Christopher Hitchens on the Afghan Surge

[lafontaine13]

as long as we continue to promote idiots from the jfk school of government, and other dusty programs, we will continue to get such failed foreign policies.

[chrisduzzo]

The world's most feared writer and public intellectual, Christopher Hitchens ravishes a brutal assault on Obama administration's sarcastic love affair with Fundamental theocratic forces in the subcontinent, while ignoring the only secular democracy existing in the region. He's absolutely error-less in his depiction & possible presumption that theocratic fascists would bring half of the world into disaster, if US continues feeding & sharing bed with them.

[IsupportWikileaks]

@wise120481 I'd have to agree. The Wikileaks Cables exposed the true extent of the ISI's relationship with the Taliban and nobody seems to even doubt the fact now that at least some elements of the Pakistani Military there seems to be assisting them.

[EllyMcCormack]

Hitchen's was right about Pakistan. The Wikileaks, leaks of various military and diplomatic papers talk about how the I.S.I (Pakistan's Secret Service) are believe to have been assisting the Islamic extremists. And in all likelihood still are.

[1ronman786]

india do not want to get involved because they know everything your country is doing in afganistan and pakistan is wrong wrong wrong. its just you fucks that are so brainwashed to believe your government lies

[sgtmcwallace]

well put

[knowthetruth1492]

India has seriously violated the IAEA's non-proliferation agreements, like the one that say's you cannot build nuclear bombs. Yet the U.S. government and people like Hitchens believe Iran should be attacked for legally producing nuclear energy to modernize their country. I like Hitchens ideas on religion, but his political ideas are so hypocritical and imperialist.

[CommanderC4]

@knowthetruth1492 The point is valid, but the counter point is that the Indian government is relatively stable and secularist (for a middle eastern country that is). The larger picture is picking our friends in a very US unfriendly region. Hitchens is definitely not a liberal but I find that his arguments are at least rational, a welcome change from the right which is currently dominated by quasi-imperialist Bible thumpers.

[knowthetruth1492]

@CommanderC4 , Why do we need India to help in the U.S. in the struggle for world domination? And India is not a middle eastern country. India is a Southern Asian country.

[CommanderC4]

@knowthetruth1492 Semantics. They have a great deal of influence in the region, as they always have. And the US is NOT all powerful. We had our asses handed to us in Vietnam and Korea, just ask a solder who fought there. The government doesn't want to entice the terrorists or create panic among the populace, but the US is simply fighting a war it is not equipped to fight. We need to stabilize the region before trying anything else, and for that we need India.

[soham087]

@knowthetruth1492 You are wrong. India has not violated one single IAEA agreement that it agreed to obey. India does not support the NPT in its present form, and her nuclear capabilities are her own, not stolen. Neither does she have any history of proliferation Iran, on the other hand, is a NPT signatory who is violating the treaty terms.

You sound as if the NPT is binding on countries which refuse to sign or ratify it.

[knowthetruth1492]

@soham087 , Just take the fact that India has used its nuclear energy too build nukes. That right there is the most serious violation of the NPT. What is the most serious violation that Iran has done against the NPT?

[soham087]

@knowthetruth1492 I hate to say it, but you give me the awful impression of never having read anything about NPT or the history of proliferation. India developed its own technology and build bombs far before the NPT was visioned. It hasn't signed the NPT. Is hasn't diverted IAEA supplied technology to bomb-making. Iran has. What exactly is the treaty that India has violated? Refusal to sign the NPT is not a violation of it. Maybe in hegemonic American eyes.

[edicccc]

this guy is confused or a crook. He has been promised a nice house and some status when their New World Order gets through.

[03Kabbotta11]

@edicccc Ha, you're funny. Now go play with your toys. The adults are talking.

[edicccc]

@03Kabbotta11 adults?? you call yourself an adult? Try to reply in a mature manner then will you? Hitchens is an idiot. He supports the war in Irak which is based on lies. He refuses even to look what happened on 9/11 even when there is overwhelming evidence this has been an inside job. He has become a puppet of the ultra rich and I believe he is even welcome in the White House these days. This guy has turned crooked u are just too great a fool to realise it. So he is either a fool or criminal

[03Kabbotta11]

@edicccc Your reply has zero facts in it. Just a bunch of statements. I actually disagree with Hitchens on the need to fight both wars, but that, once again is a debate for grown-ups. I assure you that he, and almost every other reasonable person has looked at what happened on 9/11. I am siding with the engineers that studied the building and determined beyond a shadow of a doubt that the steel could have been melted and compromised by the impact with a commercial jet.

