"Afghanistan as an empty space"

Written By: FurGaia
Date: 2006-03-11 10:45:00
<a href="/article/84554506-quotafghanistan-as-an-empty-spacequot">Article Link</a>

<blockquote> Afghanistan represents merely a space that is to be kept empty. Western powers have no interest in either buying from or selling to the blighted nation. The impoverished Afghan civilian population is as irrelevant as is the nation's economic development. But the space represented by Afghanistan in a volatile region of geo-political import, is to be kept vacant from all hostile forces. The country is situated at the center of a resurgent Islamic world, close to a rising China (and India) and the restive ex-Soviet Asian republics, and adjacent to oil-rich states. </blockquote> The first two parts are now available: <a href="http://www.cursor.org/stories/emptyspace.html">Afghanistan as an empty space - The perfect Neo-Colonial state of the 21st century</a> <a href="http://www.cursor.org/stories/emptyspace2.html">Afghanistan as an empty space - Pulling the rug out: Pseudo-development in Karzai's Afghanistan</a> Cross-posted at <a href="http://thecylinder.wordpress.com/">The Cylinder</a> [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on March 13, 2006]

Just for starters,
"For its part, the U.S. has spent $1.3 billion on reconstruction in Afghanistan over four years, "intending to win over Afghans with signs of progress."[21] By way of contrast, the United States spends $10 - $12 billion annually on military operations in Afghanistan."

And naturally Canada's "aid" will look very similar in proportion. Yes, "Go Canada, kick ass". We sure know who to throw our money at. This is perversion plain and simple. I have visions of these poor peasants being caught up in something so foreign to their lives and us being so ignorant to their lives and livihoods trying to "fix" them and their "problems". We are such an arrogant people.

---
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." Friedrich Nietzsche

We are such an arrogant people.<<

We North Americans just can't stand to see anything different. If they ain't like us, they gotta be bad. We go on to correct their thinking. "Self centerd' is another term to use.

---
Expect little from life and get more from it.

It would be lovely if simply abandoning Afghanistan would solve all it's problems. However, the West has had a large hand in creating the problems of the last 30 years and has I believe an obligation to assist in the solution. Which is not to say that there is not a great deal to criticize about current aid and reconstruction efforts (or that the initial invasion was in any way legal). I just find it sad that the primary reaction to the complexities of the situation seems to be a desire to simply leave the Afghans to their own devices.

Veggiemoto, you write that you find it sad that "the primary reaction to the complexities of the situation seems to be a desire to simply leave the Afghans to their own devices". I do not read that in Herold's articles. Indeed, in the first footnote to Part II of the series, he writes: "Naturally in the midst of this, a few organizations (and individuals) genuinely try and do succeed in making life better for the common people - for example, the hospital run by the Italian N.G.O., Emergency in Kabul comes to mind, the wonderful work on de-mining carried out by a number of NGO’s, the vaccination campaigns administered by the United Nations, the projects of Oxfam, BRAC and RAWA, etc." What he is critical of is the WAY that the "reconstruction" is being handled, which, he suggests, is a direct result of the strategy adopted by the current US administration (and possibly the help and complicity of some European/NATO "allies") of really "colonizing" the space instead of genuinely helping the Afghans rebuild their country.

Ya we all act a bit pre-Capernican don't we? We're the centre of our universe.

The quote I took from that article showing the disproportionate amounts of money that are being spent on repairing the country compared with the money being spent on damaging the country needs to be reversed to make any kind of positive impact. This in itself is the most telling reason why we will never ever "win" such a war. This tells me that we have no intention on helping the Afghans or we have no idea of how to go about helping anyone.

---
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." Friedrich Nietzsche

If the people of Afghanistan, or Iraq, or Africa, can be devalued, then anyone can be devalued, including us here in the centre of the universe. The occupying forces in Iraq and Afghanistan couldn`t care about the people. They`re there to protect the pipelines! And we have seen over the last 20 or so years in the west too, the devaluing of lower income people. Destruction of our public health care system in favour of boosting corporate profits is an example. More homelessness is another. And we see this as our government and others become increasingly corrupt and dictatorial, secretive, and mean spirited, as to condition people into accepting lower standards in freedom, democracy, quality of life, and justice.

---
Dave Ruston

seems to be a desire to simply leave the Afghans to their own devices.<<

I honestly do believe Canadians think Canada is there to get Afghanistan back on it's feet. That is untill our military leaders speak up and sound American. There is no compromise to accomodate all cultures in that country. Engineers rebuilding destroyed schools and public buildings would still build them they way the west would see fit. No one is listening when they are told the foreigners are not welcome. Foreigners were the cause of the distruction to begin with. "Leave them to their own devices" or rebuild their country as we see fit and before we leave, as told?

---
Expect little from life and get more from it.