Kriget i Afghanistan, Palme och Orback:Någonting måste ha gått fruktansvärt fel

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29 november, 2009

Replik till artikel om kriget i Afghanistan av Jens Orback, Generalsekreterare för Olof Palmes Internationella Center,
Aftonbladet 11. november 2009

Efter massmordet den 11 september 2001 måste USA:s president (vem han än hade varit) för att överleva ta en fruktansvärd hämnd. De flesta av gärningsmännen, inklusive den förmodade ledaren, var saudiska och aktionen hade planerats i Tyskland, men inget av de länderna gick att bomba, så det blev Afghanistan som blev offret.

USA utpekade Osama bin Laden som ledare och Afghanistan som hans tillhåll (dock utan att framlägga några bevis) och fick säkerhetsrådet med på en resolution som ställde krav på Afghanistan, men inte på någon resolution som bemyndigade krig.

NATO:s medlemmar uttalade samstämmigt sitt stöd med hänvisning till NATO-stadgans paragraf 5 om att ett angrepp på en är ett angrepp på alla. USA hade två år tidigare vid angreppet på Jugoslavien lärt hur besvärligt det är att föra krig genom NATO, med en massa besvärande frågor om krigets folkrätt och en rad medlemsstater med ett opinionsflertal  mot kriget.

Man struntade därför i både FN och NATO och överföll helt på egen hand Afghanistan en månad senare i allians med en rad  lokala krigsherrar som också var mot Talibanstyret; flera av dem gjorde sig skyldiga till omfattande krigsförbrytelser men sitter fortfarande vid makten lokalt.

Detta krig, som man av folkrättsliga skäl inte kallar ”hämnd” men ”terrorbekämpning, ”regimskifte”, ”återuppbyggnad” fortsätter fortfarande efter åtta års fruktansvärda afghanska lidanden. Dessa har breddat motståndet från Talibangerillan i delar av landet med allt starkare stöd till lokala upprorsrörelser över hela landet.

Afghanerna kan konkurrera med vietnameserna i att kasta ut främmande invasionsmakter: det brittiska imperiet tre gånger och därefter det sovjetiska. Att dessa hade lika flotta proklamationer om allt gott de skulle uträtta som dagens amerikanska imperium med satelliter hjälpte inte. Det hjälper knappast nu heller.

I efterhand fick USA FN-legitimation för upprättande av ISAF-styrkan under NATO-kommando vid sidan av  USA:s invasionsstyrka, vilken bl.a. skall säkra USA:s oljebolag en ledning från det stalinistiska Turkmenistan (det är bara att titta på var de är utstationerade). ISAF skulle ha ett separat mandat (”återuppbyggnad” m.m.) och en separat befälskedja. I detta fick man med sig en liten minoritet av världens stater med en liten minoritet av världens befolkning, i första hand NATO-medlemmar och stater vars regeringar gärna vill bli det trots att deras folk är mot, som Makedonien och Sverige.  

På de premisserna antog riksdagen enhälligt svenskt deltagande i ISAF. De har nu visat sig vara falska: kommandot övertogs för att par år sedan av en USA-general som har bemyndigat mycket mera våldsanvändning än tidigare. Men Sverige har upprepade gånger sänt flera trupper. Somliga sysslar vid sidan av soldatlivet med i och för sig lovvärda civila ting, andra med att utbilda och vägleda Kabul-arméns mordpatruller.

Vad har uträttats på åtta år? Säkerheten är sämre än någonsin, korruptionen större än någonsin, opiumhandeln större än någonsin (med presidentens familj, krigsherrarna/krigsförbrytarna i norr och Taliban som lika goda kålsupare), o.s.v. Det enda avseende som klart skiljer sig från det allmänna mönstret är mycket flera barn i folkskola, trots att prästerna i Taliban tycker att det är lika onödigt som det svenska prästeståndet tyckte på 1840-talet..

Det finns ett annat återkommande mönster: att tillsätta en president, kalla honom folkvald, låta honom invitera en militär invasion, för att sedan, om han inte är tillräckligt lydig, få honom avsatt och mördat till förmån för någon som är trognare och mindre förhandlingsvillig med fienden. Det numret körde USA i Vietnam från 1962 och Sovjet i Afghanistan från 1979.

Nu är det USA som kör det i Afghanistan och presidentvalsfarsen i år antydde att USA har en annan president, t.ex. sin tidigare FN-ambassadör Khalilzad, i bakfickan om Karzai avviker från amerikanska intressen.

Mot USA:s krig mot Vietnam talade Olof Palme klart och tydligt. Mot Sovjetunionens krig mot Afghanistan talade Olof Palme klart och tydligt.

För USA:s  krig mot Afghanistan och svenskt deltagande i det talar chefen för Olof Palme-centret klart och tydligt med hänvisning till kalvstek i himmelens höjd, och kallar det t.o.m. ”solidatitet”.

Någonting måste ha gått fruktansvärt fel.

Håkan Wiberg, Köpenhamn

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