Lord David Richards, former Chief of the Defence Staff, 31.7.2021

who commanded all Western forces in Afghanistan in 2006/7.

He used the words, 'nadir' and 'defeat' in Afghanistan but added that what happened in Iraq, Libya and Syria.  And, it is a pretty sorry tale of Western failed GO strategy over the last twenty years and its time we had an explanation of why and what we are now going to do about it.

"Weren't mistakes made earlier?" asked Mishal Husain.

I accept my share of the blame, said Lord Richards.

We introduced democracy and that allows them to hope for the future and that is at great risk with no substitute strategy.

"But is this not an impossible mission to control a country like Afghanistan", asked Mishal Husain?

The Afghans don't want to be ruled by the Taliban and successive elections have proved that.  This is not some popular uprising.  This is a brutal and effective military force driven by some very hardline ideology that wants to impose themselves on the vast majority of the people of Afghanistan.  

Frank Gardner on Afghanistan deaths 17 April 2021

FROM: - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-56770570

The cost of this 20-year military and security engagement has been astronomically high - in lives, in livelihoods and in money. Over 2,300 US servicemen and women have been killed and more than 20,000 injured, along with more than 450 Britons and hundreds more from other nationalities.

But it is the Afghans themselves who have borne the brunt of the casualties, with over 60,000 members of the security forces killed and nearly twice that many civilians.

The estimated financial cost to the US taxpayer is close to a staggering US$1 trillion. 

Twenty years on, the country is still not at peace. According to the research group Action on Armed Violence, 2020 saw more Afghans killed by explosive devices than in any other country in the world. Al-Qaeda, Islamic State (IS) and other militant groups have not disappeared, they are resurgent and doubtless encouraged by the imminent departure of the last remaining Western forces.  END of Gardner's report

FROM: -

Afghanistan: Record civilian casualties in 2021, UN reports

Afghan civilians were killed or injured at record levels in the first half of this year as violence escalated, the UN says.

A new report says Afghanistan recorded more than 1,600 civilian deaths so far in 2021. That's a 47% rise compared with this time last year.

And the UN warns the number of deaths could rise still further.

Government forces have been fighting Taliban insurgents, who now control large parts of the country.

Most international forces have withdrawn after a mission lasting nearly 20 years.

FROM:-  https://www.rescue-uk.org/country/afghanistan

Women and girls should never be a target of violence

• The IRC is horrified and outraged by the barbaric bomb attack on the Sayed-u-Shohada Girls’ School in Afghanistan, which killed more than 50 people.

• Afghanistan continues to be one of the most dangerous places for civilians and children, and attacks targeting them are a gross violation of international humanitarian law.

• All parties in Afghanistan must stop this terrible violence immediately. The IRC is calling on the International community to support peace efforts

​Switzerland's values v UK/France/US values

Corbyn is NOT a warrior, NOT a warmonger.  He does NOT believe in upping the violence to turn friends into enemies and, then, with more retaliation from our side, making even more ferocious enemies.  Make the UK like Switzerland - famous for non aggression, for being revenge free and, with a first class rail network.  What a fine example for us to follow, James, my friend!  (James Morris, my MP)

Switzerland never attacked Egypt in what the UK, France and Israel called the 'Suez Crisis'.

Switzerland never ousted democratic Prime Minister Mosadeq in Iran.

Switzerland never ousted democratic Allende in Chile on another 9/11.  This time, 1973.

Switzerland never ousted Saddam from Iraq in 2003 or the Taliban in 2001, only to find that the Taliban popped up again, al Qaeda was reinvigorated and Islamic State also rose like a phoenix out of the ashes of our own making in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

Switzerland did not remove Gaddafi from Libya to make things worse for the people there.

Switzerland is not part of the crusader ("if you are not for us you are against us" GW Bush) coalition of the willing to oust Bashar al Assad from Syria.

Non-aligned Switzerland does not get attacked, bombed and hated for killing our fellow humans 3,000 miles away.
Switzerland is morally strong on the world stage.
UK/France/US is militarily strong on the world stage.

