Michael Hughes: Taliban insider attacks designed to sow distrust between U.S. and Afghan forces are likely to provoke a contrary reaction by strengthening America’s commitment to the war, Brookings Institution scholar Michael O’Hanlon told Afghan Online Press (AOP). On Tuesday, June 13, Defense Secretary James Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the United States was “not
Salon: Trump is violating a basic rule of civilian control of the military: Never ask the generals if they need more resources. This president has surrounded himself with generals and surrendered crucial decision-making authority to them. What can a “mini-surge” of 5,000 more soldiers do besides assure more U.S. casualties? We weren’t able to win in
Michael Hughes: There is little mystery over who is responsible for this week’s terrorist attack in Kabul, which Afghan intelligence officials have blamed on their Pakistani counterparts. The true dilemma lies in figuring out what is driving Pakistan’s calculus this time. The strategic depth doctrine is always at play which calls for “keeping the pot boiling”
Michael Hughes: The U.S. military-industrial complex is not some conspiracy theory, but a living creature on the verge of dashing hopes President Donald Trump will deliver on his “America First” credo and resist ordering a troop escalation in Afghanistan. The United States has achieved little after pouring some $1 trillion into the Afghan war, but a
Green Daily: I strongly condemn the Western governments’ anti-asylum seeker policies. Human rights values, international conventions and, most importantly, the major role they played in this crisis, oblige them to help those in need. They must follow international laws governing refugees. The so-called war on terror is the biggest lie of the century. In Afghanistan, we
Michael Hughes: The visit by a 15-member delegation of senior Pakistani lawmakers to Kabul was supposedly designed to assure Afghan leaders that Islamabad was committed to finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. However, at the same time, in a meeting on April 30, the head of the delegation called on Afghanistan’s head of
RT: The US knows exactly what it is doing in Afghanistan. It is trying to egg on Taliban and ISIS fighters so that it could create more chaos, and thereby justifying its intervention, says Catherine Shakdam, Shafaqna Institute of Middle Eastern Studies. Click here to read more (external link). Related Few clues on casualties at site
Michael Hughes: ISIS is the primary enemy of external actors while, inside Afghanistan, the Taliban have a higher probability of capturing Kabul and beheading any government officials insane enough not to have fled. Hence, dropping a 21,600 pound bomb on ISIS caves in Nangarhar – as was down by the U.S. on April 13 – does
Michael Hughes: The White House seems to be singing from a different song sheet about the situation in Sangin than America’s military brass, evidenced by its reluctance to rubber stamp the Pentagon’s position that the key district in southern Helmand province was not overrun by the Taliban recently. This could be a case of simple miscommunication
Michael Hughes: From the grave existential philosopher John Paul Sartre can shed light on why US politicians, such as Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham – two warmongers who never came across a Muslim country they would not bomb – continue to call for more troops in Afghanistan despite clear impediments, ranging from sanctuaries in Pakistan