China is deeply involved in mining rare earth minerals in Afghanistan. The US military operating in the region is acting as a defacto security force for the Chinese. Our guys are perceived by the jihadis as an invading army. We are seen by the more militantly minded locals as "the bad guys". I would bet dollars to doughnuts Chinese intelligence does a lot to help the jihadis see us that way. If we brought our soldiers home some of the locals might just get the idea into their head that Afghanistan's prescious resources should be mined by afghanis and sold to enrich Afghanistan, not China. How would we feel if China showed up in all the US oil fields and began milking them dry without hiring any Americans to work the fields and without any money from the sale of that oil going to Americans?
it's hard to make this argument while not simultaneously tacitly making an argument for us to stay. if this is indeed china's play- why not stay and reap the benes instead?
the chinese are def funding some of the jihadis either directly or indirectly but it's not like that is a new thing in the region. perhaps they are playing both sides of the equation: either force us to stay due to the almost unwinnable situation while they continue to profit or just continually underming whatever we do there for shits and giggles and to rat fuck us good.
i'm not convinced they have a unique longterm strategy there aside from their normal influence peddling and debt and aid traps.
China is deeply involved in mining rare earth minerals in Afghanistan. The US military operating in the region is acting as a defacto security force for the Chinese. Our guys are perceived by the jihadis as an invading army. We are seen by the more militantly minded locals as "the bad guys". I would bet dollars to doughnuts Chinese intelligence does a lot to help the jihadis see us that way. If we brought our soldiers home some of the locals might just get the idea into their head that Afghanistan's prescious resources should be mined by afghanis and sold to enrich Afghanistan, not China. How would we feel if China showed up in all the US oil fields and began milking them dry without hiring any Americans to work the fields and without any money from the sale of that oil going to Americans?
it's hard to make this argument while not simultaneously tacitly making an argument for us to stay. if this is indeed china's play- why not stay and reap the benes instead?
the chinese are def funding some of the jihadis either directly or indirectly but it's not like that is a new thing in the region. perhaps they are playing both sides of the equation: either force us to stay due to the almost unwinnable situation while they continue to profit or just continually underming whatever we do there for shits and giggles and to rat fuck us good.
i'm not convinced they have a unique longterm strategy there aside from their normal influence peddling and debt and aid traps.