Comments on: Afghanistan: a mess wrapped in a blood-soaked riddle

By: James O'Neill

James O'Neill — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:41:21 +0000

A realistic approach to Afghanistan has to start with the premise that the invasion had nothing to do with Osama bin Laden (who died in December 2001), much less with bringing “democracy” to that country.
The decision to invade Afghanistan was made by the Americans no later than July 2001 when the then Taliban government refused America’s terms for the building of an oil pipeline across their territory to an Indian Ocean port.
The Caucusus was and is one of the world’s greatest potential sources for gas and oil and the Americans are both determined to control it and by extension deny access to China.
An ancillary goal of the American military was to build a string of bases in Afghanistan and the “Stans” to the north as part of their policy of encircling China. Look at a map of US bases. They fulfil both goals perfectly.
A side benefit was reasserting control over Afghanistan drug production which now accounts for 93% of the world’s heroin supply. As to the linkages between drugs, the military, and financing of off the books western intelligence operations read Alfred McCoy and Peter Dale Scott.
What is long overdue is a realistic debate about Australia’s role in this imperial enterprise and formulating a foreign policy that addresses the real interests of this country and not those whose policies do us harm.

By: rosy at kempsey

rosy at kempsey — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:56:27 +0000

I didn’t know much about Afghanistan, apart from news reports, until I read “A Thousand Splendid Suns” on the recommendation of my Irish daughter-in-law, a teacher. Makes you realise that indeed there are no easy answers, the future likely to be more of the same, living like those women do, is hard to comprehend in the 21st Century.

By: Pamela

Pamela — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:08:35 +0000

This week the United Nations high Commission for Refugees released the latest report for Afghanistan
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4a6477ef2.html

Despite the billions of dollars and blood of thousands spent in Afghanistan, civilian casualties increased by 40% last year, making 2008 their most violent year since 2001. As a result, one out of every four refugees in the world today is an Afghan. They have fled to 69 different countries with more than 2.6 million living in Pakistan and Iran.

Operation Enduring Freedom launched in 2001 has brought anything but to the Afghan people. These forces have been responsible for many of the civilian deaths and have done nothing to diminish the cruelty and and abuse of women- one of their stated aims after they failed to find Osama Bin Laden- whoops yes the man the whole thing was launched to find.

Meanwhile those Afghans who leave in search of a life are pushed back at every turn. The west is doing everything they can to reject them. They are deported from Europe and the UK. The Greek government has just destroyed their makeshift camps and locked them up. Australia is funding their detention in Indonesia.

Today 100 asylum seekers, locked inside a warehouse for 3 months are into their 6^th day of a hunger strike in Indonesia. A 15 year old boy, an unaccompanied minor in refugee jargon, weeps in a cell in Jakarta after 3 months incarceration. His father sent him out of Quetta after his brother and sister were killed by Taleban.

The lucky ones are those on Christmas Island. They earned their place in the lottery of refugee selection by placing their lives at risk.
Leaving the people to the merciless Taleban is unthinkable as is the continuing slaughter by warlords In the Government supported by “US”.
Whatever is the answer- we have not found it yet. However we went in and stirred the hornets nest so we are now duty bound not to run away.