The Afghanistan Papers Reveal Two Decades Of White House Lies

A blockbuster investigative series from the Washington Post reveals the extent to which top officials in both the Bush and Obama administrations misled the public about widespread failures in America’s eighteen-year war in Afghanistan. The story described the ways in which the original mission of dismantling the Taliban was expanded with time, and how American money was funneled into the war despite a shared understanding among many U.S. officials that it was helping spawn corruption in the fledgling democracy. What impact — if any — will the stark findings have on Capitol Hill, the Pentagon, or American voters? To discuss, Jim Braude was joined by Stephen Kinzer, a former foreign correspondent for the New York Times, now a senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University; and Neta Crawford, director of the Watson Institute’s Cost Of War Project, and chair of the political science department at Boston University.

[markjohnson]

120, 000 people ..innocent people lost their life by the invaders ..it’s a damn shame it’s disgusting

[King_Stannis_Baratheon]

Now, tell us why we should be in the Middle East...

[barbarajohnson]

Halliburton didnt lose, Raytheon didnt lose, Northrup Grummond didnt lose, all winners! Dont you get it?

[yotoronto]

The scary part is that it confirmed peoples belief and everyone is like yep I knew that, indifferent, or don't care.

[Benjamin-ftvt]

The US are staying in Afghanistan to keep the engine of the military complex running. Having a constant threat of terrorism or having an enemy justify the need for an army that is constantly developing new weapons. Afghanistan is a test field for the US army.

[Osomagical]

“America can’t rule the world”... why is that even a topic of discussion

[BJJ_Black_Belt]

What the government lied ?! Shocking news 😂😂😂😂😂

[RetroResearch]

The intention in Afghanistan was never to win a war. We went in when the Taliban began destroying the poppy fields. After the US invasion, opium production doubled and the international drug trade was flush again. Both Afghanistan and Vietnam were CIA operations, not wars proper. In the case of Afghanistan, the purpose was to protect opium revenue. In Vietnam, the main purpose was depopulation, according to Col. Fletcher Prouty. In neither case, was winning the intention. In neither case was national security an issue. Both wars represent the terrorist/criminal side of imperialism. This is exactly what JFK most viscerally opposed. I do not doubt that Trump is completely aware of the truth of Afghanistan. The faction that Trump serves sees the global drug trade as a threat and as competition. This is Trump's motive for building the wall. The neocons, the Clinton crime family, the Chicago Outfit and MS-13 serve opposing masters. This is why they oppose the wall against all reason.

[ronagoodwell]

Another expensive shitshow. We'll all be paying for this for another generation.

[theonlynoob]

How hypocritical for Obama to ask the Afghanis to take 'responsibility' for their safety. Safety from the terrorist they armed, supplied, funded and trained. Safety from the bullets fired as they invade. Safety from the prolific drug smuggling operation in the country. Safety from any possibility of independent sovereignty and human development.


US can always achieve its military objectives, it can, through ruthless calculus of human suffering, inflict more damage, attack more targets, kill more people if it wanted to. It can flatten countries, erase entire regions through thermonuclear fire if it wished. But a military victory means very little in life. The hatred from the invaded, the willingness to fight from the defeated and the resistance against foreign intervention will continue. If you want to have Afghanistan submit to your control, then a military occupation will only work for as long as you fund such occupation, and achieve the opposite effect if you intend to leave. It is this course of conduct that will turn an ally into a neutral observer of apprehension, turn an neutral party against you and cast doubt in the minds of all to re-evaluate whether association with the US is beneficial or otherwise.

[DramaQueenMalena]

Don't forget to include the money all the countries in Asia and Europe spent to take care of all the refugees. We all should sue the US.
But of course the suffering of Afghans, Iraqis, Syrians and Libyans is worse than we can imagine.

[Tsnore]

With Vietnam it was Ike, JFK, LBJ and Nixon. With Afghanistan it's Dubya, Obama, and Trump. With Iraq it was HW Bush, Clinton, DUBYA, Obama and Trump. War is a bipartisan enterprise that makes a lot of money.

[pjlauer]

100, 000 civilians?? Nice yah last week!

[madelefant]

this is just nonsense. The intent was to make people rich through military spending. The military people know exactly what was needed and weren't willing to do it.

[davidhoran]

Dick Cheney made anywhere from hundreds of millions to billions of dollars from Halliburton

[davidbasset]

wow a respectable serious program, good work

[I]

Thank You! Your Analysis
& Prognosis proved Most
Correct!

[Sam-obvg]

We have to pay with the lives of our sons for the innocent lives we murdered under the order of the unelected, totlaitarian invisible boss.

[douglaslund]

On the day USA invaded Afghanistan, I was having an evening drink with a close friend. We had both spent many years in Afghanistan & Iran. We both were shocked because we knew That the Yanks Could never WIN IN AFGHANISTAN. No one has EVER WON IN AFGHANISTAN, IF YOU DON’T LEARN FROM HISTORY YOU ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT. USA will be there forever if they dont get OUT.

[w.c.wilson]

They knew EXACTLY what they were getting into. They saw what happened to Russia in the ‘80s. They went to feed the War Machine, and, of course, liberate the poppy fields.