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Worzel's World: Another war, another failure20 Aug, 2021
Julius Caesar took three legions of veteran troops (about 4500) and conquered the known world. When he returned home (and why wouldn’t he for all roads lead there) he found corruption and deceit within the power structures and politics of Rome. He crossed the Rubicon and waged war upon his own. He abolished the republic and installed himself as dictator. He was much lauded for doing so. As far as I can tell this was the last successful military campaign in recorded history. In answer to a question posed in a previous article asking what was the first world war fought over, the answer is the same as what every war is fought over. It is not freedom and democracy, it is not religion, it is not in any way ideological. War is always fought over the possession and control of people and resources.
New Zealand involved We are seeing a possible conclusion of yet another in a long list of failures brought about by western hegemony. The NATO siege of Afghanistan is a standout failure amongst some pretty stiff competition. This did not prevent former Prime Minister Helen Clark from asserting on National Radio that her commitment of Kiwi troops to this absurd invasion was the right decision. This is an obviously insane statement and I have yet to hear any mainstream journalist question it. New Zealand’s involvement in Afghanistan was, from the start, cloaked in lies and deception. We were told that our ‘Provincial Reconstruction Team’ were part of a ‘peacekeeping force' deployed for ‘training purposes’. This narrative was blown into oblivion with the award to Willie Apiata. No one has ever received a Victoria Cross for plumbing and bricklaying.
Good guys, bad guys With the exception of the eternal war between Good and Evil, the Afghanistan war is the longest in modern history. Indeed it is hard to know just when it started. Back in 1980s London, blocks of dark chocolate Afghani hashish half the size of a pound of NZ butter and stamped with the ‘Kabul’ trademark were available through London’s extensive black market network. There was a moral component to it. The Russians were the invaders of that constantly besieged nation then. They were the bad guys. So consequently the Islamic fundamentalist defenders, then called the Mujahideen, were painted as the good guys. It was generally accepted at the time that the proceeds of the sale of Afghani hashish went to assist freedom fighters repelling the evil Russian aggressors. In a cold English winter occupying a grubby Stockwell squat one could get stoned and feel the warm self-righteous glow of doing your bit to contribute to the cause of freedom in the world. Yes, I too have been deluded. With the combined efforts of hash smoking colonials, generous donations of weaponry from the US and the resolute warriors of the Mujahideen, Russia was repelled and forced to pack up its toys and go home. A decade later Russia morphed into America and her allies and became the goodies. The Mujahideen morphed into the Taliban and became the baddies. Nothing at all had changed but the labels and yet somehow most people in their delusion expected a different result. Now America is packing up its toys and quite rightly going home too. They, like Caesar, may be asked to wage war upon their own Government but I doubt they are of the same stuff as Caesar's veterans.
New Taliban emerging When a people wish to own their own country, the road is a long and arduous one. I had hoped, it seems in vain, that New Zealand would be staunch enough to walk it. I wish Afghanistan the very best and hope that now they no longer have to fund ongoing war they might diversify their crops and that hashish and heroin might no longer be the mainstay of their GDP. n FEEDBACK: profworzel@gmail.com New Zealand’s involvement in Afghanistan was, from the start, cloaked in lies and deception. |