Us And Taliban To Open Direct Peace Talks In Qatar

[naomi24]

A good thing - or not?

[Zeuhl]

/Perhaps we should have negotiated with Hitler in the 1940's and ignored his attempt to completely erase millions of people and their religion/

sorry mikey but that's a rather garbled version of history

the time of attempted negotiation with Hitler was in the late 30s
Hitler was always anti-semitic but no people or religion had been 'erased' in 1939

The 'final solution' was an aspect of the War, not the pre-war, and might have been avoided all together by successful negotiation

[bazwillrun]

"The 'final solution' was an aspect of the War, not the pre-war, and might have been avoided all together by successful negotiation"

really

hitler made it clear as early as 1919 that he wanted all jews "out" of germany, if you really think that was ever negotiable with him then you really are more deluded than i give you credit for

[Zeuhl]

baz

/all jews "out" of germany/ did not necessarily mean extermination

a state funded relocation elsewhere was one plan - rather like the repatriation of immigrants some of the UK's more rabid specimens sometimes call for.

and Hitler said that in 1919 - politicians say all sorts of stuff for a variety of reasons; it seems like 20 years should have been ample time for negotiation to avoid that one coming true - instead of sleepwalking into his 'total war' which created a situation in which the only viable solution to the 'jewish problem' from the German pov was the 'final solution'

bazzy

perhaps you shouldn't set such store by what politicians say; or were you gullible enough to also believe Saddam had WMDs?

[jake-the-peg]

I don't think you need to call Zeuhl names because you're not imaginative enough to see alternative perspectives Baz!

I think it's entirely possible that we could have negotiated with Nazi Germany - the UK was a tough target for them especially after 1940 and there was not much for Hitler to gain from fighting us if he didn't have to.

If it hadn't been for US involvement we'd have had to because neither side had the strength to finish off the other on their own.

That said any negotiated settlement would have been pretty disadvantageous to us - with a Nazi occupied mainland the UK would have been isolated politically and physically.

In 1939 Nazi Germany was a long way from their 'final solution' extermination camps came later but I'm not sure we'd have fought a world war to stop Nazi Germany from doing that any more than we're willing to fight North Korea or wade into Syria today to help the civillian population

[bazwillrun]

"I don't think you need to call Zeuhl names because you're not imaginative enough to see alternative perspectives Baz! "

I havent called him a name as you so quaintly put it, please point it out ?

as to not imaginative, thats something both of you can never be accused of, if fact the total opposite, running wild would be more apt

[Zeuhl]

/deluded/?

In future then we will refer to you as 'Deluded Baz'

on the basis it is not name calling

(though personally i think 'Pathologically Bitter and Twisted Baz' has more of a ring to it)

[Zeuhl]

Must head off now to a meeting with our Automotive client

You see, negotiating with the Germans is possible :-)

[tamborine]

Bin Laden was from Qatar and he was the original target. Qatar are best placed to control Afgans but heads will roll imo…

[mikey4444]

Zeuhl...we faced up to Hitler and won the war. He just didn't kill Jews, his actions submitted millions of people all over Europe to appalling atrocities. What would have happened if we had sued for peace in the 1930's ? He had already begun exterminating his own people, mostly the inmates of mental institutions way before September 1939. I for one are proud of what the Allies did in WW2. If we hadn't done what was needed we may all have been speaking German, not English by now.

Ditto with the Japanese. They were appalling as well, but we stood up to them and stopped them. They were blood-thirsty murderers. Should we have attempted negotiations with them as well ?

You don't negotiate with dictators.

[mushroom25]

//He had already begun exterminating his own people, mostly the inmates of mental institutions way before September 1939.//

although the nazis had been practicing "racial hygiene" policies since 1933 (eg sterilisation, etc, which incidentally were also policies enacted in other countries, including sweden), "Aktion T4" (extermination) was not implemented until the start of the war.

[johnny37]

And all because the US supplied weapons to the Taliban to oust the Russians, who were doing a pretty good job at the time.

[bazwillrun]

"In future then we will refer to you as 'Deluded Baz' "

Please do i really couldnt care less.

lets hope your automotive agent doesnt try and stand up to you or question anything you say or do, because its pretty obvious you dont like it one little bit

[emmie]

zeuhl, are you quite certain that no people of race, religion were erased before 39, suggest you have another look.

[emmie]

well documented evidence long before 39 of Hitlers intent on the Jewish problem, Churchill was the only one years before war broke out, he knew and said that war was coming, but they didn't listen, considering him a war monger, which he wasn't, as he sad jaw jaw not war war... i think...

[emmie]

Bin Laden was a Saudi, born in Riyadh.

[emmie]

it gives a clear enough picture.

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/Jews_Nazi_Germany.htm

[jake-the-peg]

This is still beside the point

Do you seriously think Britain would have declared war on Germany because of what was happening to the civillian population?

Look at the tryrants exterminating their people since - from Stalin through Yugoslavia, Pol Pot in Cambodia in particular

WWII was not fought to defend the Jewish people - that was coincidental to it

It was fought because of European treaty obligations

What was happening to Jews in Europe would not have stopped a treaty with Germany and the UK

The experience of the Blitz with so many civillian casualties might have however

[emmie]

Many people in Britain, and other European countries wouldn't have known that Hitler was planning this mass extermination, but there were already concentration camps long before war broke out, some very well hidden.
It may well have been a brokered treaty, one that was signed in the event of invasion, but i suggest that Churchill knew war would come long before it actually did.

[emmie]

as you say it's off the topic, they do a deal with the Taliban, they take overall control in Afghanistan which they then lay down their rules, just like before, and that wouldn't suit anyone, not least those in Afghanistan who don't want to be ruled by these stone age fanatics.

[naomi24]

I agree with the Editor.

//....Obama can say if and when the talks fail that "I tried to talk to them but ...." //

I'd miss the 'if' out though and just leave it to 'when'.