Karl-2010 wrote in #2
PR1oh1 The idea of giving the Russians their “Vietnam” was, of course, openly stated by Brzezinski. He also recently stated that it is much easier to kill a million people than controlling them. In reality though, the Russians, unlike the Americans, have enduring power. The Russians can overcome what other societies cannot overcome. The Russians have indeed spiritual powers that make them endure. The Americans lack this enduring staying power. This is the main reason the Americans have been losing all the wars they fought since the end of WWII. The Americans are making categorical error of picking fight with the Russians. It is best to have the Russians as friends than as enemies. Have you ever heard that "mathematicians are lazy, but that is what makes them genius"? They do not labor too extensively but seek the brilliant short and quick ways to solve problems. Thus a metaphor.

PR1oh1,
I never argued about it with you -- I do agree with you and consider Brzezinski as a talented (may be even genius) politician who played big role in defeating the USSR in the Cold War. Only I view him as an evil genius, who dedicated his life for distraction of another nations, which did not planned and involved in any harm to the US, and who is responsible for the suffering of many people on this planet... If you are not joking and you know him personally, I am glad for you (seriously) -- it is always a blessing to have direct connection with someone extraordinary. Be that individual on the bright or the dark side. And, yes, I like when Brzezinski talks -- I get a lot of real information (American view) from his "revelations". Even though, that information is not provided as a front end -- it is covered with some political garbage and it is delived between the lines. But, if you know the background of the topic, it is not difficult to see that...

PR1oh1 The idea of giving the Russians their “Vietnam” was, of course, openly stated by Brzezinski. He also recently stated that it is much easier to kill a million people than controlling them. In reality though, the Russians, unlike the Americans, have enduring power. The Russians can overcome what other societies cannot overcome. The Russians have indeed spiritual powers that make them endure. The Americans lack this enduring staying power. This is the main reason the Americans have been losing all the wars they fought since the end of WWII. The Americans are making categorical error of picking fight with the Russians. It is best to have the Russians as friends than as enemies.

Afghanistan and Vietnam are two examples of when Armies can operate without losing a single battle, but lose the war. Russians in Afghanistan and Americans in Vietnam. They both lost the "soft war".

@Bogdanov Decemb er 18, 2011, 10:40
I am sorry, Bogdanov, but I read that interview with Zbigniew about 3 years ago, so I have not JUST learned anything from it. As I have said, he is a genius, a friend of my family, and I happen to agree with him. Does that surprise you? But I will tell him that you "love when Bzezinsky talks".
I did visit the RT Blog about Afghanistan by Evgeny Khrushchev. He seems like a bitter man, but I can understand that. The Blog doesn't seem to be active, since I only saw about 4 or 5 posts.

Any RT blog about the Russia’s North Caucasus region always attracts comments which are anti-Russian, racist and hateful. This is why in the West harm to the Russian people in the North Caucasus is often reported with positive spins. The comments and western media reports have one objective: continue fueling ill filling and disunity between the Slavic/Orthodox Russians and mainly Muslim people of the region. This is the cynical neocon project which continues from the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Wahhabism is the hook here as it was also the hook in Afghanistan. This is why Russia should ban Wahab influence in the region and while the Muslim Holy sites are in Saudi Arabia the regime itself has nothing to do with the Holy religion of Islam. From their denial of women the basic right to drive a care and marry person of her choice, travel when she wants and their culture of looting the wealth of the nation and putting it in the service of Anglo American imperialists, Saudi Arabia has become the anti-thesis of the modest and the tolerant Islam of Prophet Muhammed and his companions. Today Saudi Arabia is a place synonymous with hypocrisy and moral corruption.

PR1oh1, I told you that you can get more correct information from Bzezinky than from Wikipedia. For example, you have just learned even from this short answers that Americans are trying to create a "democracy" satellite state in Afghanistan and they are doing not better than the Soviets did (whatever you were taught they did). You have also learned thaat Americans have strong resistance there and therefore have keep big military forces there. Plus, you have just learned that Bzezinsky appreciated the Soviet exit strategy and how they conducted it... I love when Bzezinsky talks. Because, the more he opens his mouth the closer his description of that war becomes to what I already knew about it decades ago...

PR1oh1, I think that both of us -- Deutsche Welle and me -- understood the responses of Bzezinky the same way. And, I think, that all three of us have exactly the same pictures in our heads...

Deutsche Well's Question 2:  What you are suggesting seems to be exactly what the Soviet Union did: Before it withdrew its troops, it tried to transfer the burden of fighting to the Afghan forces -- and failed. Why should NATO succeed, given that it has much less Afghan soldiers to rely on than the Soviets had?

