Julian Assange has done America a service by releasing the new "Pentagon Papers" on Afghanistan. He reveals to a citizenry that has been left in the dark about the true nature of the war just what is going on. To the historian, the American predicament (and inevitable defeat) is foreshadowed by the Soviet experience. That the Obama administration "surged" this losing battle, embraced a two-faced Pakistan, and kept the Bush-era nation-building going (to the tune of $7 billion/month) despite all of the sobering news delivered by Wikileaks is astounding.
To see how this draggletailed war will end, let us consult the Soviet playbook, which has become ours. The Soviets invaded Afghanistan on Christmas Day 1979. The invasion was designed to place Moscow closer to the Persian Gulf oil fields, but also -- in common with US efforts today -- to strike a mortal blow against Islamic fundamentalism, which had begun to creep into Russia's southern 'stans. Like us, the Soviets pushed modern ideas: they abolished sharia, unveiled women, introduced co-ed classrooms, redistributed land, built schools and medical clinics, and expanded roads and infrastructure. They abolished the Afghan tricolor flag because it was striped with Muslim green.
More...
0 comments
Post a Comment