So why are we in Afghanistan?
Posted by John, June 21st, 2010 - under US imperialism.
Tags: Afghanistan, Australian imperialism
Another 3 Australian badged killers have died in Afghanistan. That makes 5 in the last 2 weeks.
Why are we there?
It can’t be to defend democracy. Karzai rigged the Presidential vote.
It can’t be to stop the warlords. They are the Government.
It can’t be to liberate women. The current male power structures in Afghanistan, propped up by the US, imprison women as women – apart from a few female schools set up for western TV viewers.
It can’t be to fight terrorism. We are the terrorists, invading their country, killing tens of thousands of civilians and creating millions of refugees. We are exporting our terrorism to Pakistan.
It is for the Afghan people to decide their future, not foreign invaders. In fact the brutal Western invasion has strengthened the Taliban who will regain control at some stage.
Everything you hear from our leaders about Afghanistan is a Vietnam lie. We are not winning. We are not bringing democracy, or liberating women or fighting terrorism.
Australia is in Afghanistan to support the United States, our imperialist protector. This is not because our political and economic elite are toadies of the Americans.
It is in the interests of our capitalist class to have troops in Afghanistan to protect their interests.
Australian capitalism is expansionist. It controls the Pacific and wants to expand that control into South East Asia.
It also fears that Chinese imperialism may eventually challenge its dominant position in the region.
So our ruling class aligns itself with the dominant economic and military power to protect its own interests.
Australia’s history is the history of militarism – first against the indigenous population and then in conjunction with Britain and the US against indigenous peoples around the world.
We went into the two imperialist conflagrations last century as a consequence of a calculated analysis that concluded it was in the interests of the Australian capitalist class to do so.
The ANZUS treaty is our expansionist ticket and insurance policy.
Australia’s trained killers are dying in Afghanistan for a piece of paper and the voracious appetite of Australian capitalism to expand beyond its borders under the protection of a great power.
The US is in Afghanistan to contain its main imperialist competitor, China.
As China’s economic power grows and that of the US stabilises or falls, the Americans are relying more and more on their overwhelming military strength – their defence spending is as much as the next 16 countries combined – to protect and expand their economic interests, and that of their oligarchic multinational corporations.
This of necessity means constraining China. The war in Iraq and the propping up of the expanding and genocidal American ally Israel, the threats to Iran, along with a range of pro-US dictators, make American control of the Middle East and future oil supplies to China a reality.
Our trained killers are dying in Afghanistan for a protection racket and insurance policy with the US. Bring the troops home.
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Comments
Comment from Arjay
Time June 22, 2010 at 11:11 am
We cannot leave Afghanistan now.They have just discovered a $ trillion in minerals ie lithium needed for the battery industry.The pipleines for the oil and gas from Turkmeinstan have yet to be built.
The Afghanis need to be liberated with the production of more heroine so they can buy more arms to kill our troops.International Corps can then win contracts to rebuild the country and we pay the taxes to do it.
John you have to stop thinking about people and concentrate on profits and power for the elites.
Comment from John Barr
Time June 22, 2010 at 11:37 am
Wow! One left over serious left wing Red left under the bed. Give it up John the Commos lost. Australian trained killers? Well, I can see a target that needs to be dealt with. Of course when the terriost affect your family, who ya gonna call? On your nice friendly Teliban to protect you, of course. NOT. You’ll demand some Aussie Trained Killer to protect you.
Take his name & throw him to the people he has sided with. See how he fares.
Comment from Dave Stalker
Time June 22, 2010 at 11:55 am
I find it hard to believe that you refer to our fighting men as trained killers, tell me how where you raised.
If your such a big man go and tell the families what you are claiming here, or the RSL and see what kind of a reception you get.
For God sake get real.
Comment from John Ward
Time June 22, 2010 at 2:16 pm
Under our politicl system all three arms of Government exist separately yet none may have unbridled power unto itself or untrammeled power over any other. This is known as the doctrine of the separation of powers.
This division of power stops one person or group of people taking over all the power to govern Australia.
So it comes to my mind, strange indeed, that a Prime Minister, any PM, can take it on himself or herself to make a decision to send our armed forces to war. To send them into harms way, with out the checks and balances established by the separation of powers.
My concern is that should these decisions to go to a particular war, are found to be illegal one day. I am concerned that service men and women, who are in need of compensation or legal protection are put beyond the protection of the law by a whim of one person.
Tim, can you please bring a panel of experts together to test these concerns??
