The Kandahar Massacre and the Future of U.S. Involvement in Afghanistan
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-03-19/kandahar-massacre-and-future-us-involvement-afghanistan
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called for the U.S. to speed up the withdrawal of combat troops from his country. That demand came after 16 Afghan villagers were murdered in the middle of the night - allegedly by a U.S. staff sergeant identified Friday as Robert Bales. The slayings have severely strained U.S. – Afghan relations and further eroded Americans’ support for the war. One survey taken after the atrocity showed half of Americans want President Obama to expedite troop withdrawal. Whether that would - or even could - happen is an open question. Diane and her guests discuss the future of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.
Guests
Ambassador James Dobbins
director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND Corporation, and former special envoy to Afghanistan.
Yochi Dreazen
senior national security correspondent, National Journal magazine.
Phyllis Bennis
director of the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies; co-author of "Ending the U.S. War in Afghanistan: A Primer."
Comments
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I spent 2yr 8 months in Afghanistan working as a USAID contractor. My work took me to far flung villages and areas throughout the country, mostly without US armed forces escort. After my return to the US in Sept 2011, I have found it curious that contractors returning often have health related issues similar to US troops. However, contractors with problems are often dismissed based on the reasoning that we were handsomely compensated.
Is there any relation between compensation and PTSD or related health issues?
"The public is so pumped up on myth they despise the truth of their being deceived'.
The myth that democrats are anti war works very well here.
As a Marine and an Iraq war veteran, I believe that this crime is something that should be handled by the Afghani people. This soldier committed a horrible crime against civilians. He should be judged by a civilian court. If something like this happened in the U.S., the foreign national would be judged by our civilian court.
Micah Have you watched the Winter Soldier hearings that took place in DC several years ago? Would be curious about your response. Soldiers who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan testified about horrific things that some of them had done or witnessed after soldiers had been deployed several times or just following orders "not to stop" "kick down doors" "shoot first ask later if at all' Have talked with quite a few Vets and many have said that this stuff happens far far more than reported or covered by our MSM. Clearly the Rehm show did not cover the Winter Soldier hearings and those hearings were right in the Rehm Teams back yard in DC. Would really like to hear what you think after you watch those hearings. Still time for Diane to have some of these soldiers on her program...if they dare. Clearly they were not interested when the hearings were taking place
Pancake no stumbling on my part on this issue. Solid verifiable steps tracking what the Rehm show and other MSM outlets do and more likely do not cover when it comes to the run up to the invasion of IRaq, AFghanistan and after the US invaded. Became even more persistent when my friend from Afghanistan and I noticed that the Rehm show and other MSM outlets were not telling the American public what was really going on in both of those countries on the ground. I had contacted the Rehm show numerous times trying to get them to have some of the Fulbright Scholars from AFghanistan who were studying in the states at that time. Also tried to get them to do a show on how all of these Afghani scholars were meeting in Chicago for a conference on what was going on in their country. But no the Rehm team does a show on an American woman who opened up a beauty parlor in Kabul. Absurd absolutely absurd. My friend and I listened to that program when it was on together...he was in shock that this was what the Rehm team was focused on...in 2007 having to do with Afghanistan
kathleen: Do you not agree that DRShow has made itself analogous to a "beauty shop" where hearsay and gossip triumph over a fuller truth and knowledge? When you mentioned the segment on bringing a western styled beauty shop to Afghanistan, and ridiculed it as atypical and inconsequential activity, even colonialist behavior in an occupied nation, you reflexively insinuated that the production of the DRShow itself resembled a beauty shop.
Yes, you knew the facts but it was an inadvertent suggestion that the show itself "beautifies" half-truths useful to elite interests.
Most would take "beauty shop" as somehow awkwardly indicative of women's rights in a patriarchal country, but you and I both know such an indication to be
superficial and ineffectual. So many times an unusual activity by a Afghan woman is used for propaganda purposes (ie- pilot, security agent, lawyer, politician) to convince the American public our soldiers protect women's rights. But if you could listen at night in the bivouac our male soldiers plot the murder and abuse of wives and girlfriends once they get home. (as per testimony of Neil Shea and Chris Hedges).
What line will DRShow take with the Koni issue? I think they must focus upon African resources to the detriment of African people. On WBAI today they explain how US counterinsurgencies in the 1960s and 70s initiated the child soldiering technique, as taught at School of the Americas in Ft. Benning, Ga. Put a wig on it!
Micah: Robert Bales however crucified cannot atone for the wholesale collective sins of the USA in Afghanistan.
"kathleen wrote:
Micah Have you watched the Winter Soldier hearings that took place in DC several years ago? Would be curious about your response. Soldiers who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan testified about horrific things that some of them had done or witnessed after soldiers had been deployed several times or just following orders "not to stop" "kick down doors" "shoot first ask later if at all' Have talked with quite a few Vets and many have said that this stuff happens far far more than reported or covered by our MSM. Clearly the Rehm show did not cover the Winter Soldier hearings and those hearings were right in the Rehm Teams back yard in DC. Would really like to hear what you think after you watch those hearings. Still time for Diane to have some of these soldiers on her program...if they dare. Clearly they were not interested when the hearings were taking place
March 19, 2012 - 1:46 pm"
Not so good idea. Remember what happened to John Kerry?
