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What the President Won't Say About Afghanistan
Few were surprised that the Obama Administration reports "signs of progress" in Afghanistan in their assessment of strategy in Afghanistan, released today. Yet numerous publicly available analyses -- including the Pentagon's own November 2010 "Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability" to Congress -- point to fundamental problems with the current military-led strategy. The significant escalation of troops over the past 22 months has only exacerbated these problems, and a long-term foreign military presence will only continue that trend. In light of these sobering facts, the President should immediately begin taking the political and diplomatic steps necessary to end the war and withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
- Nationwide, security in Afghanistan has not improved. According to the Pentagon's own report to Congress in November 2010, the portion of the population living in districts with a ‘satisfactory' security rating "remains relatively unchanged over the past three quarters." In fact, "the number of Afghans rating their security situation as ‘bad' is the highest since the nationwide survey began in September 2008. This downward trend in security perception is likely due to the steady increase in total violence over the past nine months."
- Violence has dramatically increased in Afghanistan over the last year. Kinetic events -- Pentagon speak for violence -- "are up 300 percent since 2007 and up an additional 70 percent since 2009." The Afghanistan NGO Safety Office reports a 59% increase in insurgent-led attacks in the 3rd quarter of this year over and above the 2009 level. They state: "By any measure 2010 has been the most violent year since ANSO's records began in 2002."
Any progress toward increased security in the south has been more than offset by increased violence elsewhere in Afghanistan. Insurgent attacks in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan "rose 200% in June compared with June 2009." There are reports that "in northern Afghanistan, security has been deteriorating for the past two years in Kunduz and surrounding provinces" and that "the Taliban also have spread their influence in western Afghanistan and now control several districts."
- American and allied casualties are higher than ever. Taliban small-arms attacks against U.S. and allied troops are nearly twice what they were a year ago and more than 680 international troops have been killed so far this year, well above the 502 killed in the whole of 2009.
- Troop increases have fueled the growing insurgency. A U.S. intelligence estimate presented to President Obama in October 2009 showed that the number of fighters in the insurgency had ballooned to 25,000 from only 7,000 in 2006. Now Matt Waldman, former Head of Policy and Advocacy for Oxfam International in Afghanistan, reports that "today [the NATO force] estimates the Taliban as 35,000 to 40,000. One of the points we have to bear in mind is they have a very large pool of recruits inside Afghanistan and Pakistan."
- The Taliban's capacity to fight remains undiminished. The Pentagon recently reported to Congress: "Efforts to reduce insurgent capacity, such as safe havens and logistic support originating in Pakistan and Iran, have not produced measurable results... the insurgents will retain operational momentum in some areas as long as they have access to externally supported safe havens and support networks... The insurgency continues to adapt and retain a robust means of sustaining its operations, through internal and external funding sources and the exploitation of the Afghan Government's inability to provide tangible benefits to the populace."
- Corruption runs rampant, fueling the insurgency. The Pentagon's own polling from September 2010 "shows that 80.6 percent of Afghans polled believe corruption affects their daily lives. This is consistent with the view that corruption is preventing the Afghan Government from connecting with the people and remains a key reason for Afghans supporting the insurgency..."
As the New York Times reported, after a meeting with President Karzai's brother, Ahmed Walid Karzai, Ambassador Eikenberry wrote that "one of our major challenges in Afghanistan [is] how to fight corruption and connect the people to their government, when the key government officials are themselves corrupt."
And just this past weekend, Afghanistan's Attorney General asked their Supreme Court to nullify the results of recent parliamentary elections due to allegations of fraud and to "issue sentences against 14 top officials who organized the vote and oversaw fraud investigations."
- Nationwide, governance has not expanded. The Pentagon reports that only "38 percent of the population live in areas rated as having ‘emerging' or ‘full authority' Afghan governance. This reflects no substantial change since March 2010." "Shadow governments" run by insurgent forces continue to operate in many parts of the south and east, "extracting taxes and carrying out ‘official' functions like trials and determining land and marriage disputes."
