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EDITORIAL: 16-30 November 2001
US, us and Afghanistan
As the US-UK war against the people of Afghanistan enters its second month, the
end of the swift, surgical war to weed out terrorism from Afghanistan is no
where in sight. Doubts are being raised even in the US against this unjust war
which, in the name of punishing ‘terrorists,’ is vandalising a whole country
which is already reeling under a three-year-long drought and the after-effects
of a two-decades-long civil war which was induced by the same forces which are
now mercilessly pounding a weak, poor and already devastated Third World
country.
Although on the official level there is a worldwide deafening silence about this
great injustice which is being perpetrated even before the world is offered the
hard evidence which proves beyond doubt that Ben Laden and his Afghan hosts are
really the culprits while there are strong doubts about the source of the terror
that struck America on 11 September and later in the shape of the Anthrax scare.
In the post-11 September scenario, where America gave countries the simple
choice of ‘us or them,’ governments are extra-cautious not to offer the
world bully any excuse to place them on its arbitrary list of states sponsoring
terrorism. Already there are indications that the US will use this opportunity
to finish off all pockets of resistance to its new found status as the world’s
only superpower. All dissenting voices are sought to be silenced for many
decades to come.
Great, historical injustice is being perpetrated against Afghanistan although
there is credible evidence to believe that the terrorist acts in question were
made-in-America by official or anarchist outfits and that the attack on
Afghanistan was already planned for altogether different reasons: control over
Central Asia. The vast oil and natural gas resources of the erstwhile Soviet
satellite states in Central Asia can be exploited through three land routes: via
Russia or Iran or Afghanistan. The first two are too strong to let America and
its allies manipulate their territories for the kind of pipeline and facilities
which are necessary on the long-run for exploiting those resources. This left
the hapless and devastated Afghanistan. But even Afghanistan is proving that it
won’t be a cake-walk for the US and its western allies. The land war will be
decisive and it remains to be seen if the pampered western soldier can take the
beating. We have earlier seen them flee in disgrace from Saigon, Beirut and
Mogadishu. But, like all arrogant people, their memories are short. There is no
reason to believe that Kabul will be any different. No people should be viewed
away from their centuries-old history and culture. The Afghan people do not have
million-dollar rockets which are targeting ten-dollar tents in Afghanistan but
they do have the resolve, patience and wherewithal to resist a land invasion.
One great fall-out of the post-11 September events will be the marked
restriction of human rights, including the right to free speech, peaceful
dissent and travel. Governments around the world are seizing upon this
opportunity to dump their problems into the ‘terrorism’ bin. Israel, for
instance, is trying hard to prove that the struggle for freedom in Palestine and
the age-old fight of the Palestinian people against military occupation and
settler-colonialism is ‘terrorism.’ India is trying to sell the idea that
there is no problem in Kashmir except ‘cross border terrorism’. True, there
is Pakistan encouragement for the on-going violence in Kashmir but, largely, it
is the result of decades-long follies and mismanagement of our own central and
state governments vis-à-vis Kashmir and the solemn promises offered at home and
abroad. If Kashmir is atoot ang, what India is always ready to talk about with
Pakistan within the framework of Shimla? If there is amnesia in BJP-led Indian
administration, the world at large and the newfound American ‘natural ally’
does not suffer from such disease and cannot be expected to solve Delhi’s
problems now or ever. You have to solve your problems yourself. In fact, Delhi
is making things difficult for itself by supporting the current unjust war
against Afghanistan since this bad precedent may be used one day against us and
other Third World countries. Nothing is unimaginable in the post-11 September
world. State terrorism against countries, groups and individuals will be the
hallmark of this new era. q
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