With the fall of Kabul, Pepe Escobar says it’s becoming clear that financial soft power tactics may be even more deadly than a NATO occupation.
Pepe Escobar: Afghanistan? Follow the Money
Tag: Hamid Karzai
Opening & Closing US Embassies — From Sierra Leone to Afghanistan
Rapid Taliban Takeover Shows How Little US Understood Afghanistan
Though the Taliban may be unpopular with many Afghans at least they are Afghans and not a propped-up government under foreign occupation, writes Joe Lauria.
Requiem for the ‘American Century’
As the longest U.S. war winds down in Afghanistan, Andrew Bacevich says vows of “never again” can only be taken seriously when Americans call imperialism by its name.
Losing Faith in Democracy
When Republicans engage in voter suppression against likely Democratic voters, they may feel their moves are very clever, ensuring their continued power. But the trust undergirding a democratic culture can be fragile, as the current Afghan voting standoff shows, writes ex-CIA analyst Paul…
Obama Ignores Key Afghan Warning
From the Archive: As the 12-year Afghan War grinds to what many Americans see as failure, ex-Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other hawks won’t admit their counterinsurgency “surge” in 2009 was a waste of lives and money or that U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry…
An Afghan War for Drones?
Amid the Afghan government’s growing resistance to an extended U.S. military stay, the Obama administration is trying out a new rationale: the need for a launching pad for drones. But it may be a case of a weapons system causing…
An Open Door to Leave Afghanistan
President Obama has promised to end America’s combat role in Afghanistan by the end of 2014 but is haggling with Afghan President Karzai over how to keep soldiers there for another decade, a dispute that Independent Institute’s Ivan Eland says is a…
A Possible Path Out of Afghanistan
The unpredictable Afghan leader Hamid Karzai has issued new demands for the U.S. to meet if it wants to keep a smaller military force in Afghanistan after 2014, creating a possible route for the U.S. to finally end its longest…
The Impending Afghan Defeat
Frustrated over negotiations for a stay-behind force of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, President Obama is now weighing the possibility of a faster withdrawal and a “zero option” on troops going forward. That may signal the belated recognition of twin American defeats…