALL sides I cannot express it. IF the World changes, and that system is rolled back, I expect the last hangout will be the British ruling elites and their domestic system of control.
And what a glorious day that would be, for the peoples of Britain and the World itself.
Yes. I, for one, will dance on the grave of the once British empire, along with a lot of my fellow republicans and my ancestors. The downside, is that whenever a once great power goes down over the sunset, they take a lot of others with them. Something the U.S. is starting to go through right now. Britain doesn't have much time left before they will become another irrelevant European country, like France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the others. When the U.S. finally crumbles (hopefully after I'm gone from this mortal world), it will implode and take others with it. Likely Canada and Mexico. Mostly Canada. I say maybe as these two countries are working very hard to move away from the U.S. right now. The question is, whether they can do enough before the collapse in order to save their own sovereignties. Time will tell. I'm rooting for them. Especially Canada as I have roots there.
If you have another place in Europe you can go to that might be safer than the UK, you might give it some thought. Be safe mo chara
I'd have certainly been in Denmark for years past, except the fucking CIA/Thiel/F'Rage/BloJo forcing through their insane 'Hard Brexshit'. Came back to the UK to fight for Corbyn... and he actually won, the UK establishment did a Georgesque on him, I think he was the first to be shafted, this generation.
MASSIVE vote-rigging, MASSIVE media disinformation campaign - and he still came within a few thousand votes of overturning all that. It would have been interesting to see if they would have annulled the elections entirely, or simply decided to go the assassination route as they had already threatened through the media. When a serving general says they will assassinate the leading civilian politician, but both the military and the corporate media cover up who it was, that's a REALLY bad sign for any 'democracy' remaining.
Can't see anyone possibly replacing him in that role; there simply aren't that many politicians who've been around for decades, clearly refused all corrupting influences, worked extremely hard for their constituents so as to have a very loyal base, and yet also know EXACTLY what the country needs to get back on its feet. HE was mobbed wherever he went, mothers would drive for several hours just so their little kids could see the guy leaving a venue. The Yoof made up a spontaneous chant at Glasto music festival.
He's fucking lucky to still be alive, and he damned well knowns it, probably considerably better than I do.
They'll come for me at some point; they almost did a decade ago, but the old Queen Elisabeth stepped in, as far as I can tell. Now she's gone.
It's a dirty world at that level, the 'elites' consider the English barely above all those Global Southers they massacred en masse; indeed UK strikers met Mr Machine Gun more than once, and 'National Hero' Churchill would have taken out the entire TUC had it come to that to preserve their rule.
I heard recently that Russia has just formally recognised the Taliban, which, at least historically, was a Pashtun based group. And the Taliban are very interested in the BRI, which is going to require stability across the area/region. Fingers crossed the Taliban leadership can impose enough discipline, and can crack down on the various western fronts, such as the AQ and IS groups, that mainly cause all the trouble.
(As a side note, the Talib dignitaries that visited Moscow were very impressed by the Russian women - that alone may well cause more social change for women in Afghanistan than every single Western bomb and bullet).
Modi's behaviour is almost guaranteeing future conflicts, with his treatment within India of minorities especially Muslims, and the unilateral revocation of Kashmir's Special Status, and the ethnic-cleansing he initiated there.
And as it seems every time the local Muslims will fight back against these outrages, Pakistan is going to be blamed (From the playbook of Israel's blaming of Iran), I fear it's going to take a miracle.
But they do happen, from time to time.
I'm one of those that thinks "Hope" was the cruellest release from the box by Pandora, but sometimes that's all we have left. xxx
I remember reading about that delegation visiting Moscow as well. I lived in Konduz as a special operations soldier in 2002 (the kind with no uniforms) and learned first hand all of the lies the western governments were telling everyone back home in the west. Although I despised the Taliban for their strict Sharia laws, I was awed by the way the people adapted and shrugged their shoulders. They are a very resilient people. I miss some of my comrades I worked with there. I often wonder what has happened to them after all of these years.
