• SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          10
          arrow-down
          5
          ·
          10 months ago

          That’s a common assumption that’s based in “they’re all the same over there” style of racism.

          The group the US backed in the 80s was the mujaheddin, which went to form the government which the Taliban (a separate group) all but overthrew. The last remnants of the pre-Taliban Afghanistan government was called the Northern Alliance, which was allied with the US when fighting the Taliban.

          It was politically convenient for the left to along with a racist narrative to score cheap political points against Dubya, Cheney, Rumsfeld etcl. And yeah, fuck those guys for sure, but it was wrong to go along with a racist narrative to do so. Because of the “they’re all the same over there” kind of racism in both the left and right of the US, there wasn’t much chance for any kind of success in defeating the Taliban.

          • Krono@lemmy.today
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            8
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            10 months ago

            It’s not racist to be aware of the fact that the US supported the Taliban after the fall of the Mujaheddin.

          • 【J】【u】【s】【t】【Z】@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            10 months ago

            The only difference is time IMO. Same people. Same views. Just changed their name and fought against different people for different reasons. They will all still stone you to death for teaching math to women, they just disagree on who should be the caliph.

            • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              10 months ago

              Yes that “they’re all the same over there” is a common opinion.

              Can’t win a war when you can’t tell the difference between friend or foe. Which is why the US lost to the Taliban.

        • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          10 months ago

          Yeah, so? There are many assholes in the world, you know. Pointing at some other group of assholes doesn’t make the Taliban not assholes.