It's possible in guerrilla wars to flood cities with troops. Much harder to flood mountains

[NNN0LHI]

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/12/07/afghanistan.graveyard/

Is Afghanistan really a 'graveyard of empires?'
By Barry Neild, CNN
December 7, 2009 -- Updated 1129 GMT (1929 HKT)

(CNN) -- The hand of history will be weighing heavily on U.S. President Barack Obama's shoulders as he deploys thousands more troops to Afghanistan in the hope of finally crushing a relentless Taliban insurgency.

Known as the "graveyard of empires," Afghanistan has a reputation for undoing ambitious military ventures and humiliating would-be conquerors, a fate his opponents at home say is not worth risking more American lives for.

In the past two centuries, both Soviet and British invaders have been forced to beat bloody retreats from Afghanistan, deprived of victories that, on paper, looked easy, but ultimately proved futile. snip

"It's a hard place to fight, to conquer and rule," says Patrick Porter, a lecturer in defense studies at the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Kings College London.

"The geography is very hard: It is a country of mountains and deserts, of quite severe winters and that makes it difficult not only to fight in, but also to operate logistically. It limits your mobility and it is difficult to project power."

[madrchsod]

1. we are going to win the "hearts and minds" .....

fill in your country of choice_______