Representative Barbara Lee Votes Against The Afghanistan War (2001)

 

US Representative Barbara Lee was one of the few congress members to vote against the authorization of force against Afghanistan. The 9/11 attacks made the public and government vexed as well as frightened. An invasion Lee stated would not reduce international terrorism. If Al-Qaeda was a large network, it would not matter which country was invaded. The Taliban did not order the attacks and the culprits were not even from Afghanistan. Barbara Lee throughout here political career as opposed military intervention. The video of this vote is a warning about the military industrial complex and its influence over US foreign policy. The US-Afghan War was one of America's longest conflicts. The result was a defeat and the return of the Taliban to power. The question remains why does Lee continue to be part of a Democratic Party that does not value peace. This issue will continue to divide the Democratic Party.  

Amin al-Zawahiri Has Been Killed

 

Amin al-Zawahiri has been killed by the United States. He was second in command of Al-Qaeda and  was successor to Osama Bin Laden in the leadership of the terrorist organization. Celebrations are not happening to the same degree like it was when Osama was killed. The 2011 announcement had Americans cheering in the streets. The reason for the muted response is that America has economic and political challenges. Al-Qaeda has lost much of its significance, with rival terrorist organizations  emerging. Radical political Islamism is not a unified movement. Terrorist groups will continue to exist and operate without their founders. The growth of  international terrorism has a direct link to US foreign policy and intervention in the Middle East. Afghanistan is once more under Taliban rule and Iraq remains unstable. Zawahiri's hatred of the US stemmed from the support of Israel and the authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. Jailed  under the Hosni Mubarak presidency, Zawahiri thought Egypt was falling under US domination. The reason people have joined these groups is to fight regimes that are US supported or occupied. This is why Al-Qaeda made an appearance in Iraq  after the removal of Saddam Hussein.  Drone strikes have killed the leadership, but the terrorist organizations were designed to function without them. As along as a permanent state of warfare continues and interference into the affairs of Arab nations occurs terrorist organizations will expand.  

Julian Assange Discusses The Release of Iraq War Documents ( 2010)

 

Julian Assange is on his way to being extradited to the United States. Both political parties Democratic and Republican have animosity for Julian Assange. The reason relates to the release of documents regrading America's abuses in both Iraq and Afghanistan. A large body of evidence shows the United States engaged in war crimes. Whistle blowers have been persecuted  in the United States for exposing corruption and human  rights violations at the highest level of government. The documents that were released in 2010 show that 104,000 Iraqis died in a period of six years. The 400,000 documents reveal torture, abuse from the coalition installed government, and the murder of civilian populations. Wikileaks also exposed that between a six year period deaths in Afghanistan came to 20,000 people. Assange was accused of being a Russian asset and a national security risk for exposing the crimes of  both the Bush and Obama administration. Assange if he comes to the US will not be safe. As of 2022 there are legal efforts underway to prevent his extradition. It can be argued that he is being falsely imprisoned, because Assange did not commit a criminal offense. Press freedom and journalism are under threat from a political establishment that does not want their abuses known. 

President George W. Bush Announces Military Action In Afghanistan (2001)

 

As a result of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the US went to war with Afghanistan. President Bush announced the military action to the US public in October of 2001. The Taliban did not declare war on the US. Al-Qaeda did not have political control over the country, but was present there. The US demanded that Osama Bin Laden be extradited. The Taliban only would do this if the US provided evidence of his involvement in the attacks. The Bush administration did not do this and embarked on airstrikes and a ground invasion. The Afghan War was not about freedom or fighting terrorism. The country has vast mineral wealth, which has not been fully extracted. Afghanistan contains iron, lithium, copper, cobalt, chromium,   and uranium . The Bush administration's agenda was to advance the military industrial complex and expand the arms industry. The invasion of Iraq was the next logical step in the neoconservative vision. Afghanistan was the first  experiment in nation building and imposing  liberal democracy by military force. The US  entered into a country with two factions fighting each other. The Northern Alliance was fighting the Taliban prior to US invasion. The war was fought for 20 years and drew parallels to the US defeat in Vietnam.      

The Taliban Take Power In Afghanistan

 

The Taliban has returned to power in Afghanistan. President Ashraf  Ghani has fled the country. Kabul fell to the Taliban and now other citizens  are leaving the country. Russia previously was doing military exercises with other Central Asian states in response to the Taliban's rapid take over of territory. Observers claim that the withdraw of US-NATO troops made this possible. The occupation was not evidence of success. Attacks and fighting from the Taliban was consistent ever since 2001. The country did not gain much from the foreign presence. Economically, the Afghan War was not sustainable. There was not way to win a war that became unpopular as the decades past. The Afghan War was a conflict of aggression. The objective the US claimed was to dismantle al-Qaeda. Osama bin Laden was in Afghanistan . There were no Afghans responsible for the attacks on the World Trade Center or the Pentagon. However, the country was subject to bombing and drone strikes. The government failed to improve the lives of the Afghan  public. The question remains whether or not a new Taliban government will be recognized. China has suggested it may recognize the new Taliban regime. Pakistan will have more influence in Afghanistan, which could result in a response from India. Iran's concern would be a Sunni Muslim state on its border.