Afghanistan, Yet Another Consideration And The On Going Task Of Holding The Bush Administration Accountable.
"The action I am taking is no more than a radical measure to hasten the explosion of truth and justice. I have but one passion: to enlighten those who have been kept in the dark, in the name of humanity which has suffered so much and is entitled to happiness. My fiery protest is simply the cry of my very soul. Let them dare, then,
to bring me before a court of law and let the enquiry take place in
broad daylight!"
- Emile Zola, J'accuse! (1898) –
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude
than the animating contest of freedom, — go from us in peace. We ask
not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed
you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget
that ye were our countrymen!”
-Sam Adams-
GET READY!
I Get a lot of Email and blog comment input, but this morning I had three massages from the owner of the http://low-intensity-conflict-review.blogspot.com/ blog concerning Afghanistan and an earlier post of mine. Mr. A.H Amins’ comments and map indicators were welcomed/well-received on mu part. I am high lighting those offerings and featuring his blog in a large Widget presentation today and I encourage all to take the time to explore the content there. It will be worth your time and effort.
I have already said I intended to stay of the Afghanistan Issue like a Dog on raw meat and so I am. The uncertainty of the Mid East Region, the complexity of the Afghanistan issue and limited financial and military resources that we can bring to bear requires: extreme caution, careful re-thinking on the part of the world community as to how we are going to successfully and cooperatively deal with “Real Terrorists” with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
The answer is not going to be found in a simple military solution, but a careful examination and plans developed after examination of all the necessary analysis components: military, cultural, religious, social, political, economic, geographic, historic, and regional concerns/alliances/affiliations.
The Middle East is a World problem, no longer merely a regional tinderbox; it is more a fuse to next full scale World War requiring the input and cooperation of the world community to engender a climate of solution and resolution. That world community has neither the will nor economic where withal at the moment to crush. Snuff out that with which it finds unsavory or is perceived as threatening in the region, thus other solutions/remedies must be found.
The United States has all but declared in Banner Headlines that it does not have sufficient military to fight of its current engagements, and even with a withdrawal from the Iraq Theater and redeployment to Afghanistan; our troop strength is insufficient to the challenge of the geographic terrain, commitment and resources and sympathetic resupply sources of the Taliban. It would take a unilaterally decision on our part, the reinstatement of the draft and the waging of a war of massive proportions unacceptable to the world, and a waste of a generation, to simply devastate large areas of Afghanistan and portions of Pakistan….with no clear exit plan of long strategy for peace and development.
That is an irrational choice. Those of the most hawkish inclination who would advocate the use of the America MOAB weapon, The Russian FOAB weapon or even nuclear weapons to silence the area have to be shaken into reality. No one has the answer to the problem and no traditional solution is going to suffice. So simply stated; sit back, take a deep breath, think, plan and then act…not react and find ourselves in yet another quagmire in this part of the world as many a military before in the pages of history have found themselves snared in disaster without solution, without resolution without understanding. (Ed.)
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A Truth Commission to Investigate Bush-Cheney Administration Abuses
I have set up a petition at BushTruthCommission.com, and I hope you will sign it to urge Congress to consider establishing a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate the Bush-Cheney administration's abuses. We already have over 7,000 signatures, but we need to hit 10,000 signatures -- or more -- by next week, to build momentum behind this idea.
Patrick Leahy
U.S. Senator
http://cafecamuspoliticalcoffeehouse.blogspot.com/2009/01/as-us-role-in-iraq-is-about-to-wind.html
http://cafecamuspoliticalcoffeehouse.blogspot.com/2009/01/rebellion-in-waziristan-part-ii.html
http://cafecamuspoliticalcoffeehouse.blogspot.com/2009/01/afghanistan-issues-heating-up-while.html
On Friday, the anniversary of the Soviet departure from the Afghan capital, the Russian parliament’s lower house adopted a resolution honoring the soldiers who “were faithful to the warrior’s duty, who displayed heroism, bravery and patriotism.”
In retired Gen. Boris Gromov’s view, the valor was shown in an unwinnable battle.
“Afghanistan taught us an invaluable lesson … It has been and always will be impossible to solve political problems using force,” said Gromov, the last soldier to leave Afghanistan two days after the Kabul pullout.
He told reporters that U.S. plans to send thousands of new troops to Afghanistan would make no difference against a resurgent Taliban, who came to power in 1996 in the chaos after the Soviet withdrawal.
“One can increase the forces or not - it won’t lead to anything but a negative result,” Gromov said.
The parliament resolution credited the Red Army with the “repulsion of international terrorism and narcotics trade” and “averting a breeding ground for a new war” on Russia’s border.
That appeared to blame Afghanistan’s current fighting and soaring opium trade on the U.S.-led military operation launched in 2001 against the Taliban. Russia’s envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, has made the same suggestion recently, saying the alliance has repeated the Soviet Union’s mistakes in Afghanistan and added its own.
The Soviet Union lost some 15,000 soldiers in the war, which began when Moscow sent in troops to battle guerrillas who were fighting a Soviet-supported government. The invasion brought international opprobrium on the Soviet Union - including a boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow by countries including the United States, China and Japan.
It also shocked millions of Soviets who had been taught their massive military was the world’s most potent, but saw their heavy equipment and powerful weaponry overwhelmed by ragged, Western-backed insurgents.
“I don’t see any sense in that war,” veteran Oleg Samoilov told Associated Press Television News. “What did we do, what did we achieve? Practically nothing. There were only dead people left, our dead comrades, their mothers and widows - and that’s it.”
Russia has given nominal support to the international anti-terrorism campaign in Afghanistan, but did not send troops, and there are mixed signals on how fully it backs the operation.
This month, Moscow authorized a $2.15 billion package of aid to Kyrgyzstan that is widely seen as the key factor in the Kyrgyz president’s announcement that a U.S. base will be closed. The base is an important transit point for coalition troops and cargo for Afghanistan and is the home to tanker planes that refuel warplanes over Afghanistan.
But Russia has granted some coalition countries permission to ship Afghanistan-bound military supplies through its territory; Germany even has permission to ship weaponry.
Washington and Moscow are negotiating a deal for the United States to use Russian territory to send supplies to Afghanistan through Russia; news reports this week cited Foreign Ministry officials as saying only some minor details remain to be worked out.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this week suggested such cooperation could be expanded to allow weapons shipments if the United States shows good faith - presumably an indication that Russia would press Washington hard for concessions on sensitive issues such as NATO expansion and the controversial proposal to put U.S. missile defense elements in Eastern Europe.
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