U.S. Right-Wing Extremists See Taliban As A Role Model

The Taliban is not a nice organization. They took over in Afghanistan through violence and terrorism, and will rule it in an autocratic manner (as they did in the past). But the right-wing extremists in the United States don't see them that way. They see them as a role model for how to take over a country -- and they'd like to use Taliban methods to take over the United States (and establish an authoritarian government).

The following is part of an op-ed at MSNBC.com by Cynthia Miller-Idriss:

Now, admiration for the Taliban has spread to a handful of pro-Trump conservatives and to former President Donald Trump himself, who praised the group as “smart” and “good fighters.” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., described the Taliban as “more legitimate” than the Biden administration, while Donald Trump Jr. tweeted support for the Taliban’s critique of big tech censorship.

In many ways, the far right’s admiration of Islamist extremism is nothing new. Far-right extremists have long seen parallels with Islamist terrorists’ ideas about a clash of civilizations and rejection of the liberal West, multiculturalism, feminism and LGBTQ and minority rights. Islamist and white supremacist terrorists express similar apocalyptic visions and parallel desires for a territorial caliphate and a white ethnostate. They deploy the same kinds of violent terrorist strategies — from the swift execution of enemies to the embrace of martyrdom — to accelerate the process toward the end times. . . .

Actual efforts to collaborate across far-right and Islamist scenes are thankfully rare. Hardcore white supremacist extremist groups and channels regularly share Islamic State group and Al Qaeda propaganda, including attack manual instructions, bomb-making information and violent ISIS imagery. But historically, Islamist terrorists have been less interested in supporting the efforts of the extreme right, who they tend to view as part of the broader Western enemy.

There are now some indications this is changing. New researchtracing online interactions between Salafi-jihadi and white supremacist groups showed that cross-ideological discussions on Telegram channels align around issues like both movements’ shared hatred of Jews. Such alliances are nascent and potentially superficial — but nonetheless concerning.

If there’s one thing we have learned from the past few years of extremist mobilization, it is that strange coalitions are possible in ways that heighten the risk of spontaneous and planned violence. At the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, anti-maskers, QAnon conspiracy theorists and ordinary Trump supporters joined forces with more militant white supremacists and anti-government extremists around a shared goal of preventing the U.S. presidential election vote count from taking place. . . .

Such crossover ideologies and odd coalitions are likely to grow in the coming years, fueled by the very nature of online extremist radicalization. Unlike in the past, when extremist content was distributed primarily by groups with relatively clear ideologies and goals, today’s encounters with extremism are less coherent and more patchwork in nature — reflective of the pick-and-choose process of radicalization that happens as individuals encounter bits of extremist ideologies online.

We should expect extremist threats to continue to evolve and morph into new forms in the years to come. Far-right extremists will simultaneously praise the Taliban and promote anti-refugee backlash. They will seek alliances with others — even supposed opponents — who they see as sharing goals around restoring tradition, countering modernity and protecting heritage. They may mobilize around perceived shared enemies, including Jews, feminists and multiculturalism itself.

To outsiders, cross-ideological expressions of support and praise may seem contradictory. But while we can’t fully predict the ways that extremist movements will reinforce and feed off one another in the years to come, we should at least anticipate it.

The Taliban Taking Afghanistan Was NOT A Surprise

There is a lot of talk about it being a surprise that the Taliban is swiftly taking over Afghanistan now that the U.S. is leaving. That's ridiculous. It's not a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to the 20-year war the U.S. has waged there. In spite of that 20-year war on the Taliban forces, they have remained to strongest military force in that country -- and it was obvious that they were just biding their time and waiting for the U.S. to leave.

There are even some who say we should not be leaving Afghanistan. I don't understand that thinking. If we haven't "won" in 20 years, why should anyone believe another year (or even another 20 years) would change that situation? It wouldn't!

The United States made the same mistake in Afghanistan that it made in Vietnam. It tried to use its military to build another nation into something we wanted -- without understanding the real wishes of the population in that country. Hopefully, we have now learned the lesson we failed to learn in Vietnam -- that "nation building" is not something our military is capable of doing (even though they are the best and strongest military in the world).

People in this country are bemoaning the fact that the Taliban is likely to re-impose a brutal regime, that will especially deny any rights to women. They will. But that is not for us to prevent. The people of Afghanistan will have the government they want -- and when enough of them don't want the Taliban to govern, they will do away with them. 