- The militarization of aid is failing those we seek to help. Over 100 aid workers have died this year, far more than in previous years , and a recent report of 29 aid organizations led by Oxfam International found the likelihood of attacks on aid workers has been increased because the distinction between military and civilian efforts has been "severely blurred to the point of being unrecognizable to many Afghans." The report continues that a failure "to re-establish the civil-military distinction in Afghanistan ... will have dire consequences for the Afghan civilian population -- particularly once the IMF [International Military Forces] withdraw."
- The war is undermining the American economy and burying the nation in debt. As Les Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, recently explained: "Afghanistan itself is no longer a vital interest of the United States, but continuing the war there tears at our own nation's very vitals. With America drowning under a $1.5 trillion deficit for next year and an almost $15 trillion overall debt, we are verging on banana republic-hood. Most of the $125 billion being spent in and for Afghanistan could better be deducted from those bills. How on earth can the administration justify spending billions to build roads, schools, and hospitals in Afghanistan when America's physical and intellectual infrastructure is simply collapsing? Of course, I feel for the Afghans; but I feel far, far more for Americans"
In fact, 23% of the combined budget deficits since 2003 are a result of spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Nobel Laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard budget guru Linda Bilmes now believe the wars will cost the American economy between $4 and $6 trillion in total. Even Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted this past August that "the most significant threat to our national security is our debt."
In writing his Final Orders for Afghanistan Pakistan Strategy, President Obama selected December 2010 to assess that strategy because one year would provide "sufficient time to assess progress and proof of the operational concept." And while senior military officials tout an "expansion of the security bubbles" in parts of Afghanistan, an overall assessment of the war only shows proof that Petraeus' current strategy is failing. The United States should immediately begin the political and diplomatic process necessary to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
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39 Comments so far
Show AllGreat points. Let me add a religious and patriotic points. The Taliban and their allies will win because they have a just cause in defending their country against the Christian terrorist invaders. (we still have Christian bible cites on our rifle scopes). Afghan patriots resist their corrupt "leaders" put in place by the Christian invaders. To deny that a big part of this war entails a clash of religions, is to ignore reality. Peace and religion do not mix.
In addition, if you read our military reports carefully, you can see that the military has given up on winning "hearts and minds," and has switched to air attacks and night raids. Air attacks constitute the principal terrorist act possible in the world today. When an American bomber drops its load on a village, anyone nearby dies. When an American drone blows up a village, dozens die. As to night raids, we do this primarily because of it terrorizes the families invaded at night (that is why in America we passed the 3rd Amendment).
let me tell you what obummer won't tell you about afghanistan:
1. the war is going well - the permanent bases are being constructed, the oil is stolen, the chinese are being squeezed out (for now), the weapons testing is going good on the new product lines, the boys at dynecor, haliburton and raytheon are making big bucks on the sheeple's credit card, and soon praise jesus we will be involved in war with pakistan and all hell will be loosed. love the smell of napalm in the morning
2. the amerikan nazi party has added the teabaggers to the dem and rep roster and it is all good
3. we are frying the sheeple at the airport with the body scanners and squeezing crotches to our hearts content
4. and best of all kids - praise jesus - we are just getting started
there's lots of killing to do - busy hands are happy hands as they say and these days we are happy - damn happy
meanwhile back at the ranch - the sheeple are broke, out of work, uninsured and homeless
praise his name
MED: Is that you, impersonating ""Curious Steve," here? You sound similar, and each begins his statements without the customary capital letter. Interesting how one disappears and another who posts in like fashion manages to simultaneously arrive.
wrong again sioux
i am the original whom the others try to copy but i would have thought you could have discerned all this with the tarot
the stars don't lie
nice to know i am in your brain - who else is in there
Nuclear weapons have been used against a population in war only twice: Both by the United States of America. I'm worried mostly by American and its allies having such weapons. This is a real problem, not some pipe dream problem about some possible entities possibly having these weapons. Remove the weapon first from those who have had the audacity to use them for mass killings.
Is "Pakistan" the latest politically acceptable excuse?
What he WON'T say:
"People of Afghanistan and brave members of the American military and its allies. We have won a decisive victory and have provided security for the Afghan people without bloodshed and destruction of property, and the people thank us for it.