Brzezins ki's Reply 2:   The Soviets did that after devastating the Afghan society and creating massive ill will. One should not underestimate the enormous damage and incredible suffering that the Soviets imposed in the Afghan society by a ruthless military campaign, which drove millions of Afghans out of the country and killed hundreds of thousands of them. We have not done that yet. But I think the risk is that the longer we rely on a military solution, the more likely it is that the resistance to us will become stronger and stronger. I don't think that it is in any way comparable to the resistance against the Soviet occupation yet.

To Bogdanov and Karl-2010 brothers. Regardless of what you think about Zbigniew Brzezinski's doctrine, the man is an unqualified genius. I wish we had someone of his caliber today in the State Department or Pentagon. Here are two question put to him by Deutsche Welle and his response:( requires 2 posts)
Question 1 by Deutsche Welle":As Jimmy Carter's Security Advisor in 1979, you orchestrated the arming of the mujahedeen against Afghanistan's left-wing government, eventually drawing the Soviet Army into what you later referred to as the "Afghan trap." Has the West now fallen into that trap?
Brzezinski' s Reply 1:    The NATO-led ISAF force in Afghanistan is battling a resurgent Taliban
The West should not repeat the mistakes that the Soviets made. The Soviets invaded Afghanistan on the illusion that a bunch of Marxist Afghan intellectuals could help them create a communist satellite using a foreign army to impose its will. When the US reacted to the outrageous terrorist attacks of September 11, which originated from Afghanistan, it required only 300 American soldiers to overthrow the Taliban. The reason for that was that the Afghans were genuinely grateful for the American support and the support of other countries.
We are now running the risk of unintentionally duplicating what the Soviets were doing: Instead of capitalizing on that goodwill and leaving fairly soon thereafter while giving a lot of economic assistance to the Afghans, we are trying to create a modern state -- and a democratic version thereof -- through a large foreign military presence. I do not think that is a wise strategy.

TBC

Firstly Russia did not defeat the Afghans, the Aghans defeated the Red Army just like they defeated the USAand British before them. Wahabi extremism expor ted and funded by Saudi Arabia is a virus and a curse on the people of the world. This evil cult that has nothing to do with the peace loving faith of Islam has to be wiped off the face of the map. The Wahabis are in bed with the zionists and determined to weaken Russia as your great nation is an ally to Iran, the true and brave muslims who challnege USA/Zionist  imperialism. Russia needs to take all measures to neutralise 3 evils of our time 1, Zionism 2, Wahabiism 3, USA Imperialism.    

Who killed and/or disappeared that boy who was accused of "going to the forests"? The FSB? OMON? Speznas? Vigilant locals who simply accused somebody? A few more details wouldn't be bad. But everybody knows, journalists talking too much in the Caucasus region could end up dumped at the roadside with a few bullets in them...

Anywa y, the Russian approach looks like a combination of what the Chinese do in Tibet (building infrastructure to make the region more prosperous) and what the USA/NATO does in Afghanistan (brutal killings and other "counter terrorism" measures).

Bu t it is interesting to see that the worst kinds of terrorism are supported by Saudi Arabian extremist Wahabism, in Chechnya as well as elsewhere.

PR1oh1, there are two aspects of those wars -- emotional and formal. Emotionally, the Soviets might felt defeated, because that war put the country down (financially and morally). But the cold political facts: a) Americans lost Vietnam -- they came there to fight Communists and the result was -- the Vietnam became 100% communist country. b) Soviets won in Afghan war -- they came to help Communists, and when they left, the Communist there stayed in power for another several years.... I think, this fact, that Russians (military) were doing OK there (considering those constrains they had), was acknowledged even by Americans (apart from what the American propaganda machine was pushing in the head of its citizens -- different story) -- by using for some time Russians "Afghan" military and KGB guys as members of their team of advisor, when they decided to invade Afghanistan in 2001... The RT has great blog dedicated to Afghanistan and related topic conducted by Evgeny Khrushchev, who was a part of the Soviet troops in there. This is were you can find a lot of actual information and even debate things if they are not aligned with your vision.

PR1oh1 Zbigniew Brzezinski is an evil man and his evil mind has poisoned the minds of millions of Americans. The Russians can take care of their own homestead. The Russians could and should put the screws on the Americans by preventing NATO fly over Russia and promise other not so nice counter measures if the Americans continue using Wahhabism to harm Russia. I expect this will start happening once Putin is back in the President’s office. Eating burgers with the Americans never works. The Russians should have known this. As with the Wahhabism, Russia should treat it as Nazi type literature and ban it coming to Russia.