And The Military Industrial Complex Grinds Onward

Blood and empire - as American as apple pie. We are never leaving:

American and Afghan officials are locked in increasingly acrimonious secret talks about a long-term security agreement which is likely to see US troops, spies and air power based in the troubled country for decades.

Though not publicised, negotiations have been under way for more than a month to secure a strategic partnership agreement which would include an American presence beyond the end of 2014 – the agreed date for all 130,000 combat troops to leave — despite continuing public debate in Washington and among other members of the 49-nation coalition fighting in Afghanistan about the speed of the withdrawal.

[...]

Although they will not be "combat troops" that does not mean they will not take part in combat. Mentors could regularly fight alongside Afghan troops, for example.

Senior Nato officials also predict that the insurgency in Afghanistan will continue after 2014.

And why are we staying there? Because the benefits of having a massive empire is that it provides for convenient staging grounds for advancing the national policy of additional endless wars:

There are at least five bases in Afghanistan which are likely candidates to house large contingents of American special forces, intelligence operatives, surveillance equipment and military hardware post-2014. In the heart of one of the most unstable regions in the world and close to the borders of Pakistan, Iran and China, as well as to central Asia and the Persian Gulf, the bases would be rare strategic assets.

[...]

Another is the question of US troops launching operations outside Afghanistan from bases in the country. From Afghanistan, American military power could easily be deployed into Iran or Pakistan post-2014. Helicopters took off from Afghanistan for the recent raid which killed Osama bin Laden.

Afghanistan is key for when we need a convenient logistical hub for when we decide that Ahmadinejad has pissed us off enough, or he has weapons of mass destruction, or he's being insufficiently deferent to Western oil needs. I can't even believe how fucking glibly the Guardian states this - "American military power could be easily deployed into Iran." It just rolls off their tongue, as if it's a certainty. Not that it isn't entirely likely, because there is nothing we Americans love more than a costly, protracted war in a Muslim nation. But still - it's pretty damning to see it written so nonchalantly in print, especially considering the Guardian is normally one of the better papers. 

It's also funny to read the parts of the article where the Afghans are attempting to object to certain terms of the negotiations. Clearly they have not been paying attention to how these things work. We still have troops in Japan and Germany.