I'm afraid you're right about Modi and that scares me a little. He is always looking for an excuse to pick on the Muslims and this may be the spark he wants. I hope not because the Muslims will fight back if pushed too hard and things could escalate quickly with factions from around the region running to joint the new fight. I can see Al Qaeda factions and Daesh factions running down there to join up. Not something anyone wants. At least the sane ones anyway. Let's keep our fingers crossed that things will settle down in the coming days.
I visited Quetta on a study tour in 2000 (And was sold a Taliban outfit by a Pashtun trader there - he didn't bother to mention it was Taliban colours on the turban lol, it was much later I learned why there were so many raised eyebrows when I wore it lol, the bastard :'D ). Pakistan is easily the most extreme culture I've ever experienced, but it has it's good sides too. It's their system, I guess.
Islam is not for me, but I can admire many aspects of it, and those good and decent people who live up to the Sharia restrictions on bad behaviour - such as Gen Soleimani - are, or in his case sadly were - very noble people.
I prefer it to militant Christianity, that's for sure.
Although given a choice, I'd strongly prefer the pagan Hindu system (Not so much Modi's imposed near-monotheism, however).
That whole region creates natural warriors, the Punjab's Sikhs only a fool would attack. There were many stories about normal Afghan farmers watching Britain's and US's best special forces sneak around with great amusement. If we had behaved considerably better - not restarted the opium trade would have been good move, along with curbing the EXTREME corruption of the imposed occupation regime - we might have had a considerably easier time of it. Needless to say, 'we' were only there TO cause regional problems, to prepare for the planned attack on Iran, and regarded the locals as little better than cattle. Well, once again an arrogant empire learned the bitter way.
If Modi doesn't stop all his BS - and there's no sign he is even considering that - it's hard to avoid the conclusion an explosion is due to take place. Both within India, and also around India. And with his dalliance with BRICS, the Western powers will do all they can to facilitate that.
It's an unholy mess. TBH, I wouldn't trust the Congress Party one inch either. Like us in Britain, there are simply no good choices for elections.
At least Ireland has Sinn Fein, the lucky so and sos. And by damn they deserve a break after the last few centuries.
Don't know how Daesh and AQ involvement will go down in Afghanistan, certainly they are rightly seen as western backed terrorist groups by the authorities, - but then if they were genuinely fighting for Islam and oppressed civilians (Which would be a first), maybe leeway would be given.
It's an unholy mess.
Indeed, an unholy mess. I remember my Afghan compatriots also laughing at the pretend American soldiers, both the regular Army and the special forces soldiers. When my friends pointed things out to me, I was able to take off the blinders and laugh with them. When I had an instance of standing my ground with a local Afghan war leader (not Taliban), I gained more respect from them than any of my American team mates ever gained, which lasted until I went home. If I hadn't had a family waiting for me after being gone a year, I would have volunteered to stay a little longer. I even gained a Dari nickname out of that dustup, given to me by the war hero I nearly killed that night.
I also was a part of the western hypocrisy over the opium. We were told not to see the poppy plants growing in between the sun flowers when we went to certain villages. But, the U.S. government wanted to crack down on the opium trade. I followed orders but my thoughts were very dark. My views on western imperialism are known publicly through my weekly podcast and with my conversations with people such as yourself. The only concern I have now, is how long I'll be able to continue with Trump's secret police coming after people.
I would also offer a word of caution regarding the new ideation of Sinn Féin. Take it from someone who has been an Irish Republican for my entire adult life. This new version is all about unification, which I am as well. But their attempts at trying to browbeat the Dáil and the Taoiseach into their way of thinking isn't winning them a majority. I'm watching them from afar to see if they can tweak the message a bit in order to win over more people.
As for the factions, they are like moths to a flame. Whenever there is a new conflict between the imperialists and their downtrodden Muslim brothers (their words), they come a running and usually end up making things worse. Wherever Al Qaeda and Daesh show up, bad things happen and the people end up the worse off.
