The secret of Obama's pact with Afghanistan

Sunday, May 20: March on the NATO Summit!

May 2, 2012

Dear supporter,

President Obama greets troops in Afghanistan

In a trip designed for domestic political consumption, President Obama gives the impression that the U.S. war in Afghanistan is ending. It is not.
Photo: Reuters

It is important for people to understand the actual significance of President Obama's highly publicized, surprise visit to Afghanistan. This trip had nothing to do with the outcome of the war itself and everything to do with domestic political consumption. It was designed to win votes from a war-weary public.

President Obama arrived at 4 o'clock in the morning for a photo-op with the president of Afghanistan and U.S. military personnel, and to give a carefully designed message that a page was being turned in the Afghanistan war. The implication is that the war in Afghanistan is finally coming to an end under President Obama's leadership. The reality is far different.

The fine print of the so-called agreement between President Obama and President Hamid Karzai allows for troops and de-facto military bases to remain in Afghanistan well beyond 2014—in fact, for decades to come. This agreement was signed just weeks before the NATO summit to make it clear that the United States intends to remain the master of Afghanistan under the banner of a "NATO force."

In a sleight of hand, the bases will be called Afghan military bases. This is a facade. The bases will keep U.S. troops and equipment in the country. The bases will be paid for by U.S. dollars. This is nothing other than a rebranding of the occupation of this geostrategically located country in South Central Asia.

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