Brown War Watch will meet online this Thursday evening at 8pm to discuss ongoing conflicts, developments in the military industrial complex, tension amongst superpowers, and pathways to peace.
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THIS WEEK’S DISCUSSION: Afghanistan
Much has been going on, and we’ve been reading a fair bit ourselves. Here is what we’ve been looking at. For a more manageable list of reading check out the pieces preceded by an “*”.
The collapse of the US backed government and the US withdrawal:
*Taliban enter Afghan capital as US diplomats evacuate by chopper (Reuters)
US failures and what went “wrong”:
Afghanistan Proves The US Military Needs Its Budget Slashed To Ribbons (Caitlin Johnstone)
* Biden Must Stop Bombing Afghan Cities (LA Progressive)
The capital angle – how the IMF can keep money flowing, and how war profiteers lined their pockets:
Analysis: Taliban gains give investors cause for concern beyond Afghanistan (Reuters)
$10,000 INVESTED IN DEFENSE STOCKS WHEN AFGHANISTAN WAR BEGAN NOW WORTH ALMOST $100,000 (Intercept)
Implications:
Afghanistan is now part of the post-American world ($ Financial Times)
*America leaves Afghanistan, and the regional geopolitics take over (Responsible Statecraft)
The Taliban leaders in line to become de facto rulers of Afghanistan (Guardian)
U.S. Military Left behind Biometric Tracking Technology. The Taliban Is Already Using It to Track Afghans (Leftvoice)
*Who are the Taliban and how will they govern Afghanistan this time?
(Guardian)
For some extra reading here are some US media narratives shunting blame from the US (guilty of 20 years of fomenting support for the Taliban through violent occupation and shameless war profiteering) onto Afghanistan itself and the beating of the drums of war:
The Afghan Military Was Built Over 20 Years. How Did It Collapse So Quickly? ($ NYT)
4 Reasons A Taliban Takeover In Afghanistan Matters To The World (NPR)
Disaster in Afghanistan Will Follow Us Home ($ NYT)
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