[edicccc]

@03Kabbotta11 you are a fool. There is evidence that super thermite or nano thermite has been found in the dust of the world trade center (see peer reviewed article on this). Further there is overwhelming mechanical evidence that without a structural collapse using explosives or thermite the buildings could not have collapsed as they did. It just requires some basic physics to figure this out. Don't believe these crooks like Hitchens the traitor. He seems smart but has some agenda based on lies.

[03Kabbotta11]

@edicccc Sorry friend, you picked the wrong person to try and BS on this one. I am a graduate physics student ; )

[edicccc]

@03Kabbotta11 I have a masters in Physics. If you can't see that these buildings have been brought down by controlled demolition I would not bother to finish your studies => you do not have any talent.

[03Kabbotta11]

@edicccc You're telling me someone with a masters in Physics spells Iraq with a 'k'...Irak?

Okay, I might be able to believe that is true, but the world is filled with so much BS and nonsense if you really have a degree in Physics you are supposed to be able to be trusted to help eliminate these naive views of the world. Not propagate them!

If you would like to actually list a single fact...NOT ANECDOTE...I will be happy to refute it, but so far...you're batting zero, brother.

[edicccc]

@03Kabbotta11 where I live it is spelled as Irak you dummy. The evidence these buildings have been brought down by controlled demolition is overwhelming. I mentioned sources but you think you are so smart and you think you know what happened and therefor you will not look into the evidence. You just believe what the media and your government tell you to believe. You are a good boy, exactly what they want you to be.

[03Kabbotta11]

@edicccc Ha, sorry I thought that you might spell it that way, but I asked google and I couldn't find any confirmation. Needless to say, there is overwhelming evidence that they were NOT brought down by demolitions. There was a team of about 100 explosives experts that spent weeks photographing the entire site and none of them found any shred of evidence for controlled demolitions. So if that's not enough to prove you false. We can expand on it later ; )

[edicccc]

@03Kabbotta11 did you really investigate yourself? I just can't believe someone claiming to have above average intelligence can come to such a conclusion. Maybe for starters go to the ae911truth org site. Don't be a fool and believe the explosive experts who have been sent by the government to manufacture this NIST report. There are really so many things that just don't add up and you will find them when you do the research. It is the complete picture that demands for a reinvestigation.

[drumsforhands]

@edicccc and what do you plan to do about it?

[edicccc]

@drumsforhands spreading the word for now. Many people never even thought about it. They all agree to go live in a cage when the government comes with another terror scare. Here in Europe we are now seeing the same happening. Today a terror alert in Germany. It is all bogus. Force the population into submissiveness. With all that has happened, all the evidence that emerged sofar, all the government secrecy, the bad acting by Bush how can one still believe the official story??

[TurboDally]

@edicccc

"He supports the war in Irak which is based on lies."

He supported the war in Iraq for other reasons

"9/11...overwhelming evidence this has been an inside job."

Holy s**t people know about the NWO? Damn!

[majesticalps]

Hitchens should be given an Honorary Indian Citizenship for making the case for India. He has stated PRECISELY the thoughts of all Indians and all sane people of the world who are watching in shock and disgust the way this idiot of a president Obama is kissing Pakistan's butt and humiliating US and its allies in the process. I just hope this idiotic president will realise who the real ally of the US is, and that's India NOT Pakistan!

[tubub]

I'd like to see Ferguson and Hitchens have a debate

[tjohn1986]

india has stood the test of time for 6000 years. its not going anywhere. matter of fact soon it will be a race between india and china for world dominance

[montychandra]

My God !! Hitchens is good !!

Wish he would visit India !!

He would be treated like a demi-god.

He is so, so, so right !!

[SketchyBack]

@montychandra Hitchens doesn't need to go to India to be treated like a demigod. He is amazing and awesome as it is

[montychandra]

@SketchyBack An unnecessary point to make. I know how amazing and awesome he is. One of the greatest intellectuals of our time. I was just saying that a lot of people in India dont know who he is, and if he was to go there and interact more with Indians, he would be treated like a demi-god there, partly because they thirst for intellectuals with courage.

