Statement on Obama’s Surge in Afghanistan (tags)
When US imperialism invaded the Philippines in 1898 they said they will end the war in 16 days, The Filipino-American War lasted for 16 years. When Obama and his generals say they will withdraw the troops by 2011 and train the Afghan army in 18 months, they know that this is impossible and they will invent more reasons to cover up their failure. Like Nixon, Obama was elected on his promise to end the war. But again, like Nixon, he did not end the war but escalated it. Nixon has his “Vietnamization” and Obama has his “Afghanization.”
the Iraq War -- a Socialist perspective (tags)
The war in Iraq is at the heart of the instability in the Middle East – and the U.S. It is now the third-longest-running war in U.S. history: longer than the American Civil War, the First and Second World Wars, and the Korean War. Only the Philippine-American and Vietnam Wars have lasted longer. Although control over Iraq’s oil was a major reason for the invasion, it was not the main factor. Overall strategic control over the region and teaching a “lesson” to any country that dares “step out of line” was the main objective. However, none of U.S. imperialism’s political, economic, or military objectives have been achieved. Far from demonstrating its power, U.S. imperialism has demonstrated the limits of its power. The results will be far-reaching both internationally and within the U.S. itself.
If party politics is the art of lying (and it is), then for the ordinary person political conventions are to be avoided at all costs. If these were judged by the standards of that other massager of the truth, advertising, then every one would be sued for being misleading.