Quote Originally Posted by Bob's World View Post
All insurgency is politics, intra to a state. Otherwise, it isn't insurgency...Thus, the Taliban is insurgency.
it does raise the questions (1)Which Taliban groups, plural, are so involved and does the existence of disparate groups mean there are multiple insurgencies; (2) The Talibs are intra to Afghanistan and to Pakistan. They are also therefor 'inter'. Does this then become and interintrainsugency (Ił)...
All UW is politics as well inter to a state, otherwise it isn't UW...Thus, the AQ operation is UW.
Now we have introduced AQ and UW added to the Talibs and insurgency (ies). What about the Drug Gangs, the smugglers and the many non-Talib, non-AQ Afghans from not only Pushtun but other ethnic groups that do not want a strong Afghan State. Where do they fit?
Like Gen. Odierno noticing recently that when there is less US presence in Iraq there is less resistance to US presence in Iraq. Hmmm.
Why the "Hmmm." That's the sort of thing you've been saying all along -- though you never seem to notice that most here agree with that thesis -- so why express thoughtfulness?
Now, while we are dealing with what is primarily a resistance insurgency in Afghanistan we look to increase the primary motivation to the insurgency: US presence.
Unfortunately, two and two do not make five. I'd first note that as we are not the government in Afghansitan, the insurgents are not insurging against us, they're insurging against the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Though it does not seem logical, you may decrease insurgency in Afghanistan by decreasing US presence. However, you are more likely to increase it by removing US troops, thus allowing your insurgents (supported by the drug crowd, the smugglers and your AQ types plus my other disaffected Afghan types) to increase their pressure, giving them a win, which is how they will see it and broadcast it.

Less resistance to US presence is one thing; there is absolutely no evidence that US presence in Afghanistan is "the primary motivation to the insurgency." That's quite another thing...