[SketchyBack]

@montychandra It wasn't a point. It was jest on the theme of Hitchens-appreciation. I'm sorry to detract from your more serious statement =). Best wishes to the Hindi

[johhnyutah]

He used to get fucked in university by a guy, end of story.

[pacificguitarist]

@johhnyutah

what?

[abhi5a]

@johhnyutah

so? u gotta problem with gays

[sophilianate]

"if we continue to dick around with this afpack, a - look beaten, b - look stupid and c go broke." - Nicely put Christopher.

[ioport]

Limey blowhard

[amaqula]

Secularism has rotted Europe from within - now Islam is coming to finish it off!

Only a CATHOLIC STATE - foundational state of the West - will resist your demographic wipeout and Islamisation at the hands of idiot secular governance! Prepare for a Catholic State - or prepare for your burka!

[kuroshashu]

@amaqula: I don't know which is worse.

To paraphrase Hitchens, we have a right to remember how the Catholic church behaved when it was making us an offer we could not refuse.

[amaqula]

You don't have any rigths - you have priviledges! And without the Catholic church you wouldn;t be where you are today! The Church is the seed of Western civilisation!  Without it - the West has less hope than a snowdrop in hell's chance of survival and resisting islam!

Only a CATHOLIC STATE will resist your demographic wipeout and Islamisation by idiot secularism! Don;t believe in dreams please ie secularism!

[kuroshashu]

@amaqula: Yes, and I'm saying that I don't know if a catholic state would be any better.

[BW022]

Nonsense.

The basis of Western civilizations is Greece. Democracy, free speech, rules of law, etc. started there long before Christians.

Of course the Christians happily took Europe out of Greek/Roman rule and into the dark ages. Nearly a thousand years of insanity, religious wars, inquisitions, etc. which only ended when the Catholic church lost power to nationalism and the scientific revolution.

The US is based on folks fleeing from other Christians. Hardly an endorsement.

[amaqula]

Nope - the basis of Western civilisation is the Incarnation ie that Christ is God Himself! On this the West hung - without it the West is dying and Democracy free speech etc are of no use! In fact Islam uses these to infiltrate and dominate! Also these make no demands unlike Catholicism which makes huge demands for good reason! A creed or philosophy which makes no demands but promises the sun moon and stars is immediatedly suspect! Don't fall for it!

CATHOLIC STATE forever!

[BW022]

I'm not a psychiatrist so I can't help you.

The sane people of the planet know what there has never been a Catholic democracy. They remember what Europe was like when the Catholic church was in charge - fear, burnings, persecution, surpression of science, attacks on other religions, banning of books, etc.

[RATIOETVERITAS]

What kind of ahistorical nonsensical babble is this!

It is precisely because of the emergence of such "idiot" secularism, that Western society was able to wake up from the religious nightmares so unrelentingly forced upon it by the Catholic Church for centuries, and work to overthrow what amounts to the very same kind of destructively psychopathic religion now being proliferated by the Jihadists of today.

The last last thing this conflict needs injected into it is another shot of religion.

[LordMalice6d9]

@RATIOETVERITAS, Christianity cannot combat Radical Islam by itself, the Crusades failed in stopping Islam before, and if there were to be another war between Christianity and Islam again, Christianity will not be able to hold itself together.

[itarethetroll]

@LordMalice6d9 Maybe there should be a crusade so we have less Christians and Muslims.

[BelfastAtheist]

@LordMalice6d9

Jesus and Muhammed were two very different prophets..

The fascist face of militant islam has continuously grown larger on a global scale, it's a fact that these terrorism-advocating puritans are not a 1 or 2% minority in Islam and even if they were, we would still be talking about 14 millian people. Muhammedanism and its ethos are directly derived from a man who loved to kill and persecute and rape. Islam hasn't got over its darker days, christianity at least made some progress

[warwickshire800]

Hitchens is right. Support India, the real democratic country that is being dismembered by Islamic radicalism.

[BorgHub]

Obama is the new Chamberlin.

trying to appease our enemies and befriend them by sacrificing our true and natural allies

[A44732]

I'm still blown away given Hitchens views that he endorsed Obama over McCain.

