Okay...

Question #1:
In your opinion, what would Victory in Afghanistan look like?

I'm very skeptical of Afghanistan's future. Growing opium seems to be its most profitable and employable economic possibility.

I'm actually going to agree with Twoisdeath on this one.

look on the bright side, you won

Its a war. Noone won. Everyone lost.

The Americans lost a lot of money funding the war (yes guys, that worldwide crisis IS your fault, and i'ts tied directly to that war), leave alone a lot of good guys and girls to roadbombs, suicidebombers, rocketstrikes and whatnot.

The Iraqi and Afghans lost even more ... anyone needs that explained?

Even us 'cowardly' euros lost, coz in the end we paid part of that war due to the artificial difference in value between the euro and the dollar, and the ensuing crisis.

If anyone can point out a clear winner (even if it were some false political ideal like 'democracy' ... but that went out the window for a system of state control over the citizenry, which is quickly starting to resemble what the communists did in russia before the fall of the wall) ... please let me know, i'm still looking.

You can discuss whether it was necessary or not, but even necessary war means everyone loses.

No, pulling out isnt the 'honorable' thing to do (then again, honor was a medieval concept thought up to keep the knights from raping every semi-decent looking farmgirl they ran across unpunished, or sleep with the king's wife ... it barely has any place left in our rotten society built on self-interest). It only serves one purpose : save more american lives which would otherwise be lost for no good reason at all. It's also an admission of making the wrong choices ...

If you have to go 'liberate' a country from a bunch of hardline extremist muslims that you installed and armed yourself during the cold war, because even the Russians wouldnt be able to beat them (and honestly, the communist russians were a LOT better at those things than the US troops will ever be due to no moral restrictions whatsoever), thats obviously a wrong choice after a wrong choice.

If you have to invade a country under false pretenses, just to get their oil, after arming them yourselves during the Iran-Iraq war 'to help them stop the extremist muslims' ... thats a wrong choice after a wrong choice.

It takes a very brave man to admit to those things, and an even braver man to prefer saving lives over saving face. It takes a stupid man to believe bravery is standing firm in the face of impossible odds. And yes, impossible they are, coz you CAN NOT push the red button, and you cant win against guerilla fighters that can ignore all rules of engagement while you have to adhere to them.

But that's just the opinion of a damn euro who has no clue whatsoever, of course

America is drowning in debt. the war is costing $2 billion a week. Afghanistan is country twice the size of Great Britain and incredibly mountainous. the British Empire couldn't conquer it, the Soviet Union couldn't conquer it and neither can NATO. It's a pointless war, thousands of coalition troops have been lost with barely any progress made. All you succeeded in doing was pushing Al Qaeda over the border into Pakistan.

the Yell is just another right wing american who swears that Vietnam could have been won and that Afghanistan can be won.

IMO it's a pointless war, best to get out. It's a waste of lives.

US should drop Europe and ally with China.They have the necessary boots on the ground.

Right. Europeans are incredibly loud dogmatists. They presume that human rights are an inherent feature of the world. I can agree with the idea of cooperating to treat others in a civilized manner, but those Euros sure go well beyond that. To them, we ought to defend human rights everywhere in the world, and charge evil heads of states with violations... lol.

Those Euros are welcome to tell me where those rights are. And how dare they violate the sovereignty of other states by presuming that all states are bound by some natural law. WTF? I want proof!

Actually Hez, China will never replace the US. I explained why in America: A New Dawn. Instead, China's growth is doomed to bust, and the US faces an opportunity to situate itself in a position more supreme than its ever been in. In fact, the rising sun is America, and only Russia is situated to challenge that position.

America is exceptional. America cannot  be beaten because America is America. America is the best, America is never second. .... I THINK NOT.

at some point in the 2020s the Chinese economy will have surpassed that of the USA. America will however retain it's number military position but as the Chinese economy continues to grow the dominance of the US military will erode.

Russia will not challenge America. the Soviet Union is gone. Russia will reassert itself in the world but find itself being a junior partner to China.

Superpowers are built on economy. America has had the strongest economy for the last 80-90 years. That has provided the funds for America to maintain the worlds largest Navy and most advanced army and airforce.

lets check another prediction, oil prices were projected to hit 5.00 a gallon in america, well somewhere in this forum i stated my opinion that prices would not drop a lot, and i have to admit i was wrong so far. for the last 2 moths if not more gas has been dropping about .05 every week if not more, this is pretty rapid in any product, this coupled with a deadlined market, and heavy inflation states that oil has lost quite a bit of worth.

housing market, internet bubbles, needless to say predictions are only that and should be left as opinions, not fact.