You are getting close to it, Marko, especially when you mention an underground relationship between Karzai's relatives and the CIA.

Certain what Obama has to do is to contact people like yourself more.

Academics who though regarded as too much left-wing do carefully study specialised books and papers which regard balance of global power as all important.

Furthermore, modern history has generally proven that Immanuel Kant's philosophy of global representation rather than one strong power trying to run the show is all-important.

With one top dog nation like America, as we have said so many times before, there is always the problem of some new sort of neo-colonialism, especially these days when there is such a world shortage of oil.

It is such a pity that Obama now he is in charge, does not regard himself as a typical American, but as a new type of leader who is best in today's circumstances being cautious about US ultra-power philosophy, possibly keeping clear of waving the Stars of Stripes, which only builds up more hatred, especially among Moslems

Afghanistan is not worth the life of even one more Australian soldier or the expenditure of even one more Australian dollar.

stevenlmeyer,you spoilt sport.How can the industrial military complex make a quid with no wars? The Taliban stopped all the poppy crops and the Mudjahdeen had no cash to buy Western weapons.Union Oil is Hamid Kazai's old company he used to sub-contract to.How can they get an oil pipeline from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and Pakistan to the ocean with no wars?

You are robbing the Corporates of real profits by making us feel sorry for a few backward tribal cave dwellers.Obama is the new messiah and we have to follow his example.War is peace.That is how to get the Nobel Peace Prize.

Arjay,

If Union Oil wants to build a pipeline in Afghanistan let them raise a private army to occupy the place.

--The lives of their people.

--Their dollars.

I see no reason for Australia to help them.

To repeat – this time with feeling:

Afghanistan is not worth the life of even one more AUSTRALIAN soldier or the expenditure of even one more AUSTRALIAN dollar.

Stevenemyer, that's what the white South Africans said about the negroes, but Mandela saved things in a wonderful opposite way, not making deals but making friends

Cheers, BB, WA

So the real reasons for going there?
We know Iraq was about oil. Regime change and WMDs never were credible reasons for $Billion spends.
We know that 911 was the excuse ("where's Bin Laden?"), even though Pakistan would have been the more sensible choice. Having nukes means US must talk instead of just bomb, so Pakistan is out. (No wonder Iran is rushing for nukes. It is obviously the only way to get respect from military types.)
We also know that the gas pipeline is the obvious economic target, hence the main suspect as the "real" reason.
Could it also be that the CIA is getting into the Heroin trade? We know that they have used cocaine to fund illegal activities in the past, and there is only so much black funding available for global "above the law" activities these days. It is possible that the CIA has a sort of income crisis brought on by the recent revelations. It takes a *lot* of cash to buy up media and legal indifference world-wide, so the global "kidnap and torture" story that had to be killed off would have stretched them somewhat.
Could this be the reason why Heroin production has increased since the US occupation? Can it be that military occupation is just a cover for a some big "commando" cash crops?
The CIA can push this stuff world wide, then get the good coverage by busting some of it (say 5%) entering the US to show how good their policing is.
Whatever is going on, the author is clearly correct that this is military adventure is not for the Afghan people!

I can't see the point in escalating a war you have already lost,The yanks doo this then run away it is just the start of long conflict that will follow them home.The US started this war a long time ago it's their war i have no ill feelings towards these people and i don't like the idea of comiting murder for my temporary leader.

Bushbred

To the best of my knowledge the last time Australian troops fought in South Africa was during the Boer war between 1899 and 1902. They were on the side of the British Empire.

If Australian troops played any part in the fall of Apartheid I somehow missed it.

Australia did try to profit from Apartheid. They asked the Brits to ban South African coal and buy Aussie coal instead. The Brits did boycott South African coal but bought Polish coal instead of the Aussie stuff. The South Africans returned the favour by undercutting Australian coal prices in Asia.

Of course Australia's holier than thou attitude towards South Africa was rather undermined by the deal it did with Suharto over Timorese oil and gas.

Stevenmayer, I never said anything about Aussie troops in South Africa, but only how magic it was for Mandela to arrange peace between the blacks and the rotten Arpathaid mob so peacefully.

They are even saying now that a common interest in sport between black and white could make it even better.

Though could say we should give credit only to certain white South Africans, especially sportsmen.