We are not living in a dictatorship, but this situation is not a democratic one. We need to be above the law when we risk going to war and losing our children in service to their nation.
John Ward
20 Grosse Road
Gordon
7150
62921211
Comment from John Ward
Time June 22, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Under our system all three arms of Government exist separately yet none may have unbridled power unto itself or untrammeled power over any other, this is known as the doctrine of the separation of powers.
This division of power stops one person or group of people taking over all the power to govern Australia.
So it comes to my mind, strange indeed, that a Prime Minister, any PM, can take it on himself or herself to make a decision to send our armed forces to war. To send them into harms way, with out the checks and balances established by the separation of powers.
My concern is that should these decisions to go to a particular war, are found to be illegal one day. I am concerned that service men and women, who are in need of compensation or legal protection are put beyond the protection of the law by a whim of one person.
Tim, can you please bring a panel of experts together to test these concerns??
We are not living in a dictatorship, but this situation is not a democratic one. We need to be above the law when we risk going to war and losing our children in service to their nation.
John Ward
20 Grosse Road
Gordon
7150
62921211
Comment from Westralis
Time June 22, 2010 at 3:04 pm
“our ‘trained killers’ are protecting scumbags like you, you spineless faggot”
My goodness you guys are real suckers for whatever the Seppos tell ya, aren’t ya?
At some point you’ll have to accept that Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Turkey, China, Russia, North Korea….oh and the most recent defenceless third world country occupied by little brown people that don’t have defence forces to appear on the USA’s target cross hairs Yemen……have never raised a finger or fired a shot in anger at Australia. In fact some of them have delivered a very tidy profit to our wheat and sheep farmers, not to mention China’s contribution in keeping Australia well afloat in the recent financial meltdown.
For all our time we, Australia, have been a force for good that only ever acted in the defence of self and those abused by tyrants, despots now we have pulled on the jack boots of the offensive subjugater and with our restyled WW2 German Army helmets prowl the lands of the disadvantaged,. killing and destroying in the name of an alliance gone gone well and truly fowl!!!
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Comment from Richard
Time June 22, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Sir,
I find it most offensive that you describe our Servicemen & Women, as ‘trained killers’.
I am a Veteran, and to have an individual such as yourself, use such language is totally abhorrent.
I’d strongly suggest that you curb your opinions and language if you ever intend to socialize with a group of Vietnam Vets. for example.
Though, we do exercise considerable patience and tolerance, I’d not push it, if I were you ?
Though, I suspect your remarks are probably uttered more as a joke, perhaps ?
Comment from Colin
Time June 22, 2010 at 6:39 pm
I don’t see how you could really raise a rational objection to the term ‘trained killers’. Is that not a pretty key component of being in the military, you know, learning how to use a gun effectively, etc? Maybe the violence and death dealt out by a particular group of trained killers in a particular situation is justified i.e. self defence, humanitarian intervention etc. You sound like a tough bunch… I think you could probably focus on justifying whatever you are pushing in our name rather than shedding a tear over your hurt feelings because someone called you something mean but accurate.
Specifically, the war in Afghanistan fails a basic cost-benefit analysis. As have most instances of state-sponsored violence since World War II. The money and lives spent could have been far more effectively utilised actually improving the quality of peoples lives rather than prolonging a bloody stalemate. While I highly doubt that the war in Afghanistan has or will reduce the threat of terrorism to Australia, you have to acknowledge that this threat, whatever its size, will always be the exceedingly small price we pay for the freedoms we have. So… sack up already. Get ready to deal with some real world problems.
Comment from Arjay
Time June 22, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Vietnam was a lie ,Iraq was a lie,there were no weapons of mass destruction.It is all about power and profits.Now the neo-cons are searching desperately for excuses to invade Iran and take it’s oil.
Wars are contrived by the elites for profit.Just one missile can cost a $ million.In Iraq they, the industrial military complex makes money selling selling our Govts arms,and the banks make money loaning the money.We then get taxed and send our young men to die for a lie.This was true of WW1 which led to WW2.The same Banksters fund both sides for profit.
The neo-cons are playing a very dangerous game in trying to starve China of resources and energy.Japan went to war under similar circumstances.
So when your son dies in a foreign land for the theft of energy and resources,there will be the comfort of your shares in Haliburton,Unicon Oil etc ,are on the rise.
Sleep well.
Comment from Kieran
Time June 22, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Australian soldiers in Afganistan are trained to kill. Whilst they are in Afganistan, they kill people.
