by Stephen Lendman

On November 21, The New York Times headlined "In a Shift, Obama Extends US Role in Afghan Conflict," saying:

"(A)uthoriz(ing) a more expansive mission for (America's) military than originally planned…(A) move that ensures American troops will have a direct role in fighting in the war-ravaged country for at least another year."

More on this below. On October 28, 2007, candidate Obama said:

"I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do."

"I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank."

On December 1, 2009, President Obama said:

"(A)s Commander-in-Chief, I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 US troops to Afghanistan."

America came to stay. Obama saying "(w)e will bring America's longest war to a responsible end" is false. One of his many Big Lies.

Including saying "(w)e went into Afghanistan out of necessity…"

False! Premeditated war was planned long before 9/11. Conflicts require months of planning. George Bush authorized it four weeks post-9/11. Readied plans were implemented.

International law is clear and unequivocal. No nation may attack another except in self-defense. Doing so without Security Council authorization is prohibited.

It didn't matter. Naked aggression was launched. Lawless by any standard. Against a nation posing no threat to America.

Without congressional authorization. No declaration of war. No Security Council approval. Bush acted anyway. Through dubious War Powers Resolution (WPR) authority.

Letting presidents act unilaterally for 60 days. Another 30 for disengagement. Short of required Security Council authorization. Congressional approval. Via a formal declaration of war.

WPR is clear and unequivocal, stating:

"The constitutional powers of the President as Commander-in-Chief to introduce United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, are exercised only pursuant to…

(1) a declaration of war,

(2) specific statutory authorization, or

(3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces."

No declaration of war exists to this day. No Security Council or congressional authorization. No national emergency from any threat to America. Or any other reason.

It bears repeating. Bush's war was lawless aggression. Obama continued it illegally for six years. It remains ongoing. America's longest war. Without end.

Washington's last legal war was WW II. All wars are based on misinformation, deception and Big Lies. Drowning out hard truths. Including multiple Obama direct and proxy conflicts.

Official reasons for waging them don't wash. They have nothing to do with protecting national security. Defeating Al Qaeda. Or Taliban forces.

Or capturing and killing bin Laden. Or humanitarian intervention.

Responsibility to protect.

Safeguarding US personnel. Spreading democratic values. Championing right over wrong.

Truth is polar opposite. They're for unchallenged control. Prioritizing capital's divine right to use money to make more of it.

Making the world safe for war-profiteers. Controlling world resources. Pillage on a grand scale.

Exploiting whole populations. Turning workers into serfs. Profiting from human misery. Millions of corpses don't matter. A small price to pay.

On May 27, Obama lied saying:

"Together with our allies and the Afghan government, we have agreed that this is the year we will conclude our combat mission in Afghanistan."

"America’s combat mission will be over by the end of this year. Starting next year, Afghans will be fully responsible for securing their country."

"American personnel will be in an advisory role. We will no longer patrol Afghan cities or towns, mountains or valleys. That is a task for the Afghan people."

That was then. This is now. Another promise made. Another broken. Operations Infinite Justice (OIJ) became Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).

Now renamed Operation Resolute Support (ORS). Operation War Without End by any other name.

Naked aggression. Secretly authorized. At least through 2015. Virtually certain to continue through Obama's second term. Likely long thereafter. Public rage should demand all US wars end.

America's AfPak/Iraq involvement the costliest in world history. Up to $6 trillion. Including longterm medical care and disability compensation for vets and families.

Other veterans' benefits. Military replenishment. Social and economic costs.

Over $2 trillion borrowed to finance AfPak/Iraq. Heading for much more. Plus hundreds of billions more for other direct and proxy wars. New ones planned.

Debt service is huge. Even at low interest rates. Human and financial costs staggering. So are trillions more in waste, fraud and abuse.

Enormous amounts of money down a black hole. For genocidal wars without end. At the expense of popular needs gone begging. Other vital homeland ones.

At a time polls show most Americans want US wars ended, Obama orders fight on. With no end in sight. According to The Times:

"Mr. Obama’s order allows American forces to carry out missions against the Taliban and other militant groups threatening American troops or the Afghan government…"

"(A) broader mission than the president described to the public earlier this year, according to several administration, military and congressional officials with knowledge of the decision."

"The new authorization also allows American jets, bombers and drones to support Afghan troops on combat missions."

Some Obama officials claim Pentagon pressure forced his hand. Military commanders say he acted with domestic politics in mind.

His order authorizes continued air strikes and ground combat operations. Same old, same old. Maybe for another 13 years. Perhaps America's forever war.

Unrelated to national security. Other bogus reasons cited. All about advancing America's imperium.

Colonizing a strategic territory. Controlling it. With pro-Western stooge governance doing Washington's bidding. A previous article explained the following:

Afghanistan is a geopolitical prize. At issue is controlling Eurasia's vast oil, gas and other resources.

The world's largest opium supply. Flooding global markets with heroin.

Providing enormous profits for Wall Street. Giving CIA bosses access to billions of dollars in illicit drug money.

Affording Washington with a strategically located land-based aircraft carrier. Part of its plan to encroach on Sino/Russian borders.

Encircle them with bases. Target their heartlands. Advance longterm regime change plans. Against the only two countries able to challenge US hegemony.

9/11 was a convenient pretext. The mother of all Big Lies. Wars without end followed. No legal or moral justification exists.

America's presence exacerbates horrific conditions. Death, destruction, violence and human depravation haunt daily life.

Human misery is extreme. Peace, stability and freedom are pure fantasy. So are democratic values.

America came to Afghanistan to stay. Permanent occupation planned. Combat troops remain. Drone wars continue daily.

Mostly killing noncombatant men, women and children. Claims otherwise are Big Lies.

US special forces and CIA elements infest Afghanistan. Search and destroy missions are prioritized.

Throughout his tenure, Obama repeatedly lied. About ending America's combat mission. Transitioning to new mission priorities. "(T)raining, advising and assisting Afghan forces only," he said.

"(A)n historic moment. (A)nother step toward full Afghan sovereignty. Afghanistan (has) a long-term partner in the United States of America."

Ruler/vassal state describes things best. Kabul stooge governance serves US interests.

Profiting hugely from out-of-control corruption. Drug trafficking on a grand scale. Worth hundreds of billions of dollars annually.

None trickles down to ordinary Afghans. Except minimal crop grower underpayments. Human need goes unaddressed. A growth industry and then some.

America came to conquer, colonize, occupy, plunder and control a strategic part of the world.

War without end rages. No end in sight looms. Don't expect media scoundrels to explain.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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