Specifically, out of the bubble more.
“no one saw this coming” (Dominic Raab, UK Foreign Secretary)
One of many things ‘no one’ saw was the inverse analogy with Iran sending back the hostages just as President Reagan was being inaugurated. The mullahs felt no fear of President Carter but are on record as deciding to send them home to meet incoming President Reagan from a concern that:
“he might use cowboy methods”
The very same Democrat/US-‘liberal’ election rhetoric designed to make voters think Reagan might start WWIII suggested to the mullahs that he might be dangerously unpredictable – and that Carter was a pussycat
In exactly the same way, the rhetoric they used against Donald Trump was useful to him – and very undermining to Biden’s ability to ‘deal’ with the Taliban (not that Biden had much ability they needed to undermine). Brendan O’Neill has explained how wokeness hurt the west’s Afghanistan efforts, but while Trump was in the white house there was also a counter-effect. Precisely because it was Trump’s enemies who were saying ‘he’s a crazy violent nutjob who might do anything’, the Taliban were more convinced to be wary of Trump than by Trump’s own threats alone – and more convinced they need not beware of Biden.
Did no one that Raab talked to foresee that?
I’m not picking on Raab specially. There are many MP’s I’d far sooner see gone from the Tory party, and as for the current ministers of the crown, they could all do with getting out (of the bubble) more.
Like all ministers this particular minister went along with the lockdowns and the vast government spending (and the government spending increase started BEFORE Covid 19) so nothing more needs to be said about the Gentleman. There is no point in a lot of angry words – we are where we are.
As for “no one saw this coming” – that is not true, everyone knew that if Western military support was cut off the Taliban would take power. The intelligence reports are starting to be leaked – as intelligence agencies, annoyed with being thrown under the bus by Mr Biden and co, show that they did warn the politicians. I have no reason to believe that the British intelligence agencies did not issue similar warnings.
There will be no need for “Judicial Watch” to sue people for years to get the reports – as they had to, in order to show that the Clinton Administration was warned FOR YEARS (five years before 2001 – 1996) that Osama Ben Laden was planning to attack the United States. Of course we now know that the government knew that no police officers were killed on January 6th 2021, or died as the result of any injury – contrary to the lies of the media for MONTHS. The homicide of Ashli Babbitt (Air Force veteran and small business owner for San Diego) remains unpunished – and the Marxist “Critical Theory” training continues in the government, including in the West Point military academy. And the purge of anyone in the military who does not support the totalitarians (and their Rigged Elections) also continues. Such official and legal documents that are available can be found at judicialwatch.org.
Some Capitol Police officers have died AFTER January 6th – but not of any injury from that day. The dead police officers, by some odd coincidence, turn out to have been supporters of President Trump. To be fair, the official causes of death (after suing to get the documents) are “natural causes” or “suicide”. There is no direct evidence that the FBI murdered these men. One must not “over egg the pudding” – only say what can be proved.
How effective the new “Woke” military will be is open to question. Islam has its faults (I hope I am allowed to say that) – but no Islamic scholar has ever claimed that “mathematics is RACIST”, as is becoming the norm in the United States, for example the State of Oregon has now declared that all children will graduate – without giving any evidence that they understand mathematics or any other subject. Objective truth is “RACIST”, knowledge is “AGAINST EQUITY” – what Islamic scholar has ever endorsed such madness?
The “Woke”, Frankfurt School, Marxism that now dominates the West (including the corporations) is NOT Classical Marxism – Karl Marx and Frederick Engels would have had nothing but contempt for the stuff that is now being indoctrinated into the American military (and every other institution), and rightly so. And Islamic scholars (“Taliban” means students – specifically students of Islamic thought) would have nothing but contempt for “Woke” Frankfurt School Marxism as well – and, again, rightly so.