When will that happen? No one knows. That is up to the people of Afghanistan.

NOTE -- Some have also said the Taliban will once again allow al-Queda to operate from their country. I'm not so sure. They have to know by now that the U.S. will react to that, and I doubt they want any more war with the U.S. Anyway, we have forces in the area, and any new base built by al-Queda would be bombed out of existence. We don't need to stay in Afghanistan to prevent that.

Will The Taliban Take Over Afghanistan? Yes & That's OK!

Most U.S. troops are out of Afghanistan now, and very soon, all of them will be gone. As U.S. troops leave, the Taliban is taking over large areas of the country -- and it's very likely they will soon be in control of the whole country. This is not unexpected.

But it's being used by some to criticize the withdrawal of U.S. troops. But it shouldn't be. The U.S. (and some of its allies) have been in Afghanistan for about 20 years. It is the longest war the United States has engaged in. And for at least the last decade, it has been obvious that the situation would not get any better. There was no way the U.S. could "win".

The situation is much like the one the U.S. found itself in during the Vietnam War. We were trying to mandate a government in both Vietnam and Afghanistan through the use of our troops -- and it didn't work. We have the best military in the world, but we were asking them to accomplish an impossible task -- sustaining a (corrupt) government we had imposed on them.

Frankly, I think large numbers of Afghan citizens see that government as an extension of the United States intervention. And they won't care when it falls. Many also regard the Taliban fighters as heroes who resisted the foreign invader and finally drove them out.

That's not what Americans want to think, but it's not our country. As with any country, it is up to the citizens of Afghanistan to determine their own government (and the people that will control that government). 

Are the Taliban repressive and dictatorial? Yes. Will their government be a good one. No. It wasn't before, and it's not likely to be any better now. But that's for the citizens of Afghanistan to decide. When enough of them decide they no longer want to be ruled by the Taliban, then they will kick them out of power. It could be month or many years, but it will happen -- but it will happen only when the Afghan citizens decide it is time.

Boris Yeltsin once said that a person can build a throne out of bayonets, but they can't sit on it for very long. That applies to Afghanistan, just like it does to every country. 

The United States needs to stop trying to impose governmental change on other countries through the use of military force. It doesn't work, and we should stop trying to do it. Sadly though, we have a lot of stupid and hard-headed politicians. It would not surprise me to see them try it again -- and fail again.

Iran - It Could Be A Lot Worse

Iran and the United States are not friends.   In fact, it would not be a stretch to say they are enemies.   Because of that, a lot of Americans misunderstand Iran.   They assume that because the Iranians are muslims and are not friendly to the United States, they must be allies and supporters of al-Queda and the Taliban.   That is simply not true.

Even though they have a muslim theocracy, the Iranians understand the danger posed by muslim extremists like al-Queda and the Taliban.   Yesterday, the Iranian government announced the arrest of seven members of al-Queda near their border with Iraq.   And this is not the first time for them to take this kind of action.   They have arrested hundreds of al-Queda members.

After the United States invaded Afghanistan and knocked the Taliban out of power, hundreds of al-Queda members and their Taliban supporters fled the country.   Several hundred of them crossed into Iran.   They did not find a safe haven there.   The Iranians arrested them and expelled them from their country.   They also made copies of their passports and turned them over to the United Nations.   And they allowed the United States to interrogate some of the suspected al-Queda members.

I'm sure that surprises many Americans, who would like to lump all U.S. enemies (especially muslims) into the same group.   But muslims are not a homogenous group any more than christians are.   The Iranians are trying to become a modern developed nation, and they know the Taliban-type extremists would destroy any hope of that.

Years ago, when the USSR was struggling to support the communist-friendly government of Afghanistan, the United States supported the insurgents in Afghanistan.   The U.S. gave them money and weapons, which they used to expel the Russians and then take over Afghanistan.   Those insurgents became what is now known as the Taliban, and they supported al-Queda with their terrorist goals.

We now have the chance to make that same mistake again.   There are groups that would like to overthrow the Iranian government.   A couple of these groups are the Jundallah and the People's Mujahedeen.   These are groups who are the equivalent of the Taliban.   It would be a serious mistake for the United States to think these groups are friendly because they oppose the current Iranian government.   It would just be a repeat of the mistake the U.S. made in Afghanistan -- to turn an enemy into a terrorist state that would support attacks on the United States.

