10/6/09

Political Article

US troops out of Afghanistan — Web Socialist Web Site — Bill Van Auken — September 24, 2009

The war in Afghanistan is getting closer to escalation and many more troops being sent in to Afghanistan. Last February, Obama fired the US Commander in Afghanistan and ordered an additional 21,000 American troops to be sent in to Afghanistan. The US commander was replaced with General McChrystal. The newly ordered troops and General McChrystal’s latest report are causing the Obama Administration to debate over their strategy with the deepening problem in Afghanistan. If the war in Afghanistan is allowed to continue in escalation, there very well may have to be another United States military draft for more soldiers. The attacks on September 11, 2001 are being used as a pretext to continue the wars going on Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. This is the continued reasoning that has been given to the public for the war in Afghanistan, when even General McChrystal stated that there is no significant Al Qaeda presence in Afghanistan. The origins of the war in Afghanistan stated way back in 1978 when the US CIA backed Islamist guerrillas against the country’s Soviet-backed government. The agency poured about $5 billion in aid and weapons into their backing of the Islamic guerrillas. This not only destroyed Afghan society, but also cost about 1.5 million lives. In the end, no matter which of the plans that are being debated in the White House are adopted, this escalation will be accompanied by a widening war in Pakistan. If the war is allowed to escalate, it will cost many lives, $100 billion, and in the opinion of most analysts’ will last a decade or more.