As we prepare to move out, assured that the Afghan forces are now well equipped to retain order and assist the citizenry in going about their newly revitalized businesses. Heroin cultivation has been eliminated and substitute crops and products are succeeding, bringing the joys of prosperity to all citizens of Afghanistan, which now joins the U.S.-based coalition to assist in bringing peace to all troubled portions of this heretofore difficult part of the world. This is hour finest hour and all who participated deserve to be justly proud of this great service that has done for humanity, now and in the future."
No, I doubt if anything like that will ever be said.
I would not be so sure.
Obama probably WILL say it.
Of course it would all be a lie, but Faux News would report it and all of their listeners would believe it. Then he would say that we have to fight the real enemy - the Socialists! Round 'em up.
I bet ya' Osama, if he is even alive, has his thumbs in his ears and waving his fingers at the U.S. saying; I WAS RIGHT!
Yes, it was Osama who dared us to engage the mighty U.S. war complex to float and fly it to the other side of the planet to fight foot soldiers!
The only ones jumping for joy are the war profiteers! They are the ones who demonized him; so that THEY could profit.
The chances of Osama being alive are very slim.
The average life expectancy for a person on dialysis is 4.5 years.
And Osama is living in a cave.
(But cave medical care is probably better than the US system.)
The CIA will never let Osama die; he will live forever. He is Emmanuel Goldstein and he is much too valuable of a icon for the US Propaganda Machine which needs to keep us all afraid and in line. Audio and suspicious video recordings conveniently pop up from the Ministry of Truth whenever Osama is needed to distract us from the real criminals.
The headline could just as well read, 'What the President CAN'T Say About Afghanistan'.
It is surprising to me that Obama actually thinks he’s important.
It is equally amazing to me that any of us on the Left would think anyone pays any attention to what we say, or cares.
We are entertainers.
The world is a stage, and we are insignificant cartoon players.
heroin i$ big bu$ine$$
Here's another letter that didn't appear in the New York Times on-line discussions. Well, actually, it went up briefly, was a # 30. It then was removed, probably because of the comment about hara-kiri, but possibly because of the comment about insufferability, which certainly could include Times apologists for the Afghan war. Ostensibly, it's about Richard Holbrooke's alleged last words.
The Afghan war apologists' interpretation of Mr. Holbrooke's alleged last words-- that they were \"a joke\"-- are thoroughly gauche and manipulative. If the White House secretary was one of these persons, he should be fired. Hara-kiri would be a good fate for him, too.
Personally, I think that last words should be allowed to stand as they were delivered. People then can interpret them as they want. But should we-- Americans-- ever submit to a filter first, especially when provided by a venal professional propagandist?
It's all too easy to be cynical about Mr. Holbrooke's words or his role in four different wars. No matter what anyone says, he achieved the Dayton Accords, or would we Americans prefer that the Davis Cup final would not have just been played in Belgrade, that the whole world be aflame with war all of the time?
The Afghan war, like every American who supports or makes any excuse for it, is insufferable.
The only thing this report proves beyond a shadow of a doubt is that Obama is a liar. There is nothing this opportunist will not do or say to continue the war profiteering and corruption that characterizes America's wealthy class.
What the President won't say about Afghanistan. He will not level with the American people and tell them the truth that it was not his decision to make about the war in Afghanistan. He knows the parameters if he does not go along with the International Financiers, the Pentagon, the CIA, greedy, Industrial war profiteers, and other war mongers. Barry is beholden to these criminals and racketeers and nothing more than just a quisling for them and the sheeple, not much different than his drug and oil buddy Karzai.
What the President won't say is that the M/I/I complex cares about profits, not God, country or mom's apple pie, much less human life.
Of course, the Emperor is the Commander in Chief of the military Empire; it is not nor has it ever, been in the interests of the Empire to tell the truth.
The Spanish American War was based on lies and a false flag attack.
The US entry into WWI was based on lies.
The US entry into WWII was based on a lie of omission and FDR and Churchill both knew of the impending attack)
The US entry into the Vietnam war and occupation was based on lies and a false-flag attack.
The US/NATO invasion and occupation of Afghanistan was and is based on a pack of lies. (and very possibly a false-flag attack)
The US invasion and occupaton of Iraq was based on a blatant and obvious pack of lies.
