Why Is Australia Involved In Afghanistan?

[mazHur]

Why Is Australia Involved In Afghanistan?
By George Venturini


Australia’s presence in Afghanistan is in violation of art.2(4) of the UN Charter, whereby: “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.” Nor does Australia’s action meet the letter and spirit of art.51

''There has never been a debate in the Australian Parliament on the reasons for the intervention until the one which was held during the last two weeks of October 2010. Then proceedings were opened with a Ministerial Statement by the newly-chosen Prime Minister, Ms. Julia Gillard. The Prime Minister directed herself to five fundamental questions: why is Australia involved; what is the international community seeking to achieve and how; what is Australia’s mission; what progress is being made; and what is the future of Australia’s commitment.''


A ‘parallel’, and in a sense prescient, history of the Western adventure in Afghanistan is soon to be published.
It tells the story of a similarly misconceived invasion, attempted ‘pacification’, and inglorious retreat by the Soviet Union. It sent in 100,000 troops, lost 15,000 and caused as many as 1.5 million civilian deaths.
The author was the British ambassador in Moscow between 1988 and 1992. Very few would have more reliable sources and authoritative voice.
As 2010 turned into 2011 the balance is nothing but tragic: civilian casualties as a result of the invasion are guess/timated between 14,643 and 34,240 as at the end of 2010. According to Amnesty International Afghans constitute the world’s largest single refugee group - around 5 million. 2,284 lives had been lost by the International Occupation Forces in Afghanistan. The U.S. alone spends more than US $ 2 billion a week in Afghanistan - US $ 366 billion at the time of writing, and counting.
To date the Australian Defence Force has suffered 21 deaths in Afghanistan and 162 A.D.F. members have been wounded in action.
The Prime Minister of Australia will do well to secure an advance copy of the book - and read it herself (her courtiers only read opinion polls) - so that she may, as she prefaced on 19 October 2010, “paint a very honest picture”, and really answer the question: why is Australia involved in Afghanistan?''




Read the complete story at
http://www.countercurrents.org/venturini120111.htm

 

[itsmeJonB]

because as long as they are an Ally of the United States, along with Great Britain, Canada and Mexico, there will be an army present supporting out troops.

is that not a logical enough answer for you?

because promises were kept and most countries stand by their word

 

[mazHur]

because as long as they are an Ally of the United States, along with Great Britain, Canada and Mexico, there will be an army present supporting out troops.

is that not a logical enough answer for you?

because promises were kept and most countries stand by their word

Promises, huh! America also made ''promises' to Pakistan when it needed it in Afghan war against USSR and then
ditched it after the war was finished.( checkout admissions on record by Hillary Clinton and others). The Afghans and Pakistani's it now calls ''terrorists' were infact raised by the American themselves and proudly termed the ""Mujahideens'' as long as they served it's ambitions. After the war and particularly they were awarded the name of 'Terrorists' only because the Americans thought Osama was given shelter by them. The co-alition carpet bombed and gassed Tora Bora and every nook and corner of their land but, as they had failed to find any WMD's they also failed to locate or catch Osama! Ten long years of warring but nothing came out as yet! What a pity.

Remember what Bush had said?? ''You are with us or the terrorists."" ......and that he had a dream from God to go crusading.....hahaha!!

Unfortunately the war is a total failure. The fear of America being attacked continues to exist. America's allies are also put under risk of suffering the 'side-effects' of a flippy floppy ongoing war without getting the actual criminals who bombed America on 9/11...the US administration fully knowing the terrorists were mainly the Arabs from Saudia's affluent elite. While pressing its democratic and human rights agenda on weaker and poorer nations, the Great Giants of Today have no mind to check the dictatorial continuations there...and that is surely for some interest which everybody knows. Double standards I must say.

All this proves that the US seems to be helpless in combating and defending itself alone and needs the crutches of other nations pull along. Some countries it has ''bought' in the name of friendships while it is using others like Pakistan as its 'proxy' to augment its own weaknesses.

War cannot be an end to achieve peace if problem could be solved with peaceful negotiations but all this again depends on intent. And it doesn't take rocket science to know the true nature of the intent of the Mighty!

 

[KimmyCharmeleon]

I believe the US and Australia has a treaty for this kind of thing right?...Yes? No?

