Victory for Putin: Kyrgyzstan Expels US, Blocks Provisions for Afghanistan Troops
Juan Cole with the latest updates on U.S. efforts in Pakistan:
In a major blow for the US and NATO military effort in Afghanistan, the parliament of Kyrgyzstan voted Thursday formally to end US use of Manas Air Force base to resupply troops in nearby Afghanistan. With the effective closure of the Khyber Pass route into Afghanistan from Pakistan, this step endangers the logistics supply line to the US and NATO troops. The move comes in part as a result of Russian aid to Kyrgyzstan. Russia and the Shanghai Cooperation Council have long been concerned about the expansion of US military and political influence into Central Asia.
With the Pakistani route under severe pressure and the closing of the Manas base to the US,t is hard to see how the 17,000 new US troops to be sent to Afghanist can be provisioned.
I don't like calling it simply a victory for Putin.
It's a victory for everyone that wants us out of Afghanistan.
Which would be MOST of the world.
Except for Neoliberal Globalist Corporate Plutocrats and Neocon
Militarists. Putin is a thug, but not the only winner here.
But the Obamanator will still be sending 17,000+ (as a down-payment) new troops to Afghanistan.
To be defeated by cave-dwellers and horsemen.
http://blogbugs.org/uploads/f/foolbabe/186735...
Read about the leader of Kyrgyzstan
and...
"The move comes in part as a result of Russian aid to Kyrgyzstan. Russia and the Shanghai Cooperation Council have long been concerned about the expansion of US military and political influence into Central Asia."
The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy And Its Geostrategic Imperatives
Truth B Told
This poster, I believe, would make a good addition to your Obama doll. Another example of liberal interventionism at its finest.
http://www.darianworden.com/pics/votedemocrat...
Oh that's a good one too. I hesitate to label it though as "liberal."
It's just the masked Military Industrial Complex in action through both parties, IMO.
Truth B Told
I agree about both parties being just as complicit in their eagerness to start wars of aggression. Forgive me if I am being repetitive but here are a few books which help to prove the validity of what we are stating, such as:
* The British blogger {Lenin's Tomb] Richard Seymour, who
has written a well researched book entitled The Liberal
Defence of Murder.
* Savage Mules by Dennis Perrin.
* The Democrats: A Critical History by Lance Selfa.
yes, I've got the last two on my to-do list. thanks, I think you were the one who put me on to those before.
I'd also recommend Chalmers Johnson's trilogy. Blowback, The Sorrows of Empire and Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic. I found all three to be extremely informative. They've given me a much different slant on the empire.
MGA1619
Excellent additions. I have the latter two books which are quite revelatory in exposing America's militarism around the world, as evidenced by Johnson noting approximately 725 overseas bases that the United States has around the world. Thirty eight separate bases alone are located on the tiny island of Okinawa! And with Obama's reluctance to make steep cuts in the military budget and his desire to follow in the footsteps of LBJ, Nixon and Bush by instigating and maintaining acts of aggression, one has to agree with Chalmers Johnson that America is continuing on the foolish path of militarism that has been the downfall of so many other empires which had believed that they were invincible.
The "Neoliberal Globalist Corporate Plutocrats and Neocon Militarists" wow - that's a mouthful.
Good. It means less ways for the Empire to subjugate the Afghan people.
i thought i heard gates say this isn't for sure. i would think the taliban approve.
i thought i heard gates say this isn't for sure. i would think the taliban approve.
I don't care how it is done.
Halve the budget for the military.
Bring home all the troops. Use money saved to treat them.
Enough with these wars over and over that end up wasting blood and treasure.
ENOUGH!!
Jo
Very well said.
"One is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing; that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one."
Agatha Christie- [1890-1976] English Novelist
Yup. "Strange game. The only winning move is not to play."
I wonder if the military would stand idly by and allow it's budget to be slashed. World history shows that when a military gets too powerful, it's very difficult to reign it in.
I would just adore to have foreign troops lurking about.
I can't understand why they wouldn't want us around - staging raids - dropping bombs.
What spoilsports they are.
I'm sure that the fact that our poor troops wouldn't be provisioned won't be enough to persuade ol' Obama that following Bush down this dumb garden path is not the best idea.
Gotta be macho. Show them Repukes that we can be just as Repuckive.
Imagine how the people of Japan or South Korea feel. How about Germans, Italians and Brits. American troops on their soil for 50 or 60 years.
The troops are pretty well a law unto themselves. http://www.japanfocus.org/_Chalmers_Johnson-T...
It's time to take all the troops home from every outpost around the world. Stop the imperialism.
I guess we shouldn’t be surprised about this action. Pakistan has been repelling American expeditionary forces from the Afghan border for over six months now. This hasn’t been getting much coverage in our media, but you can find the stories if you search.