So what else is new? This has been going on for millennia and yet folks who don't know their history are doomed to ignorance and folly.
War is simply a tool of the ruling classes to further enrich themselves and their interests, while making working-class and poor folks do the fighting and dying. It is a win-win situation for them: they can hide comfortably in their secure compounds and count their obscene double and triple-digit profit margins, while others are slaughtered. What a business model!
What the President and Tom Andrews Won't Say About Afghanistan is it is a criminal corporate imperial occupation designed to establish hegemony over Central Asian energy resources that will be marketed primarily in Asia. Afghanistan, or rather Pipelineistan, also has $Trillions in various natural resources including natural gas.
Most of the so-called progressive writers are in on the censorship just like the corporate media and the political establishments.
And another reality that no one talks about is that when the U.S. occupied Vietnam, Southeast Asia became the epicenter of global heroin production. And now the U.S. military occupies Afghanistan and Afghanistan is now the epicenter of heroin production.
A good read:
The War on Afghanistan is a Profit driven "Resource War".
by Michel Chossudovsky
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=19769
The problem for the American effort in Afghanistan is really basic.
The Americans kill a guy and call him an insurgent and puff up their chests and clap each other on the back. They don't know the guy's name or anything about him. They killed him, so he's a bad guy.
Meanwhile, down the road, another guy hears the news about the dead guy. He says to his family, "The foreigners killed Mohamed, my cousin."
He tells another relative, and that one says, "The foreigners killed Mohamed, my brother." Somewhere a woman wails and children are orphaned.
And suddenly a bunch more people decide the Americans need killing, and whatever Mohamed believed politically or spiritually really doesn't matter to them.
It's not about Taliban or a corrupt government in Kabul or a dysfunctional government in Pakistan.
It's about family, family on their own land, steeped in their own history.
The Americans can keep killing until the hills and rivers run red with the blood of Afghanis, and the last Afghani standing will find a way to sneak into a camp and slit the throats of as many Americans as he can before they kill him. He'll die avenging his wife, his brothers, his children, his parents, his cousins. He'll do what men have always done, and the Americans will never understand the depth of his acts, or understand how the American deaths are their own fault for their evil and ignorance and sheer stupidity.
Tariq Ali, the Pakistan born author had this to say on the topic:
---
I think this is one of the stupidest, fear mongering things. It is true Pakistan is a nuclear state. It is also true that the Pakistani military is half a million strong, that these nuclear facilities are amongst the most heavily guarded facilities in the country, just like they are in the United States, in Israel, in India, in China, in Russia now. So the notion that any armed group of extremists could even get near these facilities is a joke.
But let's suppose they do. All the nuclear weapons require codes to be fired. These codes are now imbedded in all these weapons. There's a handful of top military people who know what these codes are. There are also rumors, by the way, that the United States defense intelligence agency has its own personnel in there. This has been denied, but it wouldn't totally surprise me if it were true.
So there is no problem on that front unless the Pakistani military splits. Were it to split, then all bets are off. And the only reason it would split is if the United States expanded the war into Pakistan, making it extremely difficult for lots of nationalist-minded military officers to go along with this. Because there is that current and they say, "Well, it is our country. Why is the United States using our military bases to bomb our own people?"
What I am saying to you is not news to the administration. There are intelligent people behind Obama, who know all this. And that is why its puzzling as to why they trying to destabilize the country.
huffingtonpost.com/allison-kilkenny/obama-nukes-and-the-world_b_183815.html
---
The reason why the United States cannot afford to walk away from Afghanistan is really rather simple. Mr. Woltz from 'Godfather' explained the reason for his harmful obduracy succintly:
"A man in my position can't afford to be made to look ridiculous."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPegTYqicn
---
N.B. The "man" part of his statement deserves special consideration, imho. George Carlin had some interesting things to say on the problems of war and insecure manhood:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjRQwvnjpPw
just like every other bs reason given for iraq and afghan, this is yet another one... our actions actually create instability and danger, not security..
It was pretty obvious two years ago that the more troops we were sending to Afghanistan the more NATO and civilian casualties there would be. And to what purpose then and now is not clear. We need to begin an honorable withdrawal and leave Afghanistan's problems up to it's own people supplemented by multinational non-military assistance.
