Truth must stand in Afghanistan

As I read up on this murky war, the idea that the US is unleashing its might on the poverty-stricken country of Afghanistan to liberate its people – or even to counter terrorism – emerges as a little far-fetched. We know that the whole region is key to the West for its natural resources. I begin to understand that US oil companies require a compliant government in Afghanistan to pipe oil and natural gas from the resource-rich Caspian Sea through to the hungry Asian/Pacific market. Afghanistan stands in the way.
The Taliban is not a threat to be trivialised, but I begin to wonder whether its emphasis is part of an elaborate PR campaign designed to convince us that this war is not about energy resources and wealth generation, but democracy and human rights. Too many people are dying in a war that doesn’t add up.

The Age