What I mean is, you're mistaken about the CIA and the USA not acting in such a way as to gather together Islamic fundamentalist fighters in the 80's, thereby sowing the seeds that sprouted into the Taliban. Yes, the Saudis were involved too. Of course. The Saudis are American allies. Yes, there were elements in Pakistan which assisted as well...but the Pakistan military and governmental people warned the USA against encouraging extremist Islamic fundamentalist factions in the 80's. The USA didn't listen to those warnings.

The client government that the Russians left in Afghanistan as they pulled out in the late 80's was a far less extreme outfit than the Taliban wich later took over. It was headed by a man named Najibullah. That government fairly much controlled the cities at the time, while the people who became the Taliban controlled much of the countryside. It was the USA which continued to fund and arm those Islamic fundamentalists...with an intention of destroying Najibullah's government. Regime change. Well, they eventually succeeded in bringing about that regime change, and the Taliban took over Aghanistan...and that was the worst thing that could possibly have happened.

I'm saying, Sawzaw, that Afghanistan has suffered from outside interference by TWO imperial powers.

First - The Soviets.

Second - The USA.

Both the Soviets and the USA, between them, have utterly ruined Afghanistan and have fairly much ruined Pakistan as well (as collateral side effect from Afghanistan.

It is not the fault of Afghans or Pakistanis that this has happened. It's the fault of imperial policy by TWO imperialist nations: Russia and the USA.

And I sympathize with neither one of them one bit. If I was an Aghan or a Pakistani, I'd say "to hell with both Russia and the USA".

Your error, Sawzaw, is that you imagine the USA is a "good guy" in the whole dammed scenario. It isn't, and it never was.

I am well aware that the Medes, Persians, Alexander the Great, Seleuceids, Indo-Greeks, Turks, Mongols and British have previously invaded Afghanistan too. But so what? What does it have to do with what I'm saying about Russia and the USA in the modern era? The reason Afghanistan has been invaded many times over the centuries is because it lies in a place where crucial trade routes from several major regions pass through a very restricted set of narrow mountain passes. That makes it a place that is bound to be fought over as competing empires seek to expand their turf and come into collision with their neighbors.

Yes, I do study history. I love it and always have loved it. ;-)

Never assume, just because you disagree with someone on some political matter, that he is ignorant, stupid, or anything else like that. I don't make those kind of assumptions about you.