Thursday, May 6, 2021

An empire in love with its Afghan cemetery — Pepe Escobar

In a nutshell: for the US deep state, leaving Afghanistan is anathema.
All this is being withdrawn is US visible presence. The shadow war goes on as US troops pull out.
The extended troika [Russia, the United States, China and Pakistan, with Turkey poised to enter], at least rhetorically, is in favor of an “independent, sovereign, unified, peaceful, democratic, neutral and self-sufficient Afghanistan.” Talk about a lofty undertaking. It remains to be seen how Afghanistan’s “neutrality” can be guaranteed in such a nest of New Great Game serpents.

Beijing and Moscow will be under no illusions that the newly privatized, Special Forces Afghan-American experiment will eschew using Salafi-jihadis, radicalized Uighurs or other instant assets to destabilize what in effect should be the incorporation of Afghanistan to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (where it’s already an observer) and the larger Eurasia integration project.
The Vineyard of the Saker
An empire in love with its Afghan cemetery
Pepe Escobar

More "liberal" interventionism in Myanmar based on geopolitics and geostrategy to dominate. "Liberation" means installing "our guys" under the guise of liberalism and Western values (making the world safe for totalitarian capital).

Moon of Alabama

See also
During a government investigation of what went wrong back in 2015, Douglas Lute, an Army general who directed Afghan war policy for the Bush and Obama administrations, observed: “We were devoid of a fundamental understanding of Afghanistan — we didn’t know what we were doing.”
Same as Vietnam.

This is a backgrounder.

Counterpunch
The True Meaning of the Afghan “Withdrawal”
Alfred W. McCoy | Fred Harvey Harrington Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison

See also

Sputnik International
In Historic Decision, Iran Allows Senior Military Commanders to Run for President

Russia Reminds US Its Presence in Syria is Illegal After Washington Charges Moscow With ‘Violations’


See also

Everything you were wondering about Sarmat 2

SouthFront
Russia To Test RS-28 Sarmat ICBM Three Times In 2021, British Media Goes Off The Rails

9 comments:

Peter Pan said...

Myanmar - another example of trying to hold a country together despite the wishes of its ethnic groups.

lastgreek said...

In love with Afghan cemetery, eh?

Don’t forget America’s love for Afghan women :)

Matt Franko said...

Should have nuked their second city a few days after 9/11/01....

lastgreek said...

Don't you guys have any neutron bombs?

S400 said...

Should have dropped Matt to the Talibans.

S400 said...

Should have dropped Matt to the Talibans.

S400 said...

Should have dropped Matt to the Talibans.

Peter Pan said...

Send Matt on a cultural exchange program.
Iran, Afghanistan shall be at the top of the itinerary.

Ahmed Fares said...

Matt,

Here you go again in case you've forgotten (the audio kicks in after a few seconds):

Hillary Clinton : We created Al Qaeda