The Chinese Communist Party does not go around chanting “mathematics is racist” (and all the rest of it) and neither do Islamic scholars. The “Woke” West does not need to be destroyed by external forces – it will implode under the weight of its own absurdity.
Economic absurdity (the Credit Bubble finance that one can find NO WHERE in the works of Dr Karl Marx) and cultural absurdity (“Critical Race Theory”, the “Trans” cult, and all the rest of it) – which one can also find NO WHERE in the works of Dr Karl Marx.
Modern (Frankfurt School) Marxism with its mixture of Marxist doctrines with Keynesianism (that started at Cambridge 70 years ago) and with Fraud and others, is utterly absurd – it will destroy itself. Sadly it will take society with it.
Will it be possible to rebuild the West after the inevitable implosion of the Frankfurt School “Woke” mess? Both economically and culturally – rebuild society?
By the way – the People’s Republic of China overtook the industrial strength of the United States as long ago as 2010 (note to the ignorant – GDP, CONSUMPTION, is not economic strength). The People’s Republic of China now has vastly greater economic strength than the United States. The PRC is not “Woke” – it does not practice “anti racism”, “Gay rights”, the “Trans” cult, or any of this Frankfurt School stuff. As for Islam – the PRC is not gentle, in fact the PRC is utterly vicious.
Of course the People’s Republic of China will support all this stuff – IN RELATION TO THE WEST. It is happy to spend money getting Westerners to obsess about “racism”, “sexism”, “homophobia”, “transphobia” “Islamophobia” and all the rest of it – but should someone complain about such things IN CHINA, well things would not go well for such a complainer.
The PRC Communist Party leadership are cruel, they are vicious (ask a Muslim who has escaped from China – indeed ask anyone else who has escaped from China) – but they are NOT stupid.
“But what about C02 emissions>”
Quite so – go to China and PROTEST against C02 emissions. Perhaps you could chain yourself in front of their concrete pouring machines for their new coal power stations, they would carry on pouring the concrete (burying you alive), but you would have made a grand gesture of protest.
As I remember it, Jimmy Carter said something to the effect that he would get the hostages back before he left the White House. Sending them back to coincide with Reagan’s inauguration was the mullahs thumbing their noses at Carter.
I meant to type Freud not Fraud when writing about one of the people that the Frankfurt School mixed Marxism with – but Fraud is also an accurate description.
As for mixing Marxism and Keynesianism – yes we do not just have the fallacy of the labour theory of value (“exploitation” and “oppression”), and David Ricardo’s nonsense theories on LAND (very popular with the World Economic Forum and other Corporate and Government bodies), we also have the create more money (from nothing) and using it to finance consumption – both government and banker (corporate).
It is utter and complete insanity. And it leads to the very thing that the left pretend to be upset about – a tiny elite whose wealth comes at the expense of everyone else (everyone else being driven into poverty by the endless creation of money from NOTHING).
Richard Cantillon showed what happens – that was three centuries ago. This is what the Central Banks, the ordinary banks, and the Woke Corporations are now engaged in – except they do it on a SCALE that Richard Cantillon could not have dreamed of (not even in his worst nightmare).
Jimmy Carter was a failure on every level as president. However, it must be remembered that he did at least have the courage to try and rescue the hostages. The plan was a bit like Market Garden, inasmuch as it required every single element to work for it to be successful. As we know, it failed very early on. But he did at least have the courage to try. In that respect he is a giant of integrity compared to the shriveled, fraudulent nonentity who currently squats in the White House.
JohnK, I was going to mention Operation Eagle Claw but you beat me to it.
JohnK (August 17, 2021 at 10:43 am) and Natalie (August 17, 2021 at 11:39 am), when the comparison is with Biden, I can indeed see much good in Carter. However Eagle Claw reminded me of a historian’s summation of Market-Garden:
Although vastly outperforming Biden, Eagle Claw was a somewhat predictable, and therefore in a sense cautious, thing for Carter to attempt (granting him the courage of attempting anything). I was not in the least surprised to read the newspaper descriptions of it after it was aborted. It was what I or anyone would have known they were at least thinking of doing.
