Tag: afghanistan

Why US and NATO Fed Detainees to Afghan Torture System

Starting in late 2005, U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan began turning detainees over to the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS), despite its well-known reputation for torture. Interviews with former U.S. and NATO diplomats and other evidence now available show that United States and other NATO governments become complicit in NDS torture of detainees … Continue reading “Why US and NATO Fed Detainees to Afghan Torture System”

Long-Term Afghan Presence Likely to Derail Peace Talks

The announcement by U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Michele Flournoy in congressional testimony March 15 that the United States would continue to carry out “counter-terrorism operations” from “joint bases” in Afghanistan well beyond 2014 signaled that President Barack Obama has given up the negotiating flexibility he would need to be able to reach a peace … Continue reading “Long-Term Afghan Presence Likely to Derail Peace Talks”

Obama Lacks Clarity on Afghan War

“Let me be clear,” President Barack Obama is fond of saying—and his desire was on full display two years ago when he announced a “comprehensive, new strategy” for the war in Afghanistan. Obama laced his speech of March 27, 2009, with nine uses of the words “clear” or “clearly,” but his protestations about clarity looked … Continue reading “Obama Lacks Clarity on Afghan War”

Buy Two Wars, Get Another for Half Price

Things are bad when a president who says he wants out of Iraq and claims American soldiers will soon start to withdraw from Afghanistan succumbs to international and domestic pressure to do the heavy lifting in yet another civil war—this time in Libya. It’s as if there is a “buy two wars and get the … Continue reading “Buy Two Wars, Get Another for Half Price”

UN Reported Fraction of Afghan Civilian Deaths in US Raids 

WASHINGTON/KABUL – The number of civilians killed in U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) raids last year was probably several times higher than the figure of 80 people cited in the U.N. report on civilian casualties in Afghanistan published last week, an IPS investigation has revealed. The report also failed to apply the same humanitarian law … Continue reading “UN Reported Fraction of Afghan Civilian Deaths in US Raids “

Another Imperial Quagmire?

Unbelievably, after experiencing 10 years of quagmire in Afghanistan and Iraq, the American foreign policy establishment is now clamoring for the institution of a no-fly zone in Libya. Luminaries on both the Left and the Right have endorsed the concept: for example, Senators John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, and John McCain. Even though the U.S. military … Continue reading “Another Imperial Quagmire?”

Occupy Washington to End the Wars

Dear American antiwar community: As I wrote previously, I am a former congressional aide. I worked for a United States senator from 2006 to 2008. During that time, as an employee of the legislative branch of the U.S. empire, I directly contributed to the oppression, torture, and murder of people I never met. While I … Continue reading “Occupy Washington to End the Wars”