NO to the war in Afghanistan, NO to Lisbon
NO to the war in Afghanistan, NO to Lisbon
By Marnie Holborrow
Pic: Malaya Joya, Afghan MP and author of new book "Raising My Voice"
Over 250 people turned out in
Dublin to a debate on Wed 15th July on the war in Afghanistan entitled Obama’s War : should foreign troops withdraw? The size of the
meeting showed that there is considerable interest in this NATO-led war. The
run-up to the Lisbon treaty is focussing people’s minds on what an expanded EU
military role will mean.
The meeting countered some of
the myths about this war. Sahar Sabar from the Revolutionary Association of
Afghan Women spoke movingly about how defending women’s rights in Afghanistan means
something very different to accounts relayed to us by Obama and Brown. Afghan
women, Sabah reminded us, will fight for their own liberation and no amount of
bombing of their families will bring it to them.
One speaker, Tom Carew reiterated
George Brown’s argument that the fight against terror ran from the mountains of
Afghanistan to the streets of the west. The fact is, however, that this war
has made a terrorist attack more likely not less, a fact that speaker Jonathan
Neale, a US socialist, pointed out.
The reality is that Obama’s
surge will not win this war because the occupation creates in its wake not only
more deaths, but greater instability.
The flimsy reasons given in
its justification have become exposed and laid bare the underlying motivation
of Western strategic interests in this vital crossroads in the centre of Asia.
The mood in Britain is turning against this war. More than 50% now want the troops home. The numbers
of young servicemen killed has now exceeded those killed in Iraq. In just 24 hours in the first ten days of July 15 British soldiers were killed
bringing the total to 187. The
high casualty rate is due to Britain’s involvement in Operation Panther’s Claw,
the ominously named recent assault which involves 4,000 US troops and 650 US-trained Afghan soldiers ahead of next month’s elections.
EU war
This war gives a
foretaste of what the new militarized Europe. NATO and ISAF - International
Security Assistance Force working together blurs the distinction between
occupation and aid, NATO members and traditionally neutral countries.
Traditionally neutral Sweden has 500 troops in ISAF in Afghanistan, something that is unacceptable to many in Sweden. A handful of Irish military are also
operating there – and we in Ireland have not been asked if we want them to be
there.
US, NATO and ISAF
support the discredited Karzai government which depends on some of the most
brutal rulers in Afghanistan, the northern war lords. Malaya Joya, the Afghan
MP courageously speaks out about these real fundamentalists in Afghanistan. She has described how the puppet parliament running in the US spotlight in Kabul is a cover for terrorizing power exercised by local lords outside Kabul. One example is the former governor of Herat, Ismail Khan. He set up his own "vice and virtue" squads which terrorised
women and smashed up video and music cassettes. He had his own "private
militias, private jails". The constitution of Afghanistan is irrelevant in
these private fiefdoms.
In Melaya Joya’s words
“US policy is driven by geopolitics
not personalities. Afghanistan is in the heart of Asia, so it's a very
important place to have military bases – so they can control trade very easily
with other Asian powers such as China, Russia, Iran and so on.
But it can be changed by Americans. I
say to Obama – in my area, 150 people were blown up by US troops in one
incident this year. If your family had been there, would you send even more
troops and even more bombs? Your government is spending $18m (£11m) to make
another Guantanamo jail in Bagram. If your daughter might be detained there,
would you be building it? I say to Obama – change course, or otherwise tomorrow
people will call you another Bush."
Malaya Joya, Afghan MP and author of
new book ‘ Raising My Voice' is published by
Rider at £11.99.
IRISH war effort
As part of the new
revamped EU military, members of the Irish army are assisting this terrible
war. Counter- insurgency against the Talliban is their designated task. Yet the
British are changing their minds about the Taliban: “the insurgents”, it
seems, are less the pariah fundamentalist block that was the original
justififcation for the war.
Lieut-Gen
Simon Mayall, deputy chief of the British defence staff now believes that there
are three groups to the Talliban: a first tier of Taliban commanders the
hardliners around Mullah Omar; a second tier who control large numbers of
Taliban fighters in Pashtun-dominated southern Afghanistan and who could be
negotiated with; and a third tier who this general classifies as foot soldiers
“with no strong commitments”.
This talk is
just another way of saying that the war cannot be won militarily. Many deaths
down the road, the generals with the politicians backing are changing their
tune. This about-turn allows ideological concessions that may come back to
haunt the warmongers - and boost the opposition to the war.
Yet just as
the war seems set to be a disaster, Ireland in rowing further in behind it. US troop traffic through Shannon has grown this year with 130,922 soldiers passing through in the
first six months. The number of US troops going through Shannon between January
and the end of June was 130,922 – up 4.8 per cent on the corresponding period
last year.
Over and above this, politically Ireland is immersing itself ever
deeper in the militarisation of Europe. Already the NATO-EU-IASF operation in Afghanistan represents the blurring of the boundaries between occupation and peace-keeping.
When all available state funds should be spent on keeping jobs and
services, Lisbon will copperfasten this new aggressive empire.
That is why we need to oppose Irish involvement in Afghanistan and oppose Lisbon Treaty a second time.
The Irish Anti war movement is holding a peace conference on September
5th in Shannon to highlight these issues and contribute to the No
vote to Lisbon.
International
Peace Conference War, NATO and the Lisbon Treaty
Saturday 5th
of September 2009 Park Inn, Shannon Airport, Co. Clare, Ireland
Speakers
Cllr. Richard
Boyd Barrett
Irish Anti-War Movement
Joe Higgins (MEP)
Socialist Party
Reiner Braun
The Anti-NATO Network
John Feffer
Foreign Policy in Focus USA
Christophe
Ventura
Parti De Gauche
Tobias Pfluger
Die Linke
Jeremy Corbyn
British Labour Party
Ed Horgan
Peace & Neutrality Alliance
Patricia McKenna
The People’s Movement
