Obama Is Wrong On Both Counts 64


Obama loves his rhetoric, and his speech on the Afghan surge was topped by a rhetorical flourish:

“Our cause is just, our resolve unshaken”.

He is of course wrong on both counts.

The occupation of Afghanistan by the US and its allies is there to prop up the government of President Karzai. Karzai’s has always been an ultra-corrupt government of vicious warlords and drugs barons. I have been pointing this out for years,

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-469983/Britain-protecting-biggest-heroin-crop-time.html#ixzz0VS78HVR1

The CIA is up to its usual tricks again supporting the drug running of key warlords loyal to them. They are also setting up death squads on the Central American model, in cooperation with Blackwater.

Fortunately Karzai’s rigging of his re-election was so blatant that the scales have fallen from the eys of the public and even the mainstream media. Politicians no longer pretend we are promoting democracy in Afghanistan.

Karzai comes directly from the Bush camp and was put in place because of his role with Unocal in developing the Trans Afghanistan Gas Pipeline project. That remains a chief strategic goal. The Asian Development Bank has agreed finance to start construction in Spring 2011. It is of course a total coincidence that 30,000 extra US troops will arrive six months before, and that the US (as opposed to other NATO forces) deployment area corresponds with the pipeline route.

Obama’s claim that “Our cause is just” ultimately rests on the extraordinary claim that, eight years after the invasion, we are still there in self-defence. In both the UK and US, governments are relying on the mantra that the occupation of Afghanistan protects us from terrorism at home.

This is utter nonsense. The large majority of post 9/11 terror incidents have been by Western Muslims outraged by our invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. Put bluntly, if we keep invading Muslim countries, of course we will face a violent backlash. The idea that because we occupy Afghanistan a Muslim from Dewsbury or Detroit disenchanted with the West would not be able to manufacture a bomb is patent nonsense. It would be an infinitely better strategy to make out theoretical Muslim less disenchanted by not attacking and killing huge numbers of his civilian co-religionists.

Our cause is unjust.

We are responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and for the further of radicalisation of Muslim communities worldwide. That threatens a perpetual war – which is of course just what the military-industrial complex and the security industry want. They have captured Obama.

Fortunately, our resolve is shaken.

The ordinary people of the UK and US have begun in sufficient numbers to see through this perpetual war confidence trick; they realise there is nothing in it for them but dead youngsters and high taxes. That is why Obama made a very vague promise – which I believe in its vagueness and caveats to be deliberate deceit – that troops will start to leave in 2011.

Today’s promises of 5,000 additional NATO troops are, incidentally, empty rhetoric. I gather from friends in the FCO that firm pledges to date amount to 670.

A well-placed source close to the Taliban in Pakistan tells me that the Afghan Taliban and their tribal allies have a plan. As the US seeks massively to expand the Afghan forces, they are feeding in large numbers of volunteers. I suspect that while we may see the odd attack on their trainers, the vast majority will get trained, fed, paid and equipped and bide their time before turning en masse. This is nothing new; it is precisely the history of foreign occupations in the region and the purchase of tribal auxiliaries and alliances.


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64 thoughts on “Obama Is Wrong On Both Counts

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  • Suhayl Saadi

    Coleen, re. Obama [“I don’t think Obombya leveled at all with the American people.”, Dec 3rd, 0646hrs]

    Surely, as far as foreign policy went, you didn’t expect him to.

  • Chris Dooley

    amber ladeira,

    I think some of critisisms can be explained by Craig’s current lack of access to the site admin tools due to his work in Africa.

    I would vouch that Craig is very careful with his facts as the numerous attempts to silence him with libel cases have all failed. His books are packed with verifiable insider knowledge which would astound you.

    The odd spelling mistake (which only seems to have crept in during the past week), should not detract from the message.

    I don’t know your level of knowledge about the klepto-corporate machinations of most of our leaders, but Naomi Klein’s book – ‘The Shock Doctrine’ would probably save you alot of research.

    Please forgive any of my spelling mistakes, this site is harsh on ad-hoc postings due to lack of editing facilities.

    I wish tony_opmoc would stick to commenting on what Craig has to say, and not drag the tone of this excellent blog down to gutter level. (I suggest refraining from posting if you have had a few drinks Tony, and don’t rise to flamebait)

  • Steve

    Craig,

    I have been searching and I cant find anything backing the theory that the international campaign in Afghanistan is all about the ‘pipeline’, and not about prevention of islamic terrorism.

    What leads you to the conclusion that this is the case?

    Personally I dont find it credible that the mass of military force in afghanistan is there to root out a relatively small number of Al Qeada operatives, that if blessed with even a single brain cell, would have undoubtedly ‘left the building’.

  • J M R V Almirall

    Mr. Craig, thank you for your balance and brave view of the world we live in.

    We need many more like you.

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