[elfred1980]

Because Obama is the better choice, and Hitch is of course smart enough to know that.

[MattyJames25]

Don't hurt your Fox News lead brain too much thinking about it...

[2LeBronJordan3]

if only given two choices: suck or suckier -wouldn't you endorse suck?

[hiro54]

@A44732 Hitchens actually talks about his decision to vote for Obama instead of McCain in this video: /watch?v=b9XjLIyIgKE

I recommend that whole series, actually.

[xXshinzoXx]

It was a choice between two horrible Presidents; A horrible liar (Obama) and a plain horrible leader (Mc Cain) whos at one breath away from a retarded leader (Palin), thats far worst than Bush.

I respect Hitchens of his choice, however, no matter who he votes for; Its his own right and he deserves every bit of it.

[thenaj88]

I suppose you're referring to some of his conservative views and support of the war (which I do support as well). It should be obvious why he supported Obama, I think... Being in support of the Iraq war does not mean you can't support Obama, he has the same goals as Bush essentially. (I don't think any administration is very different for the most part)... Ok to get to the point, a vote for McCain was a vote for the ignorant, lying Sarah Palin. Obama at least had some knowledge of the world

[lanceawatt]

I'm guessing it's his discontentment with repugnant Sarah Palin.

[holio84]

Hitch knows that religious fanatics in the white house are the last thing we need.

[lepolemicist]

The muslims in India are more well-off than their Pakistani counterparts. Plain old irony for the Indians, tragic irony for the Pakistanis.

[reinforcedpenisstem]

What a hard job it would be, cutting through the copious amounts of bullshit all day everyday. But, Hitchens does the job well.

[neildutta]

Hitch hits the nail on its head!!

[Eye0fTheStorm]

Alexander the great attacked afghanistan with his mighty army and lost

Mongol hordes attacked afghanistan and lost

The British tried to colonize afghansitan (1st anglo-afghan) war and lost

They tried again in the 2nd anglo-afghan war & lost

Russians tried to take over afghanistan in the 80s & they lost

Now the americans are trying to take over afghanistan to control central asian oil & they are losing

Afghanistan, where greedy empires go to die

Afghans are lions. May Allah ease their suffering

[Gnomefro]

If you look at the russian vs the afghan losses during the russian invasion, you'll learn a lot about who got their butts kicked. The only reason the russians withdrew was the large american supported community of afghan refugees in Pakistan. Afghanistan itself was taken in a very short time and without american aid, the refugees would have no way of even harrassing the soviets.

Besides, the soviets didn't suffer a military defeat, they withdrew due to economic factors unrelated to afghanistan

[GaiusIuliusTaberna]

@Gnomefro besides, the so called graveyard of empires was conquered by everyone from Alexander the great to the Mongols to the British. They didn't have any problem holding it until they their empires collapsed due to external threats and economic collapse.

[MinervaInTheBrain]

Too bad Allah has done a poor job of protecting Afghanistan from it's internal enemies that have caused for a great deal of the troubles it's people have gone through, there is blood on Afghan hands as well.

And if the Americans "fail" then the Afghan despots that take control will have the oil and money they seek to rape their land and exploit their own people. Allah started the Afghan suffering anew 8 years ago, Allah willed for the Americans to come to Afghanistan, and they did come.

[powereddrive]

Since Pakistan and Afghanistan are corrupt why don't we pull out and let them run their own country, our own economy is in the gutter, our schools suck, the health care bill is going to put our country into bankruptcy, why don't we pull a founding fathers and get the fuck out of other peoples' countries?

Right now we are losing our democracy at home, who are we to go over to other peoples' countries and tell them what to do?

[IsaacBickerstaffEsq]

"why don't we pull a founding fathers and get the fuck out of other peoples' countries? "

The first President to send a fleet across the Atlantic, land Marines and fight against Islam on the ground, in their own territory was . . .

Thomas Jefferson.

[Protoman85]

@IsaacBickerstaffEsq Yes but that was because the libyans captured and raped and enslaved US citizens for nothing at all. I'm not a US citizen myself but I do think such act deserves punishment.

[IsaacBickerstaffEsq]

If profit and pussy are "for nothing at all" than hardly any man has ever done ANYTHING for any reason at all.

"I do think such act deserves punishment. "

I did not address the issue of validity at all.