Iran is bad enough as it is, but it could be a whole lot worse.   We must be careful to not repeat past mistakes.   The truth is that the enemy of your enemy is not always your friend -- that was proven in Afghanistan.

Afghan War Is Not Looking Good

The war in Afghanistan is not going well. Since President Obama announced his decision to prolong the war and send another 40,000 troops to the country, the Taliban has stepped up it's attacks against both American troops, Afghan troops and innocent civilians. Last week, they even struck very violently at what should be the safest area in Afghanistan -- Kabul.

It causes me to wonder just how effective the new troops are going to be in trying to stabilize the country. Those troops were meant to be stationed outside of Kabul where loyalty to the Afghani government is questionable at best. It was already doubtful whether the troops could do much to stabilize the countryside, and now it looks like the capital city itself needs stabilizing.

Frankly, 40,000 troops are probably not enough to stabilize that country, especially in light of the fact that when things get hot for the Taliban and al-Queda they just move to another area or hide in Pakistan. And when they get to Pakistan, the U.S. can do nothing but use attack drones (which kill more innocent civilians than enemy fighters).

We now learn that Pakistan is not going to help fight the rebels in their country. Yesterday Major General Abbas, PR spokesman for the Pakistani army, told BBC News, "We are not going to conduct any major new operations against the militants over the next 12 months. The Pakistan army is overstretched and is not in a position to open any new fronts." In other words, al-Queda and the Taliban will get a free ride in Pakistan for the next year.

This means that at least for the next 12 months, the best the U.S. and its allies can do is to fight a holding action. Victory cannot be achieved without fighting the militants in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. With no pressure being put on them in Pakistan, there is truly no path to victory -- just the continuing deaths of allied soldiers and innocent civilians.

In the current situation, there is no point in even sending 40,000 more troops. We need to just withdraw our troops. It is, and has been, a mistake to support the unpopular, corrupt and misogynistic government of President Karzai anyway.

With the recent Pakistani decision not to fight, our position in Afghanistan has become untenable. I urge President Obama to stop this mad folly and bring all of our troops home.

Pakistan - Do Your Part Or Step Aside !

It was always obvious that George Bush was much more interested in attacking Saddam Hussein and Iraq than in bringing al-Queda and the Taliban to justice, even though the former had nothing to do with the 9/11 attack and the latter were completely responsible for it. That's why he left the job half-done in Afghanistan to concentrate on invading Iraq.

That gave the Taliban and al-Queda time to regroup and re-arm, and during the last few years of his presidency they began to re-establish themselves and begin their march back to power. Fortunately, President Obama knows who the real enemy is and he's prepared to do something about it.

President Obama has already told us he will send more troops to Afghanistan, but he knows that is not enough. He is also sending thousands of civilian employees as teachers and trainers and to help the Afghanis to rebuild their country's infrastructure. All of this is needed, but it is not all that's needed.

One reason the Taliban and al-Queda have been able to make a comeback, is they are receiving protection and aid from people in Pakistan. In fact, members of Pakistan's intelligence service are still passing information and arms to them. This has to stop, and the Pakistani government must root them out and expell them.

I hope the Pakistani government knows that President Obama is serious about his commitment to crush the Taliban and bring al-Queda to justice. I have a feeling if the Pakistanis don't do what is necessary, President Obama will. He has already struck across the border into Pakistan, and I don't think he'll hesitate to do it again and again.

I support President Obama in his war against al-Queda and the Taliban. As an old hippie who still believes as he did in the sixties and seventies, I generally oppose war. It is seldom the best solution to a problem. But these are the people who killed over 3,000 Americans. These are the people who believe women have no rights and would treat them as property. These are the people willing to kill numerous innocents to prove a religious point. These are the people willing to throw acid in the faces of young girls for going to school.

If there ever was a group that justified a war, it is al-Queda and the Taliban. President Obama has said these groups pose the greatest threat to America and the world. Pakistan either needs to do their part or get the hell out of the way, because the job will be done.

Could Afghanistan Become A Failed State ?

"Afghanistan stands at a crossroads. The progress achieved after six years of international engagement is under serious threat from resurgent violence, weakening international resolve, mounting regional challenges and a growing lack of confidence on the part of the Afghan people about the future direction of their country."

