Lee chats with Iraq war veteran Mike Prysner on the situation in Afghanistan, the likelihood of an actual American withdrawal, and other US imperialist involvements around the globe.
PEPE ESCOBAR—It’s always crucial to remember that the Bamiyan Buddhas blow up is a crucial case of deliberate destruction of world cultural heritage – alongside appalling instances in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya and Mali. They all connect, directly and indirectly, to the causes and consequences of imperial Forever Wars and their spin-offs (never forget that the Taliban initially were fully courted by the Clinton administration).
Jimmy shows how it is basically the Democrats who have kept wars going for more than 20 years now, and who prevent Trump from even starting a process of disengagement from Afghanistan.
PEPE ESCOBAR-Since 1996, and up to 9/11, the Taliban incarnated the legitimate return of Pashtuns as the dominant element in Afghanistan. That’s why they instituted an emirate and not a republic, more appropriate for a Muslim community ruled only by religious legislation. The diffidence towards cities, particularly Kabul, also expresses the sentiment of Pashtun superiority over other Afghan ethnic groups. The Taliban do represent a process of overcoming tribal identity and the affirmation of Pashtunistan. The Beltway never understood this powerful dynamic – and that’s one of the key reasons for the American debacle.
MoA—Trump wants a murky peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan to better his chance for a reelection. A seven day long ‘reduction in violence’ phase was supposed to begin this week after which the Taliban and the U.S. would sign a longer term agreement. Only after that would talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban begin. But a conflict over the presidential election in Afghanistan now threatens to blow up the whole process.