[Protoman85]

@IsaacBickerstaffEsq profit and pussy and hardly justifiable reasons, and I think you were trying to make the argument that jeffersons actions were wrong?

[podimala]

Hitchens is absolutely right, America is getting royally screwed by the Punjabi dominated Pakistani army, all this anti-Taliban actions by the Pakistani army is pure theater.

[MCDon17]

I LOVE "THE HITCH"!!!!!!!!!!

[pwenzlik]

"Open a map and see how titanically important India is as a ..."

Interesting choice of words.

[Melvin6566842]

A democratic secular superpower... you think there is something wrong with that?

There is no real word yet for the big five of the 21th century: USA, EU, China, India and Russia. You call them "great powers" or "superpowers"?

[BigMikeMcBastard]

Only one of those is a superpower. Nuclear power isn't the same as being a superpower.

[Melvin6566842]

That's true, I didn't include Pakistan, Israel etc. for obvious reasons. But even though the US is still the strongest worldpower, it can't do things alone.

The sooner Americans get used to the fact that the world has changed, that there are strong other powers with an agenda on their own and they realize that they need real friends too, the better... obvious choices for natural allies of the US are the EU and India.

It would be good for them, for the world and for democracy and rule of law.

[baresolid]

I used to agree with Hitchens but his brother is right about the region: staying is pointless. 'Denuclearizing and democratizing Iran'? How do we do that? Install another Shah like the CIA and MI6 did fifty years ago? Why should the Persians trust America?

[ClumsyRoot]

LOL! "Dick around."

[smilz32]

Ha ha Hitch said "D!ck around"!!! Everything besides that was 100% correct. to bad people on tv do not remember what this guys says after he goes away.

[koripley]

They need to remove those idiotic sound effects. Kudlow is an annoying ass by the way. I would guess he's an Ann Rand worshiper, like Alan Greenspan and all those other right-wing loonys.

[tiko2114]

Ayn Rand. And Greenspan of today is completely different than he was during her time. I wonder what she would say of him if she was alive.

[jjfyke01]

Ayn Rand is terribly overrated.

[texjoy86]

How do you tell a libertarian? It's someone who reads Ayn Rand. And how do you tell a liberal? It's someone who understands Ayn Rand.

[tiko2114]

see what does liberal mean? classical liberal? because im cool with that. i dont understand why voluntary interactions are discarded for control freak top down beauracrats. at least hitchens has a soft spot for jefferson.

[TwilightCodex]

Horrible bitch.

[NoRegretsForOurYouth]

I've read few philosophis more childish than Ayn Rand's objectivism.

[ColdCypher]

@jjfyke01 Ayn Rand justifies capitalism. Enough said.

[equsnarnd]

@jjfyke01 According to what?

[IsupportWikileaks]

@jjfyke01 I think some of her interviews and speeches during the sixties were marvellous. There's nothing more impressive to me than an argument I strongly disagree with, delivered with such skill that in spite of this I won't stop myself admiring it's cleverness.

[tiko2114]

and i dont know what i said to warrent so many negative votes.

[MinervaInTheBrain]

tiko...you were the first to corretly spell Ayn Rand...

[MinervaInTheBrain]

If Ayn Rand was alive today, she'd still be bitching about the commies taking her dear old daddy's store.

[DizzyCtube]

"If we get, If we get, If we get, If we get these wrong, If we get these things wrong, If we get these things wrong"

- Hitchens

Go Hitch!

[yRegal]

Yes how silly of Christopher to keep getting interrupted, you got him there,

[DizzyCtube]

Easy easy. I'm on Hitch's side here!

[spinozareagan]

I believe everything Hitchens says and adopt all of his political opinions immediately because he rules, LOL. Pwnage.

[nikashamit87]

ur just like me......but thats missing the point

[AsSomedayItMayHappen]

I hate to break it to you but thats some what of a paradox. One of his political opinions is that one shouldn't adopt someone else's simply because they rule. So you would by extension be going against your own principles, simply through the act of adopting them.

[jove04]

It looks like a miracle is in the making in Afghanistan. The NATo force will be defeated there. Reason? The county is mostly rugged mountains with no roads makes most NATO war machines useless. Most Afghan people live in small villages of 1500 making it impossible to identify and kill the Taliban in big groups. NATO has to rely on Pakistan for most of their supplies which is very insecure. I believe the U.S. will bleed to death economically and NATO will disintegrate due to this adventure.

