Mother Courage

[don]

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/ep...l-episode/196/

"On the ground, the Taliban and also Northern Alliance fundamentalists continue their fascism against men and women of my country. So we are fighting right now against two powerful enemies: external enemy and internal enemy. With the withdrawal of the external enemy, the occupation forces, it would be much easier to fight against one enemy instead of two."
Malalai Joya

[Slimprofits]

Re: Mother Courage

Don did you see the reports about Medea Benjamin's trip (Code Pink) to Afghanistan?

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1006/p06s10-wosc.html

When Medea Benjamin stood up in a Kabul meeting hall this weekend to ask Masooda Jalal if she would prefer more international troops or more development funds, the cofounder of US antiwar group Code Pink was hoping her fellow activist would support her call for US troop withdrawal.

She was disappointed.

Ms. Jalhal, the former Afghan minister of women, bluntly told her both were needed. "It is good for Afghanistan to have more troops – more troops committed with the aim of building peace and against war, terrorism, and security – along with other resources," she answered. "Coming together they will help with better reconstruction."

[don]

Re: Mother Courage

I did hear of "Code Pink's" decision to be more flexible in their position on a US withdrawal. I attributed this to the "Obama Effect", see Kolko:

"Brzezinski is far subtler than most, and rejects the Bush Administration's counterproductive rhetoric that so alienated former and potential future allies. But he regards American power as central to peace in every part of the world and his global vision is no less ambitious that the Bush Administration's was. He is for the US maintaining 'a comprehensive technological edge over all potential rivals.' His is a call to 'transform America's prevailing power into a co-operative hegemony- one in which leadership is exercised more through shared conviction with enduring allies than by assertive domination.' And because it is much more salable to past and potential allies, this traditional Democratic vision is far more dangerous than that of the inept, eccentric melange of men and women who most recently guided American foreign policy." (p75-76)

from Gabriel Kolko's, World in Crisis (2009)

Somewhere in that vision is Code Pink.

[lsa420]

Re: Mother Courage

"Brzezinski is far subtler than most, and rejects the Bush Administration's counterproductive rhetoric that so alienated former and potential future allies. But he regards American power as central to peace in every part of the world and his global vision is no less ambitious that the Bush Administration's was. He is for the US maintaining 'a comprehensive technological edge over all potential rivals.' His is a call to 'transform America's prevailing power into a co-operative hegemony- one in which leadership is exercised more through shared conviction with enduring allies than by assertive domination.' And because it is much more salable to past and potential allies, this traditional Democratic vision is far more dangerous than that of the inept, eccentric melange of men and women who most recently guided American foreign policy." (p75-76)

That is right out of the neoCon handbook and is not "subtle" if you ask me. Might I add that this rhetoric, along with the rest of the bullsh*t that neoCon's spew, is sick, twisted and makes me want to vomit.

[don]

Re: Mother Courage

"You are with us or against us" vs Kumbaya, with a Lexus twist. You may have noticed that the core policy hasn't changed an iota. Only more is possible when you're not insulting your junior partners with in-your-face ultimatums.

[LargoWinch]

Re: Mother Courage

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/ep...l-episode/196/

"On the ground, the Taliban and also Northern Alliance fundamentalists continue their fascism against men and women of my country. So we are fighting right now against two powerful enemies: external enemy and internal enemy. With the withdrawal of the external enemy, the occupation forces, it would be much easier to fight against one enemy instead of two."
Malalai Joya

"...that is a bad trend"

[GRG55]

Re: Mother Courage

That is right out of the neoCon handbook and is not "subtle" if you ask me. Might I add that this rhetoric, along with the rest of the bullsh*t that neoCon's spew, is sick, twisted and makes me want to vomit.

iirc, Brzezinski [and the rest of the Carterites] aren't exactly "neocons", but I agree...sometimes it's difficult to tell the difference ;)

Too bad we can't ask the late Shah of Iran [who got dumped during the Carter/Brzezinski era] about that "enduring allies" thing...

Used to be that people thought the world admired the USA [and there certainly were some important things about that nation to admire, once upon a time], then admiration gave way to "trust", which in turn gave way to "respect" [for example Bush Jr. was less admired and more respected than Bill Clinton around these parts of the Middle East, mostly for what he could do to them] and now respect is giving way to...

[flintlock]

Re: Mother Courage

"...that is a bad trend"

ZB tells it the same way I see it. Good post.

[Rantly McTirade]

Re: Mother Courage

Don did you see the reports about Medea Benjamin's trip (Code Pink) to Afghanistan?

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1006/p06s10-wosc.html

When Medea Benjamin stood up in a Kabul meeting hall this weekend to ask Masooda Jalal if she would prefer more international troops or more development funds, the cofounder of US antiwar group Code Pink was hoping her fellow activist would support her call for US troop withdrawal.

She was disappointed.

Ms. Jalhal, the former Afghan minister of women, bluntly told her both were needed. "It is good for Afghanistan to have more troops – more troops committed with the aim of building peace and against war, terrorism, and security – along with other resources," she answered. "Coming together they will help with better reconstruction."

Masooda needs to suck it up, do her own hard work and quit leeching off Uncle Sucker. More and more Americans are tired of wasting money and lives trying to reform the failed and ignorant creatures and cultures of the globe(and defending those civilized folk who are, by chance or choice, stuck in or around masses of said failed and ignorant)-she wants 'building' and 'reconstruction', then get to it, with your own money and efforts. If she dies trying, she'll finally deserve some respect, instead of the contempt and disgust she's now worthy of.

[don]

Re: Mother Courage

"a politically acceptable outcome"

An insightful clip from the guy who sucker-punched the Russkies into coming into Afghanistan. He usually delivers. Joya and Brzezinski are on the same page with the above quote, just speaking for different interests.