Posted by John, June 21st, 2010 - under US imperialism.

Tags: Afghanistan, Australian imperialism

Another 3 Australian badged killers have died in Afghanistan. That makes 5 in the last 2 weeks.

Why are we there?

It can’t be to defend democracy. Karzai rigged the Presidential vote.

It can’t be to stop the warlords. They are the Government.

It can’t be to liberate women. The current male power structures in Afghanistan, propped up by the US, imprison women as women – apart from a few female schools set up for western TV viewers.

It can’t be to fight terrorism. We are the terrorists, invading their country, killing tens of thousands of civilians and creating millions of refugees. We are exporting our terrorism to Pakistan.

It is for the Afghan people to decide their future, not foreign invaders. In fact the brutal Western invasion has strengthened the Taliban who will regain control at some stage.

Everything you hear from our leaders about Afghanistan is a Vietnam lie. We are not winning. We are not bringing democracy, or liberating women or fighting terrorism.

Australia is in Afghanistan to support the United States, our imperialist protector. This is not because our political and economic elite are toadies of the Americans.

It is in the interests of our capitalist class to have troops in Afghanistan to protect their interests.

Australian capitalism is expansionist. It controls the Pacific and wants to expand that control into South East Asia.

It also fears that Chinese imperialism may eventually challenge its dominant position in the region.

So our ruling class aligns itself with the dominant economic and military power to protect its own interests.

Australia’s history is the history of militarism – first against the indigenous population and then in conjunction with Britain and the US against indigenous peoples around the world.

We went into the two imperialist conflagrations last century as a consequence of a calculated analysis that concluded it was in the interests of the Australian capitalist class to do so.

The ANZUS treaty is our expansionist ticket and insurance policy.

Australia’s trained killers are dying in Afghanistan for a piece of paper and the voracious appetite of Australian capitalism to expand beyond its borders under the protection of a great power.

The US is in Afghanistan to contain its main imperialist competitor, China.

As China’s economic power grows and that of the US stabilises or falls, the Americans are relying more and more on their overwhelming military strength – their defence spending is as much as the next 16 countries combined – to protect and expand their economic interests, and that of their oligarchic multinational corporations.

This of necessity means constraining China. The war in Iraq and the propping up of the expanding and genocidal American ally Israel, the threats to Iran, along with a range of pro-US dictators, make American control of the Middle East and future oil supplies to China a reality.

Our trained killers are dying in Afghanistan for a protection racket and insurance policy with the US. Bring the troops home.