The Stable Genius almost meets the Taliban

[detbuch]

Originally Posted by Pete F.

Fool, if you kill a whole nation it’s not genocide?
Good luck with that

First, I went by your choice of definition by the Oxford Dictionary, as well as Webster's. By those definitions, we committed genocide. By those definitions, all wars in which large numbers of people are killed would be considered to be genocides. There is a reason that they are not, except by people who have some agenda, anti-war, hate for or ideological differences with the winners, etc. Destruction caused by war, especially defensive war against those who try to kill or destroy you, is considered horrific collateral damage. Genocide is the killing of large numbers of people with whom you are not necessarily at war with for domination or defense, but whom you wish to eliminate simply because they are who they are. We do not consider the destruction of the German state along with the killing of millions of Germans in WWI and WWII to be genocides. We didn't consider the destruction of Nagasaki and Hiroshima to be genocides.

Second, Your quote "I don’t want to kill 10 million people,” he said. “I have plans on Afghanistan that if I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the earth, it would be gone, it would be over in literally 10 days” begins with Trump saying he didn't want to kill 10 million people. That is the opposite of genocide in which the intended objective is absolutely to kill those people. Nor did Trump express any animus against Afghans or any desire to kill them all. Which is the opposite of the motivation for genocide. His quote actually, if you read it carefully, implies that he doesn't even want to have that war as in "if I wanted to win that war".

What he did imply was that among the various plans for dealing with the Taliban, there was one that could result in the destruction of the Afghan state. I would assume that if he wanted to commit genocide that he would have gone along with that plan, actually did it, basically so he could kill all the Afghans, not merely to win a war. He didn't. And it wouldn't have been considered genocide, just as the destruction of the German state in WWII was not considered genocide. He even wanted to meet with the Taliban to work things out. Which is the opposite of wanting to commit genocide.

But, by the simplistic definitions in Oxford and Webster, one could say that it would be genocide. And that our wars in Germany, and Japan, and Viet Nam were genocides. If that is what you actually think, then I have a glimmer of insight into why you think Trump threatened genocide rather than to win a war.

But, actually, I believe you chose that word for effect rather than accuracy. You like to paint everything Trump does or says as a horror show. And I think you are not only a fool for thinking that Trump actually threatened genocide, but that you are a malevolent ideologue who wants to destroy Trump--a sort of mini political and even personal "genocide" against him.

[Pete F.]

Genocide, much like Collusion is not a crime.
However the premeditated mass killing of civilians certainly is a war crime. That is what Trump threatened the Afghans with. Proportionality is a basic part of the Law of War and while Trump may think he can do whatever he wants, he would be committing a war crime. I attached a link to the DOD Law of War Manual so you can, if you like, determine which one(s) he would be charged with or how he would be exonerated.
The only plan like this that exists is in Trumps head.
As far as the feasibility of what he claimed to be able to do, it is not possible (we do not have enough bombs to totally obliterate Afghanistan), strategically insane (using all our bombs would leave us vulnerable), if you did bomb the urban centers you would leave the 22 million people in rural areas without a central government (Do you think that would radicalize them?) and therefor stupid to a Trumpian degree.
I think we should have less involvement in the Middle East. The importance of the region is much less than it was 20 years ago.
However the war in that area is not over and withdrawal is more complicated than maintaining the status quo or winning.
I have seen no evidence that Trump is capable of the required attention to details, the intellectual investment on the part of the commander in chief, and that he has a clear-eyed understanding of both our capabilities and the limits of our power to accomplish it.
I don't have to paint The Citrus Caligula as a horror show, he puts it on every day in this, the first ever, Presidential reality horror show starring Donald Trump. Coming to you on TV and Twitter.

https://archive.defense.gov/pubs/law...-june-2015.pdf

[scottw]

Originally Posted by Pete F.

Genocide, much like Collusion is not a crime.

deep thoughts

[detbuch]

Originally Posted by Pete F.

Genocide, much like Collusion is not a crime.
However the premeditated mass killing of civilians certainly is a war crime. That is what Trump threatened the Afghans with. Proportionality is a basic part of the Law of War and while Trump may think he can do whatever he wants, he would be committing a war crime. I attached a link to the DOD Law of War Manual so you can, if you like, determine which one(s) he would be charged with or how he would be exonerated.
The only plan like this that exists is in Trumps head.
As far as the feasibility of what he claimed to be able to do, it is not possible (we do not have enough bombs to totally obliterate Afghanistan), strategically insane (using all our bombs would leave us vulnerable), if you did bomb the urban centers you would leave the 22 million people in rural areas without a central government (Do you think that would radicalize them?) and therefor stupid to a Trumpian degree.
I think we should have less involvement in the Middle East. The importance of the region is much less than it was 20 years ago.
However the war in that area is not over and withdrawal is more complicated than maintaining the status quo or winning.
I have seen no evidence that Trump is capable of the required attention to details, the intellectual investment on the part of the commander in chief, and that he has a clear-eyed understanding of both our capabilities and the limits of our power to accomplish it.
I don't have to paint The Citrus Caligula as a horror show, he puts it on every day in this, the first ever, Presidential reality horror show starring Donald Trump. Coming to you on TV and Twitter.

https://archive.defense.gov/pubs/law...-june-2015.pdf

You accuse Trump of threatening genocide. Something that is not possible is not a threat. And if genocide is not a crime, are you now changing your charge from genocide to "war crime"? And is a threat, especially an impossible one, a war crime? And you keep painting, even though you say you don't have to. You keep trying very, very, hard to do what you don't think is necessary.

Something strange is going on with you. TDS?