Malalai Joya on the Past Decade of War in Afghanistan

Since the events of 9/11, terrorism and women’s rights violations have been used to support a decade long war and occupation of Afghanistan. In this short video, Malalai Joya – writer, activist and former parliamentarian in the national assembly of Afghanistan – successfully highlights the obscenity, greed and absurdity of the war in Afghanistan. Who can ignore that the human rights violations perpetrated by armed forces are motivated by economic gain and strategic foreign policy in Asia? Joya denounces the Obama administration for increasing the death tolls, heightening violence and violating the human rights of Afghans. On the 10^th anniversary of NATO’s war in her country, she asks us to speak up to end the occupation of Afghanistan by military troops and to protest to grant Afghans the right to self-determination. In the words of Joya: “…democracy never comes by military invasion, democracy without independence and justice is meaningless.”

Long live freedom and down with occupation!

When Afghanistan Was On the Side of God and Freedom

People educated about Cold War politics know that the US supported Afghanistan (or certain groups opposed to communism in Afghanistan) in its struggle against the 1979 Soviet invasion of their country. It is still surreal to observe the way US leaders portrayed the war. Watching President Jimmy Carter's National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski tell Afghan resistance fighters that God is on their side remains ironic. President Ronald Reagan championing Afghan freedom juxtaposed to the advances of science and technology appears curious to viewers living in 2010. This seems unbelievable given the language that has emerged from the US government since the time of it invading Afghanistan in 2001. These videos reveal the meaninglessness behind politicians rhetoric in regards to wars and military occupations.

(I should mention that whoever edited the the clip with Zbigniew Brzezinski addresses the Afghans at the beginning as the Taliban. Most likely these are not Taliban fighters because the Taliban formed later in the 1990s.)