Those are the words of the independent and non-partisan Center for the Study of the Presidency. The group tried to examine the Afghanistan situation in the same way the Iraq Study Group did for Iraq.

Frankly the group did not like what they saw. They believe Afghanistan is becoming the "forgotten war", and that the government there may not survive. They say that we are trying to win that war with "too few military forces and insufficient economic aid".

Lest we forget, It was the Taliban in Afghanistan that supported and protected the al-Queda terrorists that attacked America on 9/11. After that tragedy, Bush promised to apprehend Osama bin Laden and destroy the Taliban that supported him. He has done neither.

American troops made a very good start in Afghanistan, and it looked like Bush might actually keep his promise. But then he decided that Iraqi oil was more important than getting the terrorists that had attacked the United States. He pulled most of the troops out before the job had been finished, and started a totally unnecessary war in Iraq -- a war that quickly became a never-ending quagmire.

Because Bush failed to keep his promise and finish the job, the situation has gotten steadily worse in Afghanistan. The Taliban and their al-Queda allies are getting stronger every day. In fact, they now are even taking control of border areas in Pakistan and putting that country in danger of disintegrating into tribalism.

The situation in Afghanistan clearly needs more troops and money, but that will be very difficult to do. The failed and unnecessary invasion and occupation of Iraq has already stretched our military too thin and ballooned our national debt. We may now be in a position where we cannot win either war.

This is an amazing display of incompetence by the Bush administration. And by the way -- WHERE IS OSAMA? Shouldn't he be dead or in jail by now?

Did Bush Make The World A Safer Place ?

After 9/11, many who weren't already paying attention suddenly realized that we live in a dangerous world. President Bush used the opportunity to promise Americans (and the world) that he would declare a war on terror, and make the world a safer place for everyone.

His first move, the invasion of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, was almost universally supported. Anyone who has read this blog knows I am not a Bush supporter, but even I thought the Afghanistan invasion was neccessary and appropriate. The Taliban didn't just support and protect Al-queda, their beliefs are virtually interchangeable.

But Bush wasn't happy with attacking the real criminals who had attacked us. Before we had even finished the job in Afghanistan, he turned his attention elsewhere. After lying to America and the world, he invaded Iraq, once again using the excuse of "making the world a safer place".

Of course, now we know that he was not telling us the truth. Saddam was not a danger to America (or any other country for that matter), he did not have nuclear weapons or even a nuclear weapons program, and he was not in league with Al-queda. In fact, as most Muslims already knew, Saddam and Osama hated each other.

Now we are stuck in a real mess in Iraq, and the Taliban is coming back in Afghanistan. Why did Bush have to invade Iraq before finishing the job in Afghanistan? I don't know. But most of the world thinks it was to control Iraq's vast oil supply.

The Pew Global Attitudes Project gives us the following percentages of people in different countries who think we invaded Iraq because of the oil:

Great Britain..........33%

Russia.....................51%

France.....................58%

Germany.................60%

Pakistan..................54%

Turkey....................64%

Morrocco................63%

Jordan....................71%

But has the invasion of Iraq made the world a safer place? No! Once again referring to the Pew Global Attitudes Project, we find that most people, including half of Americans, think Bush has made the world a more dangerous place. Here are the numbers:

COUNTRY............LESS SAFE

France..................76%

Spain....................68%

Germany..............66%

Great Britain.......60%

Russia..................44%

Japan...................61%

China...................44%

India....................34%

Nigeria................32%

Jordan.................74%

Egypt...................70%

Turkey.................70%

Indonesia............54%

Pakistan..............52%

As you can see, a majority of people in countries that we consider to be our allies, think that Bush's blunder in invading Iraq has made the world a more dangerous place.

The war in Iraq is bleeding away the effectiveness of our military, is needlessly costing the lives of our soldiers, is using resources that could be put to better use in Afghanistan, and has made the world a more dangerous place!

It is time to bring our troops home. Just yesterday Muqtada al-Sadr, who was once a supporter of the government Bush installed in Iraq, called on Iraqi soldiers and police to join his militiamen in attacking American soldiers. Over the weekend, 10 more American soldiers were killed in Iraq. Our soldiers have no friends in Iraq. They are hated by both the Shiites and the Sunnis.

Stop the madness and bring our soldiers home!