Carlotta Gall’s February 6 piece in the New York Times (NYT), titled “Pakistan’s Hand in the Rise of International Jihad,” is a journalistic marvel. It spotlights the dizzying creativity a human brain is capable of when paired with a massive axe to grind. Unfortunately, for prose jammed with so many accusations, Gall’s piece is surprisingly light on substantive sources. Oh, but she makes up for this foible by heaping dollops of self-righteous Americentrism.
No surprises here. Gall, after all, penned “The Wrong Enemy: America in Afghanistan 2001-2014,” a tome that must surely feature as essential reading for Pakistanophobes. In her book, Gall posits that Washington’s Afghan war strategy was flawed from the get-go. After felling the Taliban, US forces should have kept marching east instead of invading Iraq. Why? Because without Pakistan’s patronage, neither they nor Al-Qaeda could ever have bloomed in the region.
Okay, so I will not harp on about the Union Oil Company of California’s (UNOCAL) Taliban connection, immortalized incidentally in an article titled “Oil Barons court Taliban in Texas” from British daily the Telegraph’s 1997 archives. I will not even dwell on Operation Cyclone, and how Soviet-era mujahideen that spawned modern Islamic militancy were curated on Washington’s orders
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Let us start with Afghanistan. Yes, both countries have issues dating back to 1947. The former was the only UN member to oppose the latter’s entry into the world body, a result of misplaced anger at the British Raj’s exit plan. Later, Republican Afghanistan fueled Pashtun nationalist fervor inside Pakistan as payback, tacitly supporting a secessional movement. Islamabad had no choice then but to use Islamists as a counterweight, especially when Kabul cozied up to New Delhi for similar
“In December 2011, remaining U.S. troops were pulled out of Iraq, leaving that nation in a far more volatile state than when military operations first began in 2001” (Green). This illustrates that 9/11 has caused instability in multiple regions such as Afghanistan. Moreover, U.S. foreign policy dramatically changed from deterrence and containment to preemptive and preventive action. Consequently, this foreign policy established questionable allies such as Pakistan where Osama bin Laden was hiding. When the terrorist attacks happened, it was designed to instill fear and weaken the US but it made the US even stronger (HÉochaidh).
1. In President Obama’s speech at West Point, he announced that 30,000 additional troops would be sent to Afghanistan. He made this decision because he said it was vital to the United States’ national interest. The vital national interest at risk in President Obama’s address is the security and safety of the American people as well as the “security of our allies and the common security of the world.” By involving the military and increasing the troop strength, President Obama can achieve the objectives of his strategy. His objectives are to keep the Taliban from becoming powerful, prevent them from government rule, improve Afghanistan security forces and government so they can manage their own country and prevent Al Qaeda from
As Russian forces pushed into Afghanistan seeking to conquer the nation, spread communism, and secure oil routes, the United States suspected Russia may be successful in its conquest. Moreover, President Carter’s administration took notice and produced presidential findings, allowing the United States to indirectly and mildly support Mujahidin rebel forces, who sought to confront the Russian forces and win back Afghanistan. President Carter utilizing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) funneled small weapons and funding to associates within the Pakistan intelligence community who in turn provided the items to the rebel forces (Coll
2001-Al Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan are targeted by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), and the CIA’s
Theoretically, it holds that the United States (US) invaded Afghanistan as a self-defense strategy following the 9/11 attacks. Practically, however, as US foreign policy is about conquest, self-protection and resource-extraction, it seeks strategic dominance of geographical space to sustain its global relevance. The rationality of the US suggests the need to continuously accumulate capital, resources and military proficiency to ensure autonomy. Therefore, a pragmatic reading into the motivation behind the invasion of Afghanistan negates the self-defense theory. Rather, the shifting coordinates of power within central and southern Asia crafted the perfect criteria for US intervention. This work explores the motivations and systemic cover-ups designed by the Bush administration in ordering military troops into Afghanistan in 2001. It will hold that this invasion was not just a War on Terror, but rather a tactic to ensure US prevalence within the region, and henceforth, the rest of the world. Thus, why did the US invade Afghanistan?