 

[Meirionnydd]

I believe the US and Australia has a treaty for this kind of thing right?...Yes? No?

Yep, it's called the ANZUS treaty.

Just throwing it out there, but mazHur, are you aware that the Taliban was trained and supported by Pakistani intelligence services during the civil war (and before) after the Soviet's left?

Some sources indicate that Pakistani intelligence services are still providing aid to the Taliban even to this present day, ostensibly to circumvent growing Indian influence in the country.

 

[mazHur]

Yep, it's called the ANZUS treaty.

Just throwing it out there, but mazHur, are you aware that the Taliban was trained and supported by Pakistani intelligence services during the civil war (and before) after the Soviet's left?

Some sources indicate that Pakistani intelligence services are still providing aid to the Taliban even to this present day, ostensibly to circumvent growing Indian influence in the country.

Pakistan has a long-standing dispute with India over Occupied Kashmir.....and it is not out of place to guess
that Pakistan has to keep the Taliban's in hand as does India has it's RAW+MOSAD to
create disturbances in Pakistan. That is what politics is about....and it takes two to tango!

As for Pakistani ISI training the Talibans, No.....they were already trained by the American during the
Afghan- USSR and were proudly hailed as the Mujahideens by the Americans to keep their spirits high!!
After the war ended the same Warrior Mujahideens were ditched by America and they switched over to the
Mujahideen policy that inculcates the spirit of Jihad which formed the basis of their fighting and final victory
over a super power like the USSR....

All Afghans are not Talibans, nor all Talibans are Afghans. The border area lying between Pakistan and Afghanistan is inhabited by kinsmen of both countries ....they are tribal people, martial in nature and extremely
die-hards! They are overly attached to their land and customs, like the Chechans, and won't give up until their last man lives! The aim ought to have been doing something to change their economic condition and ideology through peaceful means....rather than going to war against them just on the semi-correct assumption that they are hiding Osama or Mullah Omer none of whom could be found by the coalition during its 1o year rampage!
War is real nonsense!

 

[Meirionnydd]

Pakistan has a long-standing dispute with India over Occupied Kashmir.....and it is not out of place to guess
that Pakistan has to keep the Taliban's in hand as does India has it's RAW+MOSAD to
create disturbances in Pakistan. That is what politics is about....and it takes two to tango!

Ah, so the Research and Analysis Wing and MOSAD are conspiring to destabilize Pakistan. Those bastards!

Uhm, I think it's in everyone's interest for Pakistan to be a stable country, especially with India and Israel. Several prominent Western officials have lamented on the dangers of extremists taking power in Pakistan and getting access the country's nuclear stockpile.

Considering that Pakistan has frosty relations with India at the best of times, I think it would be extremely counter-productive for India to encourage instability in Pakistan, because they would likely suffer in the long run.

As for Pakistani ISI training the Talibans, No.....they were already trained by the American during the
Afghan- USSR and were proudly hailed as the Mujahideens by the Americans to keep their spirits high!!
After the war ended the same Warrior Mujahideens were ditched by America and they switched over to the
Mujahideen policy that inculcates the spirit of Jihad which formed the basis of their fighting and final victory
over a super power like the USSR....

The Soviet Union was a house of cards, economic and political reforms were triggered the downfall of the USSR. The Afghanistan conflict had a negligible impact.

And you've seemed to have contradicted yourself here. Earlier you mentioned that the ISI does have ties to the Taliban at present, but you're denying any historical link, which seems kind of strange. Anyway, Wikileaks to the rescue! Here's what one of the leaked cables state..

"The Taliban are stronger than ever and a crucial component of their success is the support they receive from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The military spy agency nurtured the Taliban in the 1990s and has maintained ties to the group ever since."

 

[skyblue]

Remember what Bush had said?? ''You are with us or the terrorists."" ......and that he had a dream from God to go crusading.....hahaha!!

bush never called anyone terrorists in that statement.....he actually said 'you are either with us or against us'..which isn't the same

and i often hear muslims state things about the crusades......well lets not forget that it was the muslims that actually caused them,they were over-running europe and were driven out,the moors had iberia and italy and the turks were as far west as austria

 

[skyblue]

and the taliban were trained by the S.A.S. by the way