Although it was not widely reported in the US at the time, the Taliban offered to discuss turning over Bin Laden to the US just after Bush started his bombing campaign nine years ago. According to a 10/14/01 report by the Guardian:
"President George Bush rejected as "non-negotiable" an offer by the Taliban to discuss turning over Osama bin Laden if the United States ended the bombing in Afghanistan.
Returning to the White House after a weekend at Camp David, the president said the bombing would not stop, unless the ruling Taliban "turn [bin Laden] over, turn his cohorts over, turn any hostages they hold over." He added, "There's no need to discuss innocence or guilt. We know he's guilty". In Jalalabad, deputy prime minister Haji Abdul Kabir - the third most powerful figure in the ruling Taliban regime - told reporters that the Taliban would require evidence that Bin Laden was behind the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US, but added: "we would be ready to hand him over to a third country".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/oct/14/afghanistan.terrorism5
There is NO win in war ! Fascist amerika IS the big loser, as the terrorist act,{ war IS terrorism with a big budget} of occupation and war with Afghanistan is the final blow for the collapse of the fascist amerikan empire !
Time to declare victory and pull out. He's done the victory speech.
I believe there are many in powerful places in the MIC that think exactly like that.
We will pull out of Afghanistan as soon as the bombs start interfering with the copper mine that China is developing in Afghanistan.
When the bombs get too close, China will call in its IOUs, remind the U.S. that they are overdrawn at the "Bank of China" and then, this America will declare a 'win" and the soldiers can go home.
With real jobs and no one blowing up their families, the taliban will really have no reason to fight anyone.
JOBS...so simple, so bloodless, so humane and with FAMILY values too.
jobs are not bloodless...
All that remains to be determined in Operation Enduring Fiasco is the final body count and the size of US humiliation.
If a bunch of Soldiers came to my country , killing my family and friends, and I was deep in thousands of years of tradition, I too would be very angry, and never accept this for my country.
If I were an educated homeowner, in a well developed country, and Soldiers came to my country, killing my family and friends, I would be angry, and never accept this for my country.
It does not matter which situation you are in, being invaded, and having another country blow up, and kill your family, and friends is WRONG ! Not one thing about the Wars we are in, is good. We ARE the Bad Guys ! Once again America proves that we can not handle being in Power. Our Leaders are to easily swayed by greed, and they quickly loose track of what our country is supposed to stand for .
What Obama didn't say: "The Afghans are showing a remarkably American sort of response to invasion and occupation, striking blows for liberty with every NATO soldier they kill."
It is an insult to refer to a 5-page "Overview" as a proper report to the citizens of a democracy concerning a 10-year war that has cost us ____________. Yes, that's right, the report did not even mention how much the war costs; and that on a day when tax cuts were almost simultaneously approved.
I parted company with Obama when he embraced the warring in Afghanistan, making it his own, by escalating it. Until that point, there was the hope that the warring would be called by its right name; namely, warring on false pretenses and therefore a war crime. Unfortunately, Obama did not do that and, instead, has put himself into the position of being a successor war criminal.
That was too bad going into yesterday's "review." Now, additional insult in the form of a skimpy, deceptive, incomplete 5-page report has been added to the injury. I am not here saying that Obama is as bad as Bush was. All one has to do to be reminded of just how bad it was under Bush is to go see "Fair Game." It was worse back then, but it is still bad now.
Yes, Barack Obama has done quite a few things that warrant his not being re-elected. I too lost interest with his escalation of the war in Afghanistan. About three weeks ago my dislike for him was again confirmed when he decided that the use of children as soldiers was ok, so long as they were fighting "terrorism!"
Anyone with that kind of mentality is merely a willing puppet of imperialism as well as being a loser. If human life ( especially that of children ) mean so little than I would rather NOT have this fool in the White House!
People, it's time to build an alternative to the corrupt two party scam we have now!
What 0bama won't say about Afghanistan.*
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* See Wikileaks.
(Excellent article, actually. Of course, he won't tell you that he has defrauded himself and murdered thousands and tortured at least hundreds of innocents, either. But I suppose you would need an awful lot of text to really cover the bases, wouldn't you?)