…in Afghanistan
Finally, it looks like the Americans will be withdrawing from Afghanistan. But a lot of folks are still skeptical cause they’ve heard it so many times before. Wasn’t Barrack Obama going to pull the troops out? And Trump? But the moment your Eyewitness saw that the Americans had slipped out of Bagram Air Base overnight, without telling even the local Afghan commander, he knew the jig was up!
For 20 years, Bagram was the biggest base in Afghanistan – practically a self-contained city and centre of American activities. Just to “just slip out the back” in the middle of the night, leaving “millions” of items, meant there was no turning back. It’s too reminiscent of the US departure from Saigon, which ended the Vietnam War. In another century, when “the sun never sat on the British Empire” – and they were calling the shots – they’d engaged in what they called “the Great Game” against Russia for influence in Central Asia. And to protect their “Jewel of the Crown” – India. But after a hundred years and three Afghan Wars, they had to withdraw in 1919.
The US picked up the Imperial slack, but after WWII, in its Cold War against the same Russians, it never appreciated Britain’s lesson to stay clear of Afghanistan. So, when the Russians marched in by 1979 after a communist government was installed, the US hackles were raised, and they helped train Muslim forces opposed to the communists. Some of those forces were drawn from a wide array of Muslim states – and included Osama Bin Laden!! The Russians lasted a decade, and learnt the British lesson, as they were forced to withdraw all their troops by 1989. The Taliban – as the Muslim fighters then called themselves – formed the Government, and were violently opposed to the Americans – out of solidarity with co-religionists in the Mid-East, if nothing else!
After 9/11, the Americans declared that Afghanistan was a haven for terrorists, and launched a campaign to remove them. So, starting from George Bush, four presidents were sucked into an Afghan War that would drain its Treasury of ONE TRILLION DOLLARS – and thousands of lives – with no “victory” in sight.
While the US tried to support Governments in Afghanistan that were more “moderate” than the fundamentalist Taliban – while they aren’t saying, as soon as their withdrawal is complete by the end of August – the Taliban will be running the country. Forget about the 300,000 American-trained troops the Afghan Government is supposed to have at its disposal.
But, unfortunately, the Great Game will continue, since there are new aspirants to claim the mantle of the “Great Arbitrator”. Pakistan, India, China – and Russia! – come to mind!!
Do cry for Afghanistan!!
…of anti-gas activists
Well, the Climate Change warriors had their opportunity to take on big, bad Exxon at the Umana Yana, where they were supposed to address concerns about their plans to bring gas ashore – as requested by the Government. At the time of writing this piece, the meeting was just completed, so these are some preliminary thoughts by your Eyewitness.
One piece of information that elicited much excitement was that Exxon would be selling some of the gas brought ashore to third parties! But if your Eyewitness’s memory serves him correctly, all gas produced outside of that used to run the FPSO was supposed to belong to Guyana. So, isn’t Exxon going to sell the gas to “third parties” on behalf of Guyana? And aren’t these “third parties” the private parties who’d be setting up plants to manufacture products like urea, methanol and even “proteins” we heard about from President Ali some time ago?
Sadly, the “inquisitioners” didn’t ask these questions, but worried about the fate of “kakabelly”!
…in Haiti
There’s much anguish over the situation in Haiti, as the fallout from the assassination of President Moïse plays out in that troubled country.
One under-commented feature is about the historic racial divisions between its black and mulatto people!
