I know a Syrian who told me a few years ago that his country has seen the same backward development. His mother was one of the first women to finish medicinal studies at the university, in the sixties, was wearing occidental clothes and working towards a better, more laic world for everyone.
Her daughter (the guy’s sister) is wearing traditional muslim clothes, and due to massive social pressure, forbids her own young daughter to go out in the streets without being accompanied by a man from the family. Let that sink in…
He told me this before the Syrian war started, so God knows how the situation is now, after years of mayhem…
The guy who told me this couldn’t bear witnessing all that shite, and migrated to Switzerland when he was still young, roughly 30 years ago. He’s now a successful engineer and has never looked back.
There was a part particularly the ‘war machine’. Afghanistan became the centre of weapons testing, all involved were at it. Drones, helicopters, land vehicules …
On top of that there was the drug production and trade that the US stemed to a large extent.
How much each weighed is what can be debated however there were advantages of going into Afghanistan other than Ben Laden.
I agree on the motivation for getting in - it was about blood lust and revenge. But we’ve had so many opportunities to get out in good standing over the decades and never taken them. The way our government works, it is far too easy for people to be in positions of influence over decisions that have the ability to line their own pockets and benefit their paymasters, and I think nothing exemplifies that like military spending, and opportunities to demonstrate that need for that spending.
Just as in Iraq, this war was all about money and more specifically oil.
The motivation to go to war is almost always to grab power and resources, especially relevant in the 20th Century.
The Bush led US Government had one prime objective - to control the worlds oil supply, either directly or indirectly. If foreign governments refused to play ball then the US military would force compliance with the US agenda.
Afghanistan is another casualty of this policy.
Any empty declarations that the US were attempting to liberate and “free” the oppressed people is frankly bullshit.
It was all about money and power. This article from 2002 is light on detail but broadly explains the reason for the US invasion.
Another legend from the 1960s with this dreadful disease. Ironically his iconic goal for City against his beloved United helped to relegate them…although to be fair as it panned out, they were doomed anyway.
BBC News - Denis Law: Man Utd and Scotland legend diagnosed with dementia
an old interview done in 2009 by Charlie Rose with our late Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. While I will not say its anything prophetic, I do agree with some snippets of his comments back then, that the big powers are using Afghanistan as a distraction from other issues and trying to solve problems for everyone else. Not saying that everyone should not care about other problems in the world, but I think there are nuggets we can ponder about what LKY said.
If her story about N Korea is true - and I have no reason to doubt it - this is one of the most horrific regimes ever to exist. Like a story from mediaeval history.
Warning - the descriptions in this are horrific so do not watch / listen if you are easily disturbed.
I read that the logistical support was evacuated months ago, along with the communications personel. An army without logistical support isn’t an army.
This coincides with the Afghan army no longer recieveing their pay and not getting fed.
It’s alright arming and training soldiers but not training up the logistical personnel and then just pulling the plug is diabolic. Particulary when you know that those people in place are illiterate.
So it goes a lot deeper and cynical than air support. It even appears deliberate!
The messaging by Biden makes it appear prepared to me.
Does Afghanistan have oil? Honest question as I really don’t know.
Not that I’m dissing your post as the motivation for going into Afghanistan was clearly a revenge issue following 9/11. It wouldn’t surprise if there were other issues such as drug supplies and even as simple as the US “wanting” another war to keep the arms manufacturers and lobbyists happy.
I have read that Afghanistan does sit on a large lithium reserve. Again, no idea how accurate that is but I wonder how long it takes for that to become further motivation given the recent UN Climate report.
I find it complete bullshit, criminal even, that we started a war on terror 20 or so years ago and after 20 years, within a month or so f troops leaving the taliban are back in control.
Complete waste of time, money and life.
We have not seen the job through here and it all comes down to money.
But the importance of Afghanistan lies mostly in its location. Consider it as a great, big crossroads with roads leading to/from Middle East, Europe, Central Asia, China, and South Asia. Control over it also gives you influences over Arab Sea which is one of the busiest in the world not just in terms of oil traffic but other cargo as well.
