Interventionism, Empire and the Taliban

Interventionism, Empire and the Taliban
By Jacob Hornberger

The U.S. government's primary justification for continuing the occupation of Afghanistan is to prevent the Taliban from regaining power and providing a sanctuary for al-Qaeda. Ironically, however, this is another example of the disastrous consequences of imperialism and interventionism, for it was the U.S. invasion itself that created the problem that now serves as the main justification for the indefinite occupation of the country.

Interventionists often delude themselves with respect to why the U.S. government attacked both al-Qaeda and the Taliban after 9/11. They say that the Taliban had provided a "sanctuary" for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

Yet, what exactly is a "sanctuary"? Does it mean simply that terrorists are living in a country when they are planning a terrorist attack on another country?

If so, then what about the 9/11 terrorists who were living here in the United States prior to the attacks, especially those who were living here by permission of the U.S. government? Would that mean that the U.S. government provided a "sanctuary" for the 9/11 terrorists?

Or how about Germany, where some of the 9/11 terrorists had some of their planning sessions? Was Germany providing a "sanctuary" to them?

Of course not. Simply because terrorists are residing in a country when they're conspiring to commit a terrorist act is insufficient to hold the particular regime of that country responsible for the criminal act. Obviously, more is needed to justify an attack against a nation state. Complicity in the attack has to be a necessary prerequisite to justify going to war against a foreign regime.

Did the Taliban regime actually conspire with Osama bin Laden to commit the 9/11 attacks? Did the Taliban even know that bin Laden was planning the attacks and fail to do anything to prevent it?

If the U.S. government had any evidence whatsoever that established Taliban complicity in the attacks, don't you think it would have released such evidence by now? Yet, 8 years after the attacks it still hasn't done so, and the only possible reason for that is that no such evidence exists.

Continue reading: http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=223