, 5 tweets, 2 min read Read on Twitter
After the attacks of 9/11, I was one of the few outsiders who had spent time with the Taliban, al Qaeda jihad cults and Afghan leaders. I did my best to separate the acts of leadership from the ideas held by the general population cnn.com/2001/COMMUNITY…
Just before Geraldo went off to Afghanistan I tried to calm down his jingoism and point out that America wouldn't win the war. Not because I didn't believe America couldn't topple the taliban but because we had no plan beyond the initial strike.
Even in 2009 I was pointing out in op eds that the traditional concept of winning was far beyond our grasp. That opinion was based on time with U.S., Afghan and Talib forces. nydailynews.com/news/politics/…
In 2014 I wrote a long piece for Vice on how the Bowe Bergdahl kidnap/ransom debacle was a perfect way to understand why we can't do simple things quickly. In America it seems special interests always hijack good intentions and frustrate talented people. vice.com/en_us/article/…
Trump inherited the Afghan war along with Iraq etc. They remain like angry sores on the American psyche. Perhaps this is the best reason for him not to play this silly game with Iran. The Persians only have to look east and west to see what will happen.
Missing some Tweet in this thread?
You can try to force a refresh.

Like this thread? Get email updates or save it to PDF!

Subscribe to Robert Young Pelton
Profile picture

Get real-time email alerts when new unrolls are available from this author!

This content may be removed anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime, convert it as a PDF, save and print for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video

1) Follow Thread Reader App on Twitter so you can easily mention us!

2) Go to a Twitter thread (series of Tweets by the same owner) and mention us with a keyword "unroll" @threadreaderapp unroll

You can practice here first or read more on our help page!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just three indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3.00/month or $30.00/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!