My comment on Harry Leslie Smith's piece in the 'Guardian'

from: 'IAdmireAngelinaJolie':

"He has been dead a long time now, but I doubt very much that he would want to lay a wreath at the

Cenotaph. He was opposed to all forms of aggression... and the memorializing of such aggression. The

folly of man is best forgotten." (the comment that 'IAdmireAngelinaJolie' comments on, now:)

Yes. Well. Amos Oz said:The only alternative to continuing the Israeli military operation is simply to follow 

Jesus Christ and turn the other cheek. I never agreed with Jesus Christ about the need to turn the other 

cheek to an enemy. Unlike European pacifists I never believed the ultimate evil in the world is war. In my view 

the ultimate evil in the world is aggression, and the only way to repel aggression is unfortunately by force.

That is where the difference lies between a European pacifist and an Israeli peacenik like myself. And if I may

add a little anecdote: A relative of mine who survived the Nazi Holocaust in Theresienstadt always reminded 

her children and her grandchildren that her life was saved in 1945 not by peace demonstrators with placards 

and flowers but by Soviet soldiers and submachine guns.

http://www.dw.de/oz-lose-lose-situation-for-israel/a-17822511

SELF:

This is similar to the non-violent, English Baptist member of a Christian Peacemaker team who was 

kidnapped by al Qaeda in Iraq and then was rescued by the SAS.

I do find it strange that an Israeli peacenik, Amos Oz should write, "In my view the ultimate evil in the world is  

aggression, and the only way to repel aggression is unfortunately by force."

Is not using force or violence, aggression also?  Both Israelis and Palestinians accuse the other of just that -

aggression.  It gets them nowhere but to yet more revenge violence.  Revenge is so sweet for the victim of

aggression.  However, when the victim of aggression hits back, we call that terrorism.  Hence, al Qaeda, the

Taliban, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic State, some Palestinians are all terrorists.  Our side - NATO and Israel - 

are the peaceniks, the peacemakers because we use our violence and aggression - whoops, I mean force - 

to bring peace out of aggression by our military might is right!

This is all absolutely absurd.  Better to talk to terrorists, who are people like us and get a negotiated,

permanent settlement - as in N Ireland.  Netanyahu and Abbas may then become the Israel/Palestinian 

Chuckle Brothers like Paisley and McGuinness were in N Ireland.  That is even more absurd!

God is on OUR side. So there!

We always like to call Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, Castro, Mugabe, al Qaeda and the Taliban as mass murderers but, oh no, never ourselves.  We are always angels and have God on our side, so what we do is just fine!

Colonialism and subjugation, imperialism and domination of others, of strangers, of foreigners.  And, this carry on went on for centuries, all over the world; and was official government policy and was widely accepted as very proper, civilised behaviour.  Even accepted by the Church and virtually all individual Christians and who went in on the coat tails of the explorers, traders and the armed forces to make Christians of the heathen natives.  This behaviour of domination and empire building all too soon led to the pernicious and murderous slave trade - again, with the Church fully implicated in this crime against humanity.  Astonishing!

Continuous at-sea deterrent

" ... can my right hon. Friend confirm the absolute centrality in his thinking of the fact that we need to maintain a continuous at-sea deterrent?" James Morris MP

" Dr Fox: I have absolutely no problem in agreeing with my hon. Friend about the importance of continuous at-sea deterrence." Secretary of State for Defence

Our continuous at-sea deterrent, the Trident submarine, is essential for a great superpower and sea power that we always have been and always will be. We only, in the last fifty years, graciously and generously gave away the biggest and longest lasting empire in the history of the world and, therefore, we need to continue to punch above our weight.

The UK is as important as the US, of course and, as they have a continuous at-sea deterrent, so must we. We are the unofficial 51st state of the USA, we have a special relationship with them that means what they do we must do. Our big friend always knows best and we must continue to follow where they lead. We can't have some well-meaning types saying that we should think for ourselves and be independent of the USA.

In addition, of course, our continuous at-sea deterrent has prevented war and attacks on our land since the 2nd World War. Our continuous at-sea deterrent impresses our enemies like al Qaeda and the Taliban and shows them what a rich and muscle flexing and aggressive nation we are. We deserve to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council, for ever - thanks to our power and might in the world, reinforced by our continuous at-sea deterrent.

After all, we can't have the UK becoming like Norway that is notorious for its diplomacy and peace-mongering in attempting to settle the wars between Israel and Palestine and the recently ended violence in Sri Lanka.