Ergo, they are trained killers.
Australians soldiers are the pointy end of Australian government policy, and Australian policy in Afganistan is to kill a bunch of people.
For as long as Australians soldiers in Afganistan continue to obey their orders, they will be killers.
When our soldiers grow tired of being placed in harms way, being sent to kill people, and having their comrades die, then they know what they have to do.
Fuck orders, mutiny, desert, and tell the officers you aint fucking marching any more.
Comment from Berty North
Time June 22, 2010 at 9:02 pm
so there’s been another three privates killed in Afghanistan … is that important? … it is to me! … can we get a few generals killed just for the sake of fairness and equality? … which generals would like to volunteer? … how about Houston? … how about Leahy? … how about Smith at Lavarack? …which politicians would like to volunteer? … Faulkner? Combet? … Smith? … Swan?… … Rudd? … any takers? …
Alistair Hulett said it best – “a bayonet, that’s a weapon with a working man at either end, betray your country, not your class, don’t sign up for war my friend, don’t sign up for war” …
perhaps the bayonet of then has now become an IED? …
bring home our troops .. we don’t need to kiss the yankee arse any more …
Comment from Auntie Rhoberta
Time June 22, 2010 at 10:03 pm
If Revolution devours its children, Counter-revolution devours everybody else’s.
Comment from Arjay
Time June 22, 2010 at 10:26 pm
Prof Neils Harritt will be coming to Sydney on 17/7/10 to present his paper on the proof of explosives used in the World Trade Centre of 911.For bookings email johnbursill@gmail.com
There was a third building came down that day 486 m tall which no plane impacted.It came down in a classic style controlled demolition at the freefall speed of gravity.It took the US Govt 6 yrs to put out a sham report that could not reply to even the most basic questions of building integrity or laws of physics.
In April last yr Prof Harritt published a peer reviewed paper with 8 other international scientists that prove evidence of nano-thermite a highly sophistocated explosive present in both the dust and of WTC 911.The war on terror is a lie .See http://ae911truth.org/
Comment from bobf
Time June 23, 2010 at 2:05 am
Readers might be interested in also checking out the “People’s History of Afghanistan” series that’s posted on following link:
http://theragblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/bob-feldman-peoples-history-of_21.html
Comment from mike crook
Time June 23, 2010 at 10:42 am
Interesting article, with which I agree in the main. There is little doubt now though, that the USA military industrial complex, is entering into a phase of permanent war, and we are being sucked along with it. Eisenhower warned us of this in 1961 and he was quite prescient. The USA will continue to invent wars and kill countless millions of innocents in the coming years unless we do something to stop them. a good place to start might be to demonise the US corporations that are taking over Australia and at least create some awareness within the general population of just what psychopathic monsters these corporations really are
Comment from Shane H
Time June 23, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Yeah look we shouldn’t be in Iraq and if you have a problem with the idea that soldiers are ‘trained killers’ then I think you need to consider what the role of their training is. Mainly to overcome the human instinct that aviods killing.
Neverthess this isn’t about the soldiers. These pumped up macho SAS guys are VICTIMS not heroes. They are there to serve the interests of the rich and powerful – like all young men sent off to war they are told a variety of lies about why it is necessary for them to die – but not those who profit from the war. Start with Stan Goff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA_eGdKi6iQ!
Comment from Arjay
Time June 23, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Those who are interested in meeting Prof Niels Harritt will have book early, since the venue at the Mechanical School of Arts is small.This was shown on national Danish TV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_tf25lx_3o Our ABC are controlled by the oligarchs.
The venue is 280 Pitt St Sydney,Mechanical School of Arts on 17/7/2010.Niels does not want to dwell too much on on his proven scientific evidence.He also wants to expand on the broader philosophical implications for our humanity.
Dr Frank Legge is the Australian who was on Niel’s team and will give a separate lecture to cater for expected overflows.http://www.journalof 911studies.com/-
Book early johnbursill@gmail.com
Entry is free but a donation of $10.00 to cover costs will be appreciated.I’ll greet you at the door. Freedom or facism,the choice is yours.
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Time June 24, 2010 at 11:32 am
[…] Australia is in Afghanistan to support the United States, our imperialist protector. So why are we in Afghanistan? […]
Comment from peter piper
Time June 22, 2010 at 9:58 am
our ‘trained killers’ are protecting scumbags like you, you spineless faggot