Levin defends Imperialist “Progress” in Afghanistan

Michigan Senator Carl Levin just returned from a trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan, his second since the Obama administration announced an additional 30,000 US troops to Afghanistan last December.

Levin posted a statement he read on the Senate floor on Wednesday, July 14. It is clear from the statement that Levin is firmly committed to the US occupation of Afghanistan. It is also clear that the Michigan Senator doesn’t want the American people to know the realities of what is happening on the ground in Afghanistan as a result of the nearly 9 year US occupation.

First, it should be noted who Levin met with during his trip. He says that he met exclusively with Afghani and Pakistani government and military officials, as well as US military commanders and US Ambassador Eikenberry. In other words, Levin met with those who support the occupation and are prosecuting a brutal counter-insurgency war.

Second, it is important to point out that Levin makes clear that he believes that there is significant “progress” being made in Afghanistan. What he means by progress is the growing number of Afghanis who are now part of the Afghan National Army (ANA) that is being trained by the US. Levin also believes that the ANA is taking more of the lead in US/NATO missions.

However, this glowing report about the Afghan National Army is contradicted by other sources, which claim that members of the ANA have attacked and killed US and NATO troops. Ryan Harvey reports that ANA members are shooting and killing US & NATO troops. Harvey also reports that desertion rates are nearly 20% amongst Afghan soldiers and that many of them join in order to get training that they will share with the insurgency.

Third, Senator Levin states that he is encouraged by the progress of other Afghan security forces such as they Afghan National Police (ANP) and the Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP). However, independent, non-governmental reports, such as the one put out recently by the Afghanistan Analysis Network, contradict much of Senator Levin’s optimism on the role that these security forces play.

Fourth, Levin does mention that the US occupation of Afghanistan has resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 US troops and countless more wounded. Levin also acknowledges that more casualties are expect, but that “their morale is high and regardless of whether one agrees with the mission in Afghanistan, those men and women deserve a tribute from all Americans. We stand in awe of them.”

Such sentiments ignore the much larger human cost that Afghan civilians have paid and it omits the growing number of US military personnel who have served in Afghanistan and actively oppose the war. Groups such as Veterans for Peace and IVAW are supporting more and more Afghan veterans who do not share Senator Levin’s view on what is happening on the ground in Afghanistan.

Senator Levin concludes in comments on the Senate floor by acknowledging that there are “threats to the Afghan mission.” However, for Levin these threats are external, which means that he is in complete support of the imperialist US occupation.

Levin states that terrorist groups are a threat, some of which operate in Pakistan. What Levin fails to mention is that the US has fomented anti-US sentiment in Pakistan in part because of its support of a corrupt government and the ongoing drone bombings, which have resulted in hundreds on civilian deaths.

Another threat that Levin points to are the warlords in Afghanistan. Again, the Michigan Senator omits the fact that many of the current warlords were once US allies who were trained and funded by the US government. (See Bill Blum’s essay America’s Jihad.)

Ultimately, Levin acknowledges the need for a political settlement, but here again he fails to mention that the US has resisted such a settlement if it involves the Taliban or at least until the US military forces have been able to seriously weaken the Taliban forces.

Levin concludes his comments by quoting T.E. Lawrence, which is a statement that speaks volumes about Levin’s imperialist views. Lawrence was a rabid defender of the British Empire, even if he at times felt it was best to use the “native population” to do the Empire’s dirty deeds.

“Do not try to do much with your own hands. Better (they) do it tolerably than you do it perfectly. It is their war and you are to help them, not to win it for them. Actually, also, under the very odd conditions (there), your practical work will not be as good as, perhaps, you think it is.” T.E. Lawrence