Afghan War Looking More and More Like Vietnam

Revealing and depressing article in The New Yorker February 14, 2011 by Dexter Filkins about the looting of the largest bank in Afghanistan, and the larger issue of the hopeless corruption, venality, and cynicism of Karzai and his crew. (By the way, the Afghan thieves suggest that the U.S. treasury guarantee the looted deposits of the poor saps who had their money in the bank.)

I couldn't help noticing the parallels between the Afghan and Vietnam wars in Filkins' article: Corrupt faux government of kleptomaniacs who couldn't care less about the country they ostensibly rule...U.S. taxpayer dollars poured down a rathole...U.S.-supplied weapons going to the enemy via corruption (and money too in the case of Afghanistan)...a major role played by heroin trafficking, in Afghanistan funding both sides, probably, in Vietnam sold to U.S. soldiers and imported into the U.S....an enemy highly motivated by a cause, the U.S.-backed side completely cynical and opportunistic.With the Afghans looking ahead to the U.S. leaving, the clique around Karzai has already prepared their own private Swiss-style retirement in Dubai. Oh yes, one more parallel: U.S. officials knowing all this, covering it up, and feeding more American lives into meatgrinder of war when they know darn well the U.S. cannot win. (And who cares about the lives of Third World people anyway?)

article linked to my title. article at http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/02/14/110214fa_fact_filkins