Kill/Capture: How An Aggressive United States Military Initiative May Be Doing More Harm Than Good in Afghanistan
A new type of link between religion and globalization within the American public arena was cast on 9/11. for a few giant lines was drawn between sensible and evil religious faiths. the next American military response in Islamic State of Afghanistan was meant to secure America by destroying the forces of the evil religious faith, forces assumed to be accountable for the events of 9/11. at a similar time the afghan folks were liberated by the oppression of the evil faith so they might fancy the fruits of freedom and democracy.
For over 2 centuries, Afghanistan has known virtually no time without war. Beginning around 326 B.C. with the conquests of Alexander the Great, to the Persians, British, Russians and most recently, America and our NATO allies, Afghanistan has been cultivated into the country that it is today through a trial by fire. Regardless of this relentless onslaught of foreign military power, the Afghan people have tirelessly defended their homeland with no outside power ever being able to subdue them completely. Following the withdrawal of the Soviet Union in 1989, the country fell into civil war, torn even further apart by fiercely dedicated tribal warlords. This power vacuum led to the rise of a group called the Taliban. Led by a one eyed man
In an age when mankind has the ability to completely annihilate itself through nuclear combat, war can be a more terrifying and powerful thought than ever before. Unfortunately, because of the extent of the actions that the Taliban has committed against both America and its own followers, the United States’ war against terrorism seems to be a necessity. I do feel, however, as if there are many things that can be done by the American government in the near future to peacefully approach a more civil and politically involved Afghanistan. Although my feelings on a war against terrorism are mixed, I do feel that significant actions must be taken in order to restrict the spread of
The Taliban are a part of history and people should be aware of who they are and what they do. The Taliban has evolved over the years and unfortunately have grown stronger over the years. They started off as a group of students and it is sad to know that these students who could have started with a good future ended up being a part of a terrorist group. They think they are doing right because they may read the Quran but they only focus on the words and passages they want to hear and say to defend their terrorist group without reading the passage or verse fully and trying to understand the real words of Allah. The Taliban have been around for a long time and as a result the Taliban havetaken over territory such as Afghanistan and many others. One of the territories the Taliban has is Afghanistan and the government is seen as corrupted because they help the Taliban. Corruption may exist anywhere but would the Afghan government be supporting the Taliban with weapons because they want to or because of fear?
The empires of both the British and the Japanese through their expansion tactics allowed them to shape certain aspects of other cultures during their growth. The British Empire, with its influence and the power to control, during its greatest time was one of the largest empires to ever cover the world. The Japanese Empire while not as powerful and vast as the British Empire was able to use the change of its government to begin its own conquests.
The leader I interviewed was Dr. Lei Charlton owner of an adult internal medicine primary care practice. Dr. Charlton currently has two employees; an office manager and a medical technician. Prior to starting her own practice, she has been a medical director for a couple of community health centers. She also wrote a grant for a domestic violence program that she started and served as director of the program. She has taken Harvard University leadership courses for medical directors.
Assef a local radical provides a chilling insight into the radicalism exhibited in some individuals in Afghanistan and how they have distorted views of the
I chose to read Knowing the Enemy: Jihadist Ideology and the War on Terror written by Mary Habeck. This book attempts to educate the reader not only about the Qur’an and the Islamic faith, but it offers insight as to why nineteen men took it upon themselves to cause such agony to the United States. Many people around the world do not understand what would provoke these men to carry out a devious plot to cause so much harm to the American people. Habeck describes the history behind the Qur’an, how it has been interpreted, and how it has been used as a tool to justify the heinous acts that have occurred throughout time, primarily focusing on the events that unfolded on September 11, 2001. Habeck served as an associate professor in strategic studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies teaching courses on military history and strategic thought. She also taught American and European military history at Yale University. During 2006 to 2013, she was appointed by President George W. Bush to the National Council on the Humanities. During 2008 to 2009 she served as the special advisor for strategic planning on the National Security Council staff.
When people think of noise control they normally think of sound being able to controlled. However, that not the case in airline industry. What noise controlled does to the airline industry is to seek a safe working environment that would not disturbed the environment and public health. It started in 1972 when congress passes the Noise Control Act to reduce noise pollution being produce by aircraft. Although there are other factors that is part of the noise pollution like automobile and construction site, but for this essay it will focus on the air pollution of the airline industry and its aircraft. With that being said, according to the Clean Air Act Title IV - Noise Pollution provided by the United State Environmental