I think ‘cowboy methods’ relates to the mullahs’ concern, enhanced by US left-wing propaganda against him, that Reagan might plan a dangerous mission to be dangerous – might do something seriously ‘imprudent’ rather than accept defeat. Compared to starting better-dead-than-red WWIII, rescuing hostages and/or punishing hostage-takers in some wildly excessive, violent, will-surely-get-some-hostages-killed way would look trivial.
“The plan was a bit like Market Garden, inasmuch as it required every single element to work for it to be successful.”
It was not a bad plan, it was bad luck that two helicopters collided. A plan is not enough, you need competent performers and a little luck.
I would not make too much of the Iranian’s fear of actor Reagan and his “cowboy” methods. That sounds to me a Republican wishful thinking or self congratulation, or propaganda.
What I missed was some retaliation (after the hostages were freed, necessarily ordered by Reagan). The Iranians needed to be taught a lesson, Reagan passed.
Niall Kilmartin,
Yes. They were afraid that Trump / Reagan would order them killed as individuals whatever the cost in terms of deaths of hostages or civilians, including other members of their own households – in other words that Trump/ Reagan would behave only slightly less bloodthirstily than they themselves would. A grim business, and I would hope that a US president would be more concerned about collateral damage than that. But even decent men have to calculate that the tactic of using human shields cannot always be allowed to work.
And today’s Cockwomble Of The Day award goes to …
… (pause for dramatic effect) …
Dominic Raab, UK Foreign Secretary
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/17/no-one-saw-this-coming-raab-taliban-rapid-afghan-takeover
Reagan was a “paper cowboy”, or an actor, or impersonator, not the real thing. Iranians called the US “paper tigers” but they weren’t even that. Reagan and Trump were better than their Democrat opponents (Carter and Clinton) but that is a low bar, there is no need to deify them (like some Republicans like to do).
Reagan, though, had the courage to invade Granada….
It would have been nice, if, once the hostages were freed, Reagan would have launched a salvo of cruise missiles to take down the 10 most prominent Government buildings in Teheran.
The Taliban destroys statues – so do “Woke” activists in the West.
The Taliban lies about historical figures who do not share its world view – have a look at how activists who control museums are smearing Sir Francis Drake and other British heroes here.
The Taliban makes woman wear masks – the Woke make woman and men wear masks (equality in servitude).
The Taliban engages in CENSORSHIP – and so does the Western establishment.
The Taliban hates Western Civilisation – and so does the establishment in the West.
Jacob – Ronald Reagan was far from perfect (there are no perfect men), but he was not “Woke”, he was not Frankfurt School Marxist.
Ronald Reagan would not have gone along with “Trans rights” for FOUR YEAR OLD CHILDREN – and that is what the Scottish government is doing, and the “Diversity and Inclusion” Commissars will bring that to England and America as well.
The West does not need the Taliban to destroy it – its own academic, governmental and corporate, elite are destroying the West. With their insane “Woke” (Frankfurt School) cultural policies (designed to destroy the culture) and the demented Credit Bubble economic policies.
Not the most hostile critic of the Koran, the Hadiths or the life of Muhammed ever claimed that “create more money from NOTHING and spend it – that is the road to prosperity” is in any of these texts – because it is NOT.
Nor is it in the works of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels.
The modern “Woke” Marxists have added stuff to Marxism that was not originally there – and everything they have added (cultural and economic) has made it WORSE.
The “Woke” (Frankfurt School) Western establishment have no standing to oppose the Taliban – for they, the “Woke”, are both insane and evil.
Politicians live in a bubble of unreality, where black is white, up is down and wet is dry, just because they say so. Occasionally events burst though the bubble, and show the world what is in fact the TRUTH and they are surprised, nay shocked, that reality might dare to intrude upon their carefully constructed version of the world.
