Vol. 73/No. 31      August 17, 2009

The growing crisis of world capitalism—now in the opening stages of a depression—is driving the propertied families that run the U.S. government to accelerate their war drive, as they try to get a leg up on their competitors abroad. Their goal—to set up stable allies in that region of the world to help them more effectively exploit working people there—is proving to be a more difficult task in Afghanistan.

Though the U.S. rulers have made political and military progress in Iraq, they continue to face substantial obstacles towards their goal of a stable regime in Baghdad. That fact is sharply highlighted by the explosive character of the fight for Kurdish rights and self-determination in Iraq and the region. The Kurdish Regional Government, an autonomous administration in northern Iraq, has laid claims to land and oil deposits, which are disputed by the government in Baghdad. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said the conflict over Kurdish control of land and resources is “probably our No. 1 driver of instability.”

The Obama administration has ordered some 21,000 troops to Afghanistan during its less than seven months in power. The Pentagon says its goal is to have 68,000 there by the end of the year—nearly double the level when former president George Bush left office. The total number of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan combined are nearing the level they were at around the height of the “surge” in Iraq in 2007. Even still, top U.S. military and government officials are saying that further increases in troop levels will be needed.

The U.S. government, its imperialist allies, and the media bombard working people daily with scenes of the suicide bombings and other dead-end tactics of armed Islamic groups. What working people in the region need most is time and political space to find effective methods of struggle and develop revolutionary leadership. Getting imperialist troops out is the most important blow that can be struck toward that goal—one that is in the interests of working people in the United States and throughout the world. Troops out now!
 
 
Related articles:
U.S. commanders: more troops to Afghanistan
Imperialist war rages after nearly 8 years
Washington presses for compromise from Kurds
U.S. troops leave Ecuador, expand bases in Colombia  
 
 
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