President Trump is unhappy with the situation in Afghanistan. This is hardly new, as it’s been reported to be this way for over a month, with mounting losses on the ground, and Pentagon claims that progress is being made ringing hollow.
What is concerning his advisers, however, is that as Trump sours on the war, he’s been showing renewed interest in Blackwater founder Erik Prince’s proposal to “privatize” the war, and replace the US occupation force with mercenaries.
Prince first started talking up the plan last year, ahead of President Trump’s announced escalation. The Blackwater founder is now presenting this as “trying something new,” and is also accusing the Pentagon of painting an unrealistically rosy picture to keep Trump from considering his idea.
Prince says he hasn’t spoken directly to Trump, but plans to launch a media campaign hyping the idea to sell the president on it in the coming days. Prince claims this measure would save the US money over the existing occupation.
How to save even more: Exit.
Candidate Trump said we should leave. President Trump escalates and now talks of handing the war over to private contractors. Raimondo should start reading the other articles on anti-war.com.
it’s been a private war since the beginning, the US just bankrolled it. now that the us is spread thin the shadow lords need to keep it going. Probably better off since certain rules can also be ignored. Mercenaries. Nothing better to completely loot a country of every resource possible, for as long as possible.
What do you believe the US is looting? Opium?
The goal seems more to just meddle everywhere until the world becomes a “democracy”, whatever that means. Bases everywhere, meddling and “aid” everywhere. Central banks everywhere…
The US as a polity certainly doesn’t benefit, so it is absolutely not some form of US nationalism. Profit is made by individuals of course. And bureaucrats love spending and wielding US government power.
What do you believe the US is looting? Opium?
The US is doing what every world super power has done for centuries: trying to control and exploit the Khyber Pass as a natural land-bridge between resource rich Central Asia and resource poor Southern Asia.
The TAPI oil pipeline, currently under construction, will sell oil from Turkmenistan, via Afghanistan and Pakistan, to India and southern China in US dollars.
Iran, by the way, has been trying to build a competing pipeline to India for sale in euros and other currencies. US Sanctions on the Bank of Iran have stymied the project. If completed, India and China could theoretically divest themselves of billions of US dollars held in their treasuries for oil purchase.
It is estimated that Afghanistan holds the neighborhood of 1 trillion dollars worth of untapped lithium, iron, copper and other industrial metals which too could be exploited via this route.
– https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html
What do you believe the US is looting? Opium?
The US is doing what every world super power has done for centuries: trying to control the Khyber Pass as a natural land-bridge between resource rich Central Asia and resource poor Southern Asia.
The TAPI oil pipeline, currently under construction, will sell oil from Turkmenistan, via Afghanistan and Pakistan, to India and southern China in US dollars.
Iran, by the way, has been trying to build a competing pipeline to India for sale in euros and other currencies. US Sanctions on the Bank of Iran have stymied the project. If completed, India and China could theoretically divest themselves of billions of US dollars held in their treasuries for oil purchase.
It is estimated that Afghanistan holds the neighborhood of 1 trillion dollars worth of untapped lithium, iron, copper and other industrial metals which too could be exploited via this route.
– https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html
Everything it can get. I agree with @PintOrTwo:disqus, and I also agree with you. Make no mistake that the free flowing opioid crisis and our presence there is connected. No it’s not the ultimate goal, but it sure helps fund the bribery, mercenaries, government as well as cheap, cheap resources for BIG PHarma and record profits… While kids in middle American drool high on the bus stops.
It was all smooth until those “Terrorists” took control. Glad we went war to stop them . Im afraid to see an updated chart including the last 10 years.
https://thepointistochangeit.wordpress.com/2012/05/27/who-is-the-drug-dealer-afghan-opium-production-after-us-occupation/
https://twitter.com/danpfeiffer/status/1030487594285510661