The rest of the world thinks you're silly

[rvg]

You mean you send targets ver there so the don't have to cross the ocean anymore. Pretty much everyone seems to think that Afghanistan will be swarmed by the Taliban once we leave so I wouldn't celebrate the victory yet.

Good. When they hang Karzai I'll be cheering. Then we'll just drone them like we do in Pakistan. Cheap, safe and efficient.

I thought most of them demand that the US have no bases on islamic territory because that's an unwanted influence on their region.

Unwanted by whom exactly? No matter what America does, somebody somewhere will not like it. So screw them, we'll be doing whatever needs to be done.

The dutchies apparently like McDonald's and your military bases on dutch territory enough to want to keep them.

Most countries do. Those military bases keep lots of people employed.

[Brenus]

"Then we'll just drone them like we do in Pakistan..." Then they will blow-up one of your embassies with a car full of explosives like in Libya. Cheaper than drones and much more effective. Then you will buy more expensive materiel. Then they will attack tourists trekking in the Mountains or in Hotels... They will find other lateral way to hurt... The North Vietnam won the war because it was willing to have more dead than the USA...

[rvg]

...Then they will blow-up one of your embassies with a car full of explosives like in Libya.

We can deal with that.

Then you will buy more expensive materiel.

Did the Illuminati tell you that?

Then they will attack tourists trekking in the Mountains or in Hotels...

Tourists? In Afghanistan?

The North Vietnam won the war because it was willing to have more dead than the USA...

Is that some kind of expert opinion or something? Do you know much about Vietnam war?

[Seamus Fermanagh]

...Is that some kind of expert opinion or something? Do you know much about Vietnam war?

Actually, though he's simplifying it a bit, there is a good kernel of truth to that assertion.

The US and its SEATO allies struggled for years against the VC insurgency, including a huge buildup of troops between 1965 and 1968. While any large-scale engagement ended in a US victory, we were never able to do more than curtail the VC as they used -- quite intelligently -- classic guerilla tactics and we did not have enough troops to truly quash their insurgency (the accepted ratio required at the time was 10-1).

Then came the Tet offensive, where the VC attacked throughout Vietnam en masse -- and were decimated. They finally came out in the open and fought giving us the kind of fight we could really win, and which we did. So high was the casualty rate and so damaged was the VC infrastructure that Giap thought that NV might have to ask for terms. Until, that is, Walter Cronkite and the rest of the US media -- perceiving the US public's war weariness -- announced that Tet indicated that any hope of victory had been lost. At that moment they knew that we would not continue absorbing casualties in order to win.

After that it was all "peace with honor, etc." We accepted our defeat in the very moment of victory -- largely because a big slice of the US electorate was tired of the bleeding.

There were, of course, a number of other factors at play, but being "willing to have more dead" was a central facet of the whole thing.

[Husar]

Good. When they hang Karzai I'll be cheering. Then we'll just drone them like we do in Pakistan. Cheap, safe and efficient.

Sure, drones are more beloved than gitmo after all. Not that you seem to care...

Unwanted by whom exactly? No matter what America does, somebody somewhere will not like it. So screw them, we'll be doing whatever needs to be done.

Yeah, just like I will say about your politics what I want, regardless of whether you or Vuk like it. Your complaints are thus still pointless.

Most countries do. Those military bases keep lots of people employed.

Yes, maybe you should open more in Africa to create jobs.

[rvg]

Sure, drones are more beloved than gitmo after all. Not that you seem to care...

Then drones it is.

Yeah, just like I will say about your politics what I want, regardless of whether you or Vuk like it. Your complaints are thus still pointless.

I do not recall complaining about anything. I only mentioned that nobody gets a say in how America should run herself except Americans themselves. As for Vuk, he can speak for himself.

Yes, maybe you should open more in Africa to create jobs.

We're not a charity. Jobs are just a positive influence of our bases, not their primary purpose. What we should do is pull them out of Germany. The Cold War is over.

[Husar]

I do not recall complaining about anything. I only mentioned that nobody gets a say in how America should run herself except Americans themselves. As for Vuk, he can speak for himself.

Your first reply on that subject read a bit like you were really hurt about us trying to tell you how to run your country. But noone does that here, all we do is tell you our opinion and offer some alternatives. You should be thankful that we share information about our incredibly advanced systems with you for free.
And if we laugh at you because your system is so backwards it's no different from you laughing about terrorists falling to drone strikes due to the technological difference. We all do it because we can and because it's funny to see others fail. I mean we're all in the same boat if you look at it this way.

We're not a charity. Jobs are just a positive influence of our bases, not their primary purpose. What we should do is pull them out of Germany. The Cold War is over.

It's pretty cute when you take a joke seriously.
I don't really mind whether you have bases here. Apparently bases like the military hospital in Rammstein are quite useful for your military and global power projection stuff since most injured soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan seem to be brought there for more serious treatment than can be offered in the countries where they got hurt.

[rvg]

Your first reply on that subject read a bit like you were really hurt about us trying to tell you how to run your country. But noone does that here, all we do is tell you our opinion and offer some alternatives. You should be thankful that we share information about our incredibly advanced systems with you for free.

Thank you. Your opinions are very important to us.

And if we laugh at you because your system is so backwards it's no different from you laughing about terrorists falling to drone strikes due to the technological difference. We all do it because we can and because it's funny to see others fail. I mean we're all in the same boat if you look at it this way.

I suppose that the difference is that our drones change the world that we live in, and your words do not.

It's pretty cute when you take a joke seriously.
I don't really mind whether you have bases here. Apparently bases like the military hospital in Rammstein are quite useful for your military and global power projection stuff since most injured soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan seem to be brought there for more serious treatment than can be offered in the countries where they got hurt.

It's okay, the war in Iraq is over, Afghanistan is almost over. Once that's wrapped up, it'll be good time to downsize.

[Husar]

I suppose that the difference is that our drones change the world that we live in, and your words do not.

That's too bad, I was expecting the US to change everything according to my personal advice.

[rvg]

That's too bad, I was expecting the US to change everything according to my personal advice.

Evidently so. Otherwise why spend so much time talking about it, right?