BRATTLEBORO — All the warning signs were there, if one cared to read them.
The Brits had tried three times to occupy Afghanistan; the Russians, once. Instead of coming to grips with al Qaida and then leaving, the politicians and generals decided to stay on, so that we could get even with the Taliban. (How puritanical is that?)
The misguided belief in raw military power solving all issues clouded their judgment. Might is right - so they say. They somehow thought they would be fine to remain.
The last attempt, by the Russians, had a nasty twist to it. The CIA and Pentagon came up with a plan to stick it to the Russians. They supplied the Taliban, who were resisting the occupation, with weapons, some of which were very sophisticated. This greatly contributed to the demise of the Russian effort.
American propaganda transformed this into the delusional Hollywood drivel (i.e., Charlie Wilson's War) about our caring and concern for Afghan freedom. When the Russians sniveled back across the Oxus River, the Americans promptly packed up their toys and left, too. Promises of rebuilding were conveniently forgotten.
Ten years on, and the American military is taking a severe beating from the Taliban. The corporate media is tight-lipped, releasing only the bare essentials. When negotiations begin with terrorists and the puppet openly defies and contradicts the imperium, well, you pretty much know it is going down big time.
Over the last 10 years, the American military has been doing its usual excellent job of winning the “hearts and minds,” conducting themselves like bulls in a china shop.
Completely ignoring the culture and sensitivities of the Afghan civilian population is asking for trouble. Only an arrogant fool would persist.
So, instead of fighting the Taliban, we are now fighting Afghanistan. We have pissed off everyone in the region.
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From the beginning of the war, it was assumed that Pakistan was our ally. After all, we had had so much close contact over the decades, since its independence.
We had helped overthrow several of their governments (not to our liking), supported some very abusive ones (much to our liking), and generally interfered at will. Right under our noses, the Pakistanis developed a nuclear capability. (We choked down a large piece of Humble Pie over that one.)
We had been throwing money at Pakistan for some years but, by 2001, this sum was vastly increased. We tried to buy their loyalty in the face of at least a thousand years of Islamic brotherhood.
What were these idiots thinking? Did they really think that the Pakistanis would side with America against their Muslim brothers in Afghanistan?
They took our money, smiled like good Muslims, and screwed us royally - and rightly so. Stupidity deserves such treatment. Let's not forget that this is our tax money.
After a few years of guerilla war, things are not going so well. An expert is brought in to rectify matters. A new manual is issued on the “right” way to conduct asymmetric warfare.
The author, Army Gen. David Petraeus, is lauded in the press. A fresh start and tangible results are eagerly anticipated. The core themes of his right way are “Clear, Hold, and Rebuild.”
How do you rebuild when you are being shot at? How do you clear an area and then make sure it remains clear thereafter? How do you supply building materials when roads are land-mined?
How do you get civilian Afghans to help with the rebuilding when they have had massive terror imposed on them not to cooperate?
Clearly, the author does not understand the essence of guerilla war. That essence is a war of ideas: American ideas versus the guerilla ideas. Which set of ideas will the local population embrace?
Without the cooperation of the local population, the occupation is doomed. Within this contested framework is a war of movement (on foot), of old-fashioned infantry skills, of learning and infinite patience - none of which the American military mindset has.
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Often, this whole complicated picture is underpinned by terrorism. Who can apply more terror to the local population? Holding ground is the complete antithesis of a guerilla war. Dien Bien Phu is a prime example.
One fine morning, the American military wakes up to the fact that the Pakistanis have been supporting their brothers in Afghanistan. After all the money we have spent on these fine fellows!
In a total sense-of-humor failure, the destruction of a Pakistani border post, where the assistance probably took place, is ordered. Twenty-four Pakistani troops perish. It is billed as a genuine honest mistake.
The Pakistanis are outraged, but we are still totally reliant on Pakistan cooperation to get all the supplies in for the troops in Afghanistan. Pakistan is referred to as a logistical corridor.
So, in essence, we have cut our nose to spite our face. Makes a lot of sense. Inevitably, the Pakistanis refuse to cooperate further.
The Guardian now reports that it is costing the American military six times more to get all their supplies into Afghanistan by other circuitous routes. And you can pretty much bet that the costs were exorbitant before this stupidity. I wonder if the Russians are getting even with us now?
So there goes our tax money, folks - money that should be spent on schools and college education and public transport and single-payer health care.
No wonder the Occupy Wall Street kids are ramping up.
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Best of all was this most recent clanger over the burning of Korans, which were being used to pass messages to one another, which to their paranoid, lunatic jailers must have presaged a fresh attack on the Homeland.
So they take all the Korans to a dump and try and burn them. (How puritanical is that?
“A few bad apples” was not used. This time it was a genuine mistake! Again?
And the savage rejoinder came from a Muslim cleric, who wanted to know what we had learned in 10 years of occupying their country.
Close on the heels of the Koran burning we now have an infantry sergeant shooting 17 women and children. The corporate media has already exonerated him, and its reporting is revealing.
On one side is a decorated hero who sacrificed greatly for the empire. On the other side is a bunch of Muslims, who in fact are never even mentioned in any of the reporting.
The plan of teaching the people all about democracy and freedom has been quietly shelved, too. It was, after all, a little patronizing. Now we just simply want to train the Afghan National Army, so that when we stand down they fall down. Makes a lot of sense. And the Afghan National Army/Taliban seems to be shooting more NATO troops than Taliban.
The American military seems to delight in its traditional exercise in futility, and this is a perfect example - flogging a dead horse with gusto.
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Our dear leader has decided that we will remain in Afghanistan until 2014 - another two whole years. A lot can happen in two years, and it won't be good.
So who wins and who loses in the end? Defense industry executives are making money by the truckload. Your Democrat and Republican politicians wholeheartedly support them and have all their reelection bills paid.
The ordinary people in America are the losers.
It's all their tax money that is diverted by these politicians into this black hole and into Pakistani pockets.
It is their children who are going to the front line.
Worse, the Imperium has rigged it so that American teenagers of poor parents are presented with a poisoned chalice upon leaving school: Get a basic job (no benefits) with a local corporation and remain on the margins (poor) for the rest of their lives, with little prospect of promotion. Or join the military.
Perhaps we'll strike a rich vein of Lithium before we leave Afghanistan.
Yes, there has to be a reason for this stupidity.