THE SMEDLEY BUTLER SOCIETY
February 3, 2009
Afghan
war takes a hit
by ERIC MARGOLIS
LONDON, Feb 1, 2009: -- Britain's security minister, Lord West, just dropped a bombshell by declaring his nation's military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan had fuelled global radicalism against Britain and the U.S.
West described as "bollocks" former PM Tony Blair's claims the so-called "war on terror" had nothing to do with growing Islamic radicalism. This comes soon after Britain's foreign secretary, David Miliband, called the term "war on terror," deceptive and damaging.
In an extraordinary move, cabinet minutes of Tony Blair's decision to invade Iraq may be made public shortly, raising the possibility of serious criminal charges -- even war crimes -- against senior British officials.
While glasnost sweeps London, in Washington, it's deja vu. President Barack Obama vows to plunge the U.S. ever deeper into the eight-year-old Afghan conflict begun by former president George W. Bush by doubling the number of U.S. troops and aircraft there.
Obama's unfortunate move demonstrates political inexperience. A change of administration in Washington, and departure of the reviled Bush, offered an ideal opportunity for Washington to declare a pause in the Afghan war and reassess its policies. It also offered an ideal chance to offer negotiations to the Taliban and its growing number of supporters.
The Afghan war will have to be ended by a political settlement that includes the Taliban-led nationalist alliance that represents over half of Afghanistan's population. There simply is no military solution to this grinding conflict -- as even the secretary general of NATO admits.
In the meantime, without a structural change, there's work to be done to end this war. Please get Smedley's message out, particularly to the young people exposed to military recruiting and those already in the military. Take action to counter the military invasion of schools. Send a letter to your congressional representative in support of ending the war.
Send a message: Boycott Altria (Phillip Morris, Kraft Foods), ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco, Pepsico, CocaCola and McDonald's, and Buy Citgo gasoline. Companies that import Middle Eastern oil: Shell, Chevron/Texaco, Exxon/Mobil, Marathon/Speedway, Amoco. Companies that do not: Citgo (Venezuelan), Sunoco, Conoco, Sinclair, BP/Phillips, Hess, ARCO.
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Best Regards, Don Bacon and friends at The Smedley Butler Society and Freedom From War, Inc.