Monte Haun mchaun@hotmail.com
NPR this a.m. brings a story about some of the actual victims:
http://www.npr.org/2012/03/20/148974952/afghan-farmer-lost-11-relatives-...
As long as Saudi Arabia runs the system of education in Pakistan and generates tens of thousands of ignorant and violent talibans, Afghanistan and the world will not see any peace.
ptsd-a euphymism more often then not and especially in this case for anger at the fact that we didn't "turn the place into a parking lot".The promise made to his heart after 9-11 by the media fed propaganda alluding to but not explicitly calling for a totalizing good vs. evil cosmic like war against islam. though the media used the words "muslim expremists" or "terrorists" in labeling the enemy-the narrative was against islamand perceived by all as such. he signed up with visions of genocide dancing in his headas he would be part of this cosmic like war of good vs. evil.Life just got easy and bacome meaningful and simplistic but he soon realized he had been manipulated as our government had no such genocidal intentions. hence the oft cited complaint by politicians and the media and by soldiers that "we're fighting a war with one hand tied".A
n alusion to the promise made to their heart after 9-11. he was signing up to turn the place into a parking lot. hence his comment that
we're helping people who tried to kill us and his racist comment that
we're giving money to these [explative deleteted].After killing many iraqis with impunity he realized that iraqis still exist and for him the last straw was when the iraqi government threw us out rather then comply with the unjust demand that our soldiers could not be held accountable for crimes committed, under iraqi law. he realized that his totalizing good vs. evil war against islam was a fantasy started by the 9-11 attacks but fueled by the media narrative to get him to join the military but that our government had no such intentions.They did a bait and switch on him as once there, there were rules of engagement and he was told you're here not cause you hate muslims but because you love them so much you will risk life and limb to bring them freecided to affirm histwarted genocidal impulses by murdering families mostly women and chiedom and other good things like roads,schools etc.After the iraqi governemnet threw us out that is when he dldren.to my wife and children" expressed his belief that THEY were entitled to life[love] as oppossed to the women and children he had just killed. Even now he expresses no remorse for the murdered victims but only concern for other soldiers. he chose to act out this twarted genocidal desires by killing families caThat only hours after killing women and children he said "send my love rriers of genes-women,children ,men, -on the 11TH OF THE MONTH.This was pre-meditated ,and symbolic of twarted geniocidal impulses that were the reasons he signed up after 9-11.Killing iraqis with impunity no longer satisfied him -he wanted to afirm his genocidal impulses which was what he felt was promised to him by the media narrative after 9-11.he would get his genocidal satisfaction if he had to do it symbolically-going after
n alusion to the promise made to their heart after 9-11. he was signing up to turn the place into a parking lot. hence his comment that
we're helping people who tried to kill us and his racist comment that
we're giving money to these [explative deleteted].After killing many iraqis with impunity he realized that iraqis still exist and for him the last straw was when the iraqi government threw us out rather then comply with the unjust demand that our soldiers could not be held accountable for crimes committed, under iraqi law. he realized that his totalizing good vs. evil war against islam was a fantasy started by the 9-11 attacks but fueled by the media narrative to get him to join the military but that our government had no such intentions.They did a bait and switch on him as once there, there were rules of engagement and he was told you're here not cause you hate muslims but because you love them so much you will risk life and limb to bring them freecided to affirm histwarted genocidal impulses by murdering families mostly women and chiedom and other good things like roads,schools etc.After the iraqi governemnet threw us out that is when he dldren.to my wife and children" expressed his belief that THEY were entitled to life[love] as oppossed to the women and children he had just killed. Even now he expresses no remorse for the murdered victims but only concern for other soldiers. he chose to act out this twarted genocidal desires by killing families caThat only hours after killing women and children he said "send my love rriers of genes-women,children ,men, -on the 11TH OF THE MONTH.This was pre-meditated ,and symbolic of twarted geniocidal impulses that were the reasons he signed up after 9-11.Killing iraqis with impunity no longer satisfied him -he wanted to afirm his genocidal impulses which was what he felt was promised to him by the media narrative after 9-11.he would get his genocidal satisfaction if he had to do it symbolically-going after
women and children.now he feins not remmebering but he remembers every detail of everyman woman and child he murdered.Even now in the twice mentioned love he sends to his wife and kids is his afirmation of his belief that unlike his wife and kids, those muslim women and children he killed have no right to exist.he's a genocidist -whose twarted desires got acted out on women and children.If hrest of his life.e drank -alcohogovernment complying.he had a need to reclaim domination of muslims after they threw us out and deplyment to afghanistan was where he acted out and afirmed symbolically-through the murder of women and children- his racist genocidal stand.ptsd-sure and that is a politically correct way of saying they're angry they did not have the go ahead to kill more people then they already did.Put him in gitmo to be around muslims for the l was used as a tool to lower any inhibitions but it was only a tool-no different then the gun he used inside a childs mouth or the combat boots he used to stomp on a child. he decided on doing this probably as soon as he realized he'd be sent to afghanistan when he was seething with anger that the iraqis threw us out and their humanity was afirmed by our
We need more critical discussion of this war (and other U.S. wars as well). Bennis provides an honest, balanced and humane view, and it seems in keeping with majority opinion. most of the U.S. population (70 % or more) opposes this war--but we hear very little of this fact, or of majority opinion on mainstream tv and radio. This is a step in the right direction if the goal is more honest and balanced coverage. More, please!!