I doubt Modi will be able to convince the BRICS members and partners to side with him in a war with Pakistan. Russia, Iran and China have enough on their hands to deal with, so will offer some moral support but not much else. All we can do is watch and hope for the best. I have no wish to see more people die for imperialism.
Agree on all counts, although I didn't know that about Sinn Fein. I wondered why their rapid ascendency had suddenly slowed - figured it for the typical Establishment/media stitch-up. (As happened to Corbyn too). Wasn't aware that they were making mistakes too.
The UK regime is also lining up the dissidents... I'll be on that list, too, as you won't be surprised to learn.
It takes a lot for people of that region (Or Africa), to authentically respect Westerners, no surprises at all you treasure that memory. On two occasions I had separate Danes saying that I was "More Danish than we Danes!" - not for standing up in a firefight, I might add, lol; but even so, it MATTERS. When times are dark.
"Wherever Al Qaeda and Daesh show up, bad things happen and the people end up the worse off." - what else would one expect from CIA cut-outs, tbh?
"I doubt Modi will be able to convince the BRICS members and partners to side with him in a war with Pakistan. Russia, Iran and China have enough on their hands to deal with, so will offer some moral support but not much else. All we can do is watch and hope for the best. I have no wish to see more people die for imperialism."
This is true, and at least one small light. China is even more likely to support Pakistan in any bust-up, although Russia and Iran strictly neutral. I'm so sick of Imperialism, and what it does to ALL sides I cannot express it. IF the World changes, and that system is rolled back, I expect the last hangout will be the British ruling elites and their domestic system of control.
And what a glorious day that would be, for the peoples of Britain and the World itself.
Yes. I, for one, will dance on the grave of the once British empire, along with a lot of my fellow republicans and my ancestors. The downside, is that whenever a once great power goes down over the sunset, they take a lot of others with them. Something the U.S. is starting to go through right now. Britain doesn't have much time left before they will become another irrelevant European country, like France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the others. When the U.S. finally crumbles (hopefully after I'm gone from this mortal world), it will implode and take others with it. Likely Canada and Mexico. Mostly Canada. I say maybe as these two countries are working very hard to move away from the U.S. right now. The question is, whether they can do enough before the collapse in order to save their own sovereignties. Time will tell. I'm rooting for them. Especially Canada as I have roots there.
If you have another place in Europe you can go to that might be safer than the UK, you might give it some thought. Be safe mo chara
I'd have certainly been in Denmark for years past, except the fucking CIA/Thiel/F'Rage/BloJo forcing through their insane 'Hard Brexshit'. Came back to the UK to fight for Corbyn... and he actually won, the UK establishment did a Georgesque on him, I think he was the first to be shafted, this generation.
MASSIVE vote-rigging, MASSIVE media disinformation campaign - and he still came within a few thousand votes of overturning all that. It would have been interesting to see if they would have annulled the elections entirely, or simply decided to go the assassination route as they had already threatened through the media. When a serving general says they will assassinate the leading civilian politician, but both the military and the corporate media cover up who it was, that's a REALLY bad sign for any 'democracy' remaining.
Can't see anyone possibly replacing him in that role; there simply aren't that many politicians who've been around for decades, clearly refused all corrupting influences, worked extremely hard for their constituents so as to have a very loyal base, and yet also know EXACTLY what the country needs to get back on its feet. HE was mobbed wherever he went, mothers would drive for several hours just so their little kids could see the guy leaving a venue. The Yoof made up a spontaneous chant at Glasto music festival.
He's fucking lucky to still be alive, and he damned well knowns it, probably considerably better than I do.
They'll come for me at some point; they almost did a decade ago, but the old Queen Elisabeth stepped in, as far as I can tell. Now she's gone.
It's a dirty world at that level, the 'elites' consider the English barely above all those Global Southers they massacred en masse; indeed UK strikers met Mr Machine Gun more than once, and 'National Hero' Churchill would have taken out the entire TUC had it come to that to preserve their rule.
And then they dare to call Putin a "Dictator!!
You live in the States then? Emigrate, or native?