There is no chatter anywhere in the world, including the U.S., regarding the culprit responsible for the shattering defeat in Afghanistan.
The political update in Turkey claiming that the U.S. remains defeated is as follows: “The U.S. cannot be defeated, you will see. It will return; it has a plan” or, “The U.S. alone cannot bear responsibility. NATO and European coalition partners are equally responsible for the mistakes.” These claims are used to shift the blame elsewhere.
The idea to share the blame, distribute it among several global players, is intriguing.
There is no need to name every one of them individually; there is no doubt that these countries have committed grave mistakes, and in fact, intentional crimes in the whole region. However, in the case of Afghanistan, NATO and European countries were instigated.
Turkey alone, our country, is exempt from these accusations. It is not “the least contaminated”; it is “pure.”
***
True, NATO and its coalition partners have committed grave sins in the Middle East and Central Asia. They are countless. Yet, the U.S. is the one that brought them all to Afghanistan, and fled, leaving them all out in the cold.
Did the U.S. not drag everyone down with it, calling states one by one with the ultimatum, “Either you are with us or not – and ‘not being with the U.S.’ means you are my enemy”?
And when pulling out, did they not flee without a word, without paying any attention to all the overt, covert, and collective objections of the world and its global partners, while dropping people from its aircraft?
These partners could not have entered Afghanistan on their own or remained there alone. Turkey was the only one that could dare to stay because it is pure.
Therefore, the United States of America is the number one “suspect” in the global accusation of defeat.
This is not only the middle of the story; it is also the beginning and the end.
***
I will share a few figures.
These figures prove that the policymakers in Washington, as well as the American system, are being blamed for the crimes the U.S. committed not only in Afghanistan but across the world and especially in the Great Middle East.
Based on this, we hope that the countries involved with the “superpower” will comprehend the sort of structure they are really facing. Understanding how the “world’s blood” is converted to American dollars means grasping that the “system” is completely “nefarious,” and that it is able to continue its vital functions by producing more “evil.”
Afghanistan serves as an actual model for all others. The reason at least three U.S. presidents prolonged the war is the fact that they did not have the power to stop it; however, this cannot be considered as extenuating circumstances, and they too had certain political and economic interests.
The cost of the Afghanistan war on American taxpayers was exactly $2.3 trillion in two decades! The statement is available. This money was not buried in Afghanistan. It was not thrown around either. In fact, they would burn down not only Afghanistan but also the U.S. for such an astronomical amount.
Do not be fooled by the word “cost,” because most of the money is in the U.S.! As you can guess, the money was funneled into the American Military-Industrial Complex.
However, this only explains part of “the system,” and “the reason.” Its military and industry had to affect the political power-holder and the media to continue the war. In order to achieve this, they made major investments in lobbying operations – of which we can only see the official ones. The first target was the U.S. Congress. The top five defense industry companies spent $1.1 billion. It might seem like nothing compared to $2.3 trillion. It is not. Not only is it an astronomical amount, but the calculation can be made based on the information of how much companies profit in return for this investment.
These companies earned $1,813 from their Pentagon deals for every dollar they spent on the lobby.
The “sacrifice” made by companies in the name of drawing American politics to the dark side of power generated incredible profit. Note that this is solely for lobbying activities. For example, the $120 million spent for election campaigns is not included. It can be said that covert expenses made are much greater and in spades.
They positioned their wingmen in decision-making institutes and organizations, supporting the military and civil bureaucracy, think tanks, and the media, which would reflect their suggestions to extend the wars to the White House. The distribution of high-ranking retired soldiers in similar organizations is a good example.
The day former President George Bush approved the use of military power for the Afghanistan war, these companies’ share per value rose to about $100,000 today from $10,000 (‘$10,000 Invested in Defense Stocks When Afghanistan War Began Now Worth Almost $100,000’, 16/08, The Intercept.)
Part of the American public, whether aware of these realities or not, no longer want war because they have had enough of losing people and money. Therefore, they are pressuring the ruling government. However, the reason underlying these wars, which have been causing great distress for the world, is the American spirit’s list of interests.
There has been no political power to overcome the system up until now. Thus, the countries involved with American military power and foreign policy could not grasp that they are sitting at the table with this structure. Even if they did grasp this fact, they did not have the power to resist, or they kept mum due to tactics or short-term expectations. Unfortunately, some cooperated against their own country.
When you sit at the table with “evil,” you either enter the dark side or openly lose. It is best not to sit at all.
(‘Top defense firms spend $1B on lobbying during Afghan war, see $2T return’, 02/09, E. Clifton, Responsible Statecraft,’ was used as a source in the writing of this article.)