How many time Raab looked dim recently? i am remembering the Briton citizen killed by Iran in a merchant ship in service of an company owned by an Israeli . He just did not cared. Only when pushed by Americans that got data on drone attack he moved.
Did the UK succeed in getting their nationals out? How about Canada? I hear Australia is hastily working on retrieving theirs.
From Instapundit: Netherlands, maybe
Don’t know if this is true. Anyone?
Was the Biden decision unilateral? I find this hard to believe.
If the nationals of our allies in Afghanistan were left behind, I think it would be front page news. How did the allies get their nationals out, and did they do so in a timely manner? Or, were they caught with their pants down too? I am sensing they don’t really know how many foreign nationals: nurses, teachers, techs, charity workers, engineers…. are left behind or if they were even warned. The extortion possibilities are mind boggling?
Oh my sweet summer child
On the issues of “good allies” and fair play, I hear internet rumors that several of our – the US’s – major allies and many minor ones got caught out with their own nationals stuck in Afghanistan, and are even now doing emergency sorts of things to find and transport people at risk. They would have liked some warning, I hear.
I have several friends and relatives in service. All seem to be counting down their days. They’re going to lose a lot of expensive MOS’s this next year as valuable specialists separate out and AffAct diversity replaces them. The guy targeting the drones or the tank shells really ought to have had some real math. This is going to be one of those critical-pathway chokepoints soon.
Per Andrew Neil in the Daily Mail:
I have to agree with him to some extent.
This unprepared evacuation is something that I’d expect from a muddled-headed incontinent goofball.
Biden is, undoubtedly, all of those things, but I really thought that he would have been relegated to the basement while most important decisions were being made by other, less Alzheimer’ed, people. I feel less secure today, because it seems they’re allowing our faux-Prez to actually run stuff.
bb I came across a claim, sorry I don’t know where, that the US left behind an F-15 training simulator. I hope this is fake news cause, if not, it’s very bad news. Not leaving behind military hardware is What Not to do in a War 101.
I’ve come across many comments on various websites that Trump would have done better, but he would have had to rely on disdainful Deep State intelligence services, a hostile State Department and an antagonistic Joint Chiefs with all that implies for the chain of command. So, in a way, it might be a good thing for Trump that he was not President. In addition if Trump had led this effort and there was 10% of the disarray encountered over the weekend, the news coverage would have made it out to be the apocalypse.
What I can’t wrap my head around is why the NSA and Joint Chiefs went along with Biden. Was the money laundering coming to an end? Is something else about to hit the fan? Extortion? Did they expect a rousing success and that they would be celebrated as heroes? Why now?
@bobby,
Competent people leaving the military?
That’s great news for the impending insurgency.
I wager the US will erupt in civil war in 2024 when the Dems steal another presidential election and the other two branches of the government (congress/SC) prove ineffectual in rolling back insane liberal woke initiatives. They might even start stealing Senate and Congress seats, optics be damned, cos who’s gonna stop them?
You don’t really have to worry about China military-wise. Taiwan needs to worry about China on its own. As do Korea and Japan. It’s clear now they can’t trust the political will or military competency of the US, and I’m sure their analysts can see the direction the US is taking.
China doesn’t need to do anything overt to the US when it can foment unrest instead.
If not for historical enmity, Korea and Japan together as allies will pose an effective counter-weight to PRC, even without Taiwan. With Taiwan added in, the three nations will effectively balance China and moderate its actions in the Pacific. I hope Korea and Japan really can stick together – they have too many similarities to be torn apart by historical differences.
Well, yes and no.
There’s always been that argument over which side actual servicemembers would take if ordered to do violence against Americans in America.
Cleaning out the historically-serving classes and replacing them with the woke makes it that much more likely we’ll face their guns at some point.
(But, it also makes it that much easier for us to decide it’s okay to shoot back.)