[gsread]

It's funny that Mr. Hitchens cited the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty as an argument for the denuclearization of Iran. Iran has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It's no secret that the countries that have not signed the treaty are the United States, India, Israel, and Pakistan. Yet Iran is the nuclear threat? He must know this.

[Aaron518]

Sorry buddy,but the U.S HAS signed it. North Korea however isn't a signature anymore.

And yes,Iran is the threat because they have stated they want to wipe another nation off the map .Why is it so hard for people to grasp the difference,its not hard. You don't let the guy who doesn't care about if he lives or dies to have access to weapons if they have made it clear they would probably use them in an offensive matter.

[gsread]

Where's the evidence that shows that the U.S. signed the treaty? We are notorious for overriding international law because we are one of the only nations w/ veto power. And despite Ahmadenejad's threat to nuke another nation I doubt that their weapons are for anything other than a deterrent. If they so much as loaded a nuclear weapon they would be incinerated to dust. Our front against Iran is just another piece in our agenda to transform the middle east into a series of client states.

[Aaron518]

Where is the evidence that the U.S signed the treaty? Are you really THAT stupid that you're going to question that the U.S has signed it. Oh gee,I don;t know,maybe if you go look at the list of signatures on THE U.N WEBSITE. So even though you agree he has threatened to do it,you'd believe he's just kidding and shouldn't take it seriously? Good logic. ANd I agree,no one should have veto power in the UN,that's part of why its a farce,but its irrelevant to this issue.

[gsread]

I'll take a look at the UN website. And there's no need to insult me I was geniunely interested in this issue and I thought we could have a mature exchange about the issue. I was mistaken. Thanks for the reference though.

[johnclavis]

"Iran" hasn't said anything. A particular leader who isn't particularly well-liked said what you quote. Bombing and destabilizing another country that hasn't attacked us, AGAIN, is not smart or American. We don't get to decide which country gets nukes and which doesn't, unilaterally. It isn't our job. You trusted Bush to choose to invade Iraq based on a lie, just like his dad invaded Iraq on a lie (search for "hill knowlton incubator kuwait"). "We cannot wait for a smoking gun"? What a crock.

[Aaron518]

So what constitutes a country "saying" something if the president of the country doesn't count? Just because he's not liked doesn't mean that he's not in power. The Ayatollah is the supreme leader of Iran,but you've never seen him come out against anything Ahmadinejad as said and his dislike of Israel is just as hardcore,so there is ZERO reason to think they would not do what they have said. And its not unilaterally,no one wants Iran to have nukes.

[ExtremeBogom]

Thing is there is a video where a couple americans want to wipe some countries off the map.

What if someone from the far east saw this?

Surely they'll react similarly.

The video where i've seen that is the "Americans are NOT stupid" video.

[Gwisss]

The United States has not declared outright that it does not seek Nuclear Arms. The united states nuclear program fits with protocol and is open to UN inspection. Where as Iran has repeatedly stated officially it does not seek nuclear arms, yet demonstrates all the evidence that it desires nuclear arms. This alone is a shady approach for a country that wishes to be trusted in such matters. Secondly, Iran is an oppressive theocratic state, which I think is reason enough to deny them opportunity.

[MinervaInTheBrain]

Any country can sign an agreement and not follow it, you cannot really laud a country like Iran for doing that.

[gsread]

I agree. Iran should not be lauded. I'm just higlighting the hypocrisy of our foreign relations. If we are going to target a country who signed the Non-proliferation treaty without following it why not target countries who haven't signed it at all. It seems like the actions of others only constitute an international crime if they are not on our side.

[thruthem]

No one is dumb enough to challenge the Hitch.

[ExtremeBogom]

I love Hitch as much as the next man.

But what if some guy(or girl) came out of nowhere, challenged him and annihilated him.

Would the challenger still be "dumb" to challenge hitch?

[thruthem]

Anything is possible but here he is destroying 5 top apologists at once:

/watch?v=PpKBxHMlzCU

[ryanruns]

@ExtremeBogom Like who?

[ExtremeBogom]

As my previous comment said, watch "Americans are NOT stupid".