I guess our military was going “Bu, bu, buttttt – we errr friends!” Nope – Pakistan has had enough. Too bad, though. If Pakistan becomes a powder-keg, when it blows – it’s nuclear.
don't put it past someone to use a nuclear device and then blame it on the Pakistani's or any other target group/nation.
They've lied - repeatedly, and brazenly - before, so don't trust ANYTHING they say.
...and don't be surprised if Israel launches some type of attack on Iran, now that the U.N. says Iran has enough uranium for a nuclear bomb.
The U.S. response? Expect, "Well, we're too busy in Afghanistan to have had any input into Israeli decisions. But they do have the right to 'defend' themselves."
That they will use the first sentence, but the latter part of the second sentence is a given.
That is something that concerns me too.
rachel do a quick segment about this, reporting that the new supply route went through southern IRAN???
gee, wonder what could happen with that!?
i could be mistaken...
That's what I got out of it...
It's my understanding there are two existing supply routes, and some brilliant strategist at the pentagon proposed a new third route, RIGHT THROUGH IRAN!
Yeah, great! That'll solve the Afghan situation reel good...
and I'm sure there won't be any possibility of an "incident" for which Iran could be blamed for. Sigh.
Crook and his administration was one of the most corrupted until Bush Jr. came along... And,,,, the republicans have made him a hero.. Reagan started this wealth transfer to the wealthy and the destruction of the Ameican's dreams...and social progams...
Reagan started the power and rise of Bin Laden , the increased the hate of the middle east toward our country..
What did Reagan do against Russia when they were fighting in Afghanistan against Bin Laden!!!!
Russia tried to stop Bin Laden and his terrorist actions and Reagan made Bin Laden a hero and famous by supporting him in the defeat of Russia..
Russia's war against Bin Laden also Bankrupted Russia economically and they withdrew from the war..
So what does our country do the same d... thing and now we are even worst then what happen to Russia and are still there...
What has made our military No 1 in the world has been the blood of it's citizens and the taxes which have been bleed from the working class..
How has benefited from the suffering of the American citizens ,,,,,,,, Corporations , Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world..... While know the American citizens are starting to rot...
None
That's the main reason I said I propose that we just pack it up and go home.
really, it's the least we can do for the new 'democracy'...
they need 'tools' too... seriously, anything made of steel - leave it there.
we need new stuff anyway and the jobs to build it.
they need jobs and all the stuff we leave behind needs fixed.
win win.
It just seems to me that it is getting too difficult to do this Afghanistan deal. I propose that we just pack it up and go home. If Al Qaeda tries to do their thing in Afghanistan again just send in a couple drones and torpedo them and move on.
The Empire in decline. THe USA has no business in Central Asia-- sorry.
I've said before, it's not that people adore Americans, they only want your money. Now you don't have any, so scram. Seriously.
That's the only reason South Korea sent troops to Iraq-- business deals with U$A/money. They could care less what happens over there.
far left loon >.<
I think now that you're broke, you'll see less friendliness from other countries. The Empire will decline as China and other nations rise. The window to dominate the world (neocon plan) has passed forever. Asia looms big on the horizon this century.
As I have lived here for 11 years, you would not believe how fast Asia is leaping ahead. It's like the USA back in its heydey of growth after WWII.
far left loon >.<
No doubt.
I see the arrogance in the US's numerous accounts of giving money to families in foreign wars because their house was accidentally blown apart and their kids were killed. They don't want the money, they want their kids and house back. It was poor restitution then, and it's now become worthless restitution.
How did giving billions of dollars to the residents around Baghdad so they wouldn't shoot us work out? It didn't. It was a poor gesture, but we thought that's the best we could have possibly done for them. Electricity would have worked much better.
It seems when all you have is a hammer, everything is a nail. Likewise, when all you have is a dollar, everything is for sale...
Taarak
Very well said. American exceptionalism and insolence at its finest.
Afghans and Pakistanis [and every other third world country]- resist the American Empire.
I wonder if that missing $9 billion could be useful for something for Americans. The GOP doesn't care though; they had a plan. It failed miserably, but they had a plan.
far left loon >.<
You know, the domino theory. Since China was supplying Vietnam, if we pulled out of Vietnam, it meant China won.
This is a really good test of how smart Obama is. Will he get out? Or will he ramp up _his_ Vietnam even more to show Russia we can't be intimidated. 17,000, hell. Let's send 30,000! Afghanistan killed the U.S.S.R. so that's presumably exactly what Putin would be amused to see.
If we can't use Kyrgystan anymore, there must be someplace else hundreds of miles farther away we can use, isn't there? Like a modern Berlin air lift with extra fuel and wear on the military equipment? Heck, do we have any more important problems to spend our resources on right now than war?
And Obama will make the Republicans _so_ happy. Vietnam spending killed LBJ's Great Society. If the depression isn't enough to make sure no money is available to return to services to the taxpayers, Vietnam II should clinch the deal.
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