Afghanistan
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The Governor in exile of The Afghan central bank recounts an amusing incident when Taleban officials turned up at the bank and asked to see its financial assets, presumably assuming that they would be in the form of notes and coins which they could lay their hands on. Most of it of course is held abroad in the form of other country’s government bonds.
No doubt Saudi and other Gulf billionaires will continue to contribute some money to promote their version of Mohammedanism but this probably won’t be enough.
I heard an expert on the television say that over half of those employed in Afghanistan worked for central and local government making the state the biggest employer (most people in Afghanistan are peasants or petty traders). These will need to be paid.
The Taleban are going to have to govern within the constraints of capitalism, on which sharia law has nothing to say except that profits are ok as long as they are not called interest. After all, Mohammed was a rich merchant.
So while the Taleban are in military control of (most of) the country, the outgoing clique that used to run the country still have some bargaining chips in money and a bureaucracy without which capitalism cannot be administered.
So there must be a compromise.
Afghanistan owns 10 billions dollars in gold deposited in USB banks. The Taliban are not allowed to touch those assets because the USA government has place in freeze on the 22 tons of golds. They are going to be forced to negotiate with the Western capitalists
https://qz.com/2049375/taliban-cant-touch-afghanistans-gold-stored-away-in-the-us/
I believe the Taleban control the passes into Afghanistan, so they’ll be able to collect duty on all imports/exports (especially if they continue the opium trade, which is a bargaining chip they retain).
Just imagine if instead of the war, the Nato allies had spent $2.2 Trillion buying wheat from Afghanistan over 20 years.: for all those emoting in the House of Commons about how much they care for Afghans, that would truly have changed the society there.
Afghanistan is going to be in war again because a new anti Taliban guerrillas is being formed by more than 15,000 thousands fighters from the old national guard and they are looking for financing and guns from the Western empires. The whole national guard did not vanish .completely I will not doubt that some Maoists and Stalinists groups ( M-L ) which are underground will join them
The sanctions imposed from immediate effect. How does it help the Afghan people?
https://revcom.us/a/713/imperialists-suffer-humiliating-defeat-in-afghanistan-en.html#horrors
https://revcom.us/a/713/afghanistan-where-do-interests-of-humanity-lie-en.html
This is the opinion of a Maoist group ( M-L-M ) in regard to the Afghanistan crisis
https://revcom.us/a/713/imperialists-suffer-humiliating-defeat-in-afghanistan-en.html#horrors
https://revcom.us/a/713/afghanistan-where-do-interests-of-humanity-lie-en.html
This is the opinion of a Maoist group ( M-L-M ) in regard to the Afghanistan crisis
Will the West out of spite or strategy starve the new Afghan government of finance in a similar way it created chaos and refugees in Venezuela?
Time will tell.
The real British attitude to Afghan refugees
A good article, and worth a read. Something that we’ve not heard much about is the Brereton report “The report found evidence of 39 murders of civilians and prisoners by (or at the instruction of) members of the Australian special forces, which were subsequently covered up by ADF personnel.[5][6][7] The report stated 25 ADF personnel were involved in the killings, including those who were “accessories” to the incident. Some of those believed to be involved were still serving with the ADF.[8] The unlawful killings discussed by the report began in 2009, with most occurring in 2012 and 2013.[9]”
The law has been changed here to prevent a similar report happening, or the guilty being held to account. 39 murdered people is the minimum of crimes committed by the Nato forces.
Nothing from Chomsky yet, but here’s what he said in May
“Department of Defense clarified that 2,500 troops would leave Afghanistan by September 11. In a March 14 article, meanwhile, the New York Times had noted that the U.S. has 3,500 troops in Afghanistan even though “[p]ublicly, 2,500 U.S. troops are said to be in the country.” The undercount by the Pentagon is obscurantism. A report by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, furthermore, noted that the United States has about 16,000 contractors on the ground in Afghanistan. They provide a variety of services, which most likely include military support. None of these contractors—or the additional undisclosed 1,000 U.S. troops—are slated for withdrawal, nor will aerial bombardment—including drone strikes—end, and there will be no end to special forces missions either.”
Looks like he’s wrong on this: but maybe that was the plan. But still, i think this is suggestive: “No lessons have been learned from this history. The U.S. will “withdraw,” but will also leave behind its assets to checkmate China and Russia. These geopolitical considerations eclipse any concern for the Afghan people.”
In simple terms, continued instability is the US interest. I doubt China will go into Kabul, but I think they will secure their border and maybe try to prevent any aid to the Uighurs.
Afghanistan’s last communist head of government—Mohammed Najibullah (1987-1992)—submitted a National Reconciliation Policy, in which he put women’s rights at the top of the agenda. It was rejected by the U.S.-backed Islamists, many of whom remain in positions of authority today.
It looks like Chomsky has not done his political homework yet , he is calling communist/communism who are apologists of state capitalism. I do not waste my time with Noam Chomsky, he spends four years giving speeches and at the time of election he asks workers to vote for the political party of the ruling class. He bite his own tongue
Andrew Kliman group on Afghanistan
YMS, the reports on the Australian atrocities in Afghanistan led to the disbandment of their previously lauded SAS units. The reports of their atrocities were mentioned on our blog
What is so hypocritical is the treatment of the refugees by the West for the past several years. Until recently many nations were deporting Afghanistani refugees back.
For example, https://ecre.org/new-eu-agreement-with-afghanistan-amid-deteriorating-security-situation/
Everything is guesswork and nobody actually knows what will happen in Afghanistan.
And we should not be surprised by the cavalier attitude of the former occupation powers who are now busy washing their hands and making scapegoats, not wishing to have their holidays disturbed by human tragedies
I can’t blame Chomsky for his miscalculation. On this thread I too believed the civil war would continue with Special Forces and mercenaries forming the core defence of the old regime.
Turkey at one time offered troops to defend Kabul airport after the US withdrawal. That didn’t happen either.
Russia is already offering diplomatic support to the Taliban. China will offer economic support.
What will the Arab Gulf states do?
All we can do is recognises the insignificance of our influence and that we are mere spectators to world affairs. We don’t even have any special information on events, relying once more on dubious news reports and equally contentious interpretations from supposed expert observers,
I know Alan, The Republicans also are washing their hands in regard to the agreement made by Trump and Pompeo with the Taliban which indicate that the troops withdrawal was scheduled for May 2021.
The Russians are playing the good Boy Scout tactic despite the facts that the Soviet Union also carried many atrocities in that nation.
All of them are talking about the refugees but in prior years they reduced the amount of refugees from different countries and they raised the flags of nationalism and approved traveling law against the muslim and the middle eastern. now all of them are suffering from historical amnesia
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