Afghanistan
Afghanistan, by Frederick Engels 1857 Print E-mail
By Frederick Engels   
Wednesday, 18 April 2007
We are making available to our readers an article written by Engels on Afghanistan 150 years ago. In spite of the years that have passed the article is still relevant today. The imperialists did not understand the situation in Afghanistan then as they continue not to understand it today.
 
Afghanistan: Bring the troops home! Print E-mail
By Alex Grant - www.marxist.ca   
Thursday, 26 October 2006
Up until recently, while Iraq was viewed as a quagmire, Afghanistan was seen as a relatively successful part of George Bush’s “War on Terror.” Now, even this silver lining is beginning to disappear.
 
NATO is waging war on the Afghan people, but resistance is growing Print E-mail
By Lal Khan   
Monday, 16 October 2006
The media in the West insist that the war in Afghanistan is against "terrorists", but a closer look shows a people resisting imperialist aggression. The country has been brought close to barbarism, but there is still potential for revolutionary developments.
 
Rioting in Afghanistan highlights contradictions facing US imperialism Print E-mail
By Fred Weston   
Wednesday, 31 May 2006
Recent rioting in Kabul after a US military vehicle collided with civilian vehicles killing dozens has highlighted once again the dilemma facing the imperialists. Resentment at the presence of foreign troops is growing among the people as Taliban activities also spread.
 
Troops Out of Afghanistan! - Canadian Imperialism comes of age Print E-mail
By Alex Grant – www.marxist.ca   
Monday, 24 April 2006
With Iraq as the focus of world opinion, Canada, Germany, France and Italy are quietly conducting an imperialist war in Afghanistan. The recent deaths of four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan highlight the need to oppose the intervention.
 
The 26th Anniversary of the 1978 Saur (spring) Revolution in Afghanistan Print E-mail
By Comrade Sajid (Quetta- Baluchistan)   
Thursday, 15 April 2004
Hundreds of people attended the 26th anniversary meeting of the Afghan Saur revolution, organized by the PTUDC (Pakistan Trade union Defence Campaign), YFIS (Youth For International Socialism) and ‘ The Struggle’ publications.
 
New Farsi language Marxist monthly out - Mobaarezeh Tabeghati (Class Struggle) Print E-mail
By In Defence of Marxism   
Monday, 29 March 2004
A number of activists of the Iranian Revolutionary Socialists’ League and the Jed-o Jahd organisation of Pakistan, as well as a section of the revolutionary socialists of Afghanistan, have come together to publish a new joint Marxist paper, an essential tool in the task of spreading the ideas of genuine Marxism in the region. The Farsi text is available in pdf format, with an English version of the articles also available for non Farsi readers.
 
Afghanistan: Loya Jirga - Adding insult to injury Print E-mail
By Asian Marxist Review, July 2002   
Monday, 15 July 2002
This is an article from the current Asian Marxist Review on the Loya Jirga, an ancient pre-feudal tradition that is being resurrected by the imperialists to give an illusion of democracy in Afghanistan and to justify their aggression and the rule of their puppets.
 
Afghan weddings and American "sensitivity": Imperialist double standards exposed Print E-mail
By Alan Woods   
Wednesday, 03 July 2002
The US and coalition forces have been chasing their own shadows for the last few months in Afghanistan without achieving any tangible results. Increasingly frustrated, the US forces are lashing out in all directions, in the vain hope of killing "the enemy". So far the only people killed have been civilians and US allies.
 
Tony Blair's Great Afghan Adventure Print E-mail
By Alan Woods   
Wednesday, 05 June 2002
Alan Woods takes a look at the unsuccessful military exploits of the British expeditionary force that Tony Blair so enthusiastically sent to Afghanistan, hoping to take on Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.
 
Mission Impossible Print E-mail
By Rob Sewell   
Tuesday, 26 March 2002
"Inaction is not an option," declares George W. Bush, seeking to extend the "war on terror" to Iraq. But the recent heavy fighting between US and Afghan forces and the Taliban in Afghanistan gives the lie to those who say the war is over. It is dawning on the military strategists that victory cannot be won by air power alone, and combat troops will be required on the ground for some time to come. However, using Afghan forces has proved complicated, as the warlords - newly armed by the Americans - seek to reassert their influence.
 
Book Review: "Taliban: The story of the Afghan warlords" Print E-mail
By Barbara Humphries   
Tuesday, 15 January 2002
This well researched book was written (by Ahmed Rashid) before the events of September 11th 2001. The author is a journalist who has worked in Afghanistan since 1979. It has been described by The Guardian as the book which is being read by Tony Blair and Alistair Campbell, who allegedly have been heavily influenced by the book. Do not let that deter you from reading this book! It remains to be seen if they have really been influenced by it.
 
Afghanistan: "Fools rush in..." Print E-mail
By Ted Grant and Alan Woods   
Wednesday, 12 December 2001
"It was quite amusing to hear the reports on the radio that a column of American tanks was advancing on Kandahar. Since this glorious advance only took place after Kandahar had surrendered, this must have been the most painless "triumphal advance" in the history of warfare! This little incident is a good example of the kind of surrealism that has characterised this campaign from the beginning. Predictably, the Americans are shouting victory as loud as they can. Despite all the triumphalism, the real situation becomes clear if we ask ourselves concretely what has been achieved?" Alan Woods and Ted Grant review the latest developments in the Afghan war.
 
Afghanistan: "The Marines have landed" Print E-mail
By Alan Woods   
Wednesday, 28 November 2001
"The Marines have landed and the situation is under control." This kind of headline was very common in the 1930s, when the USA had a habit of intervening with tedious regularity in the territory of small states in Central America. Now history seems to be repeating itself - but with a difference. The marines referred to here are, of course, American. While the US marine corps is grabbing the headlines of the world press, a couple of hundred British marines are kicking their heels on the outskirts of Bagram airstrip, while a couple of thousand of their comrades are kept hanging around on army bases in Britain, unloved and unwanted, while Tony Blair fumes in impotent humiliation.
 
The war in Afghanistan: Swamps and alligators Print E-mail
By Alan Woods   
Wednesday, 21 November 2001
The situation in Afghanistan after the dramatic fall of Kabul continues to give the British and Americans a headache. Washington is still trying to improvise a coherent strategy, making up its policy as it goes along. Bush's lackey, Tony Blair is having trouble keeping step. An update on the war by Alan Woods.
 
Pakistani paper reviews Alan Woods article on Afganistan Print E-mail
By Munnoo Bhai   
Saturday, 17 November 2001
In the Saturday (November 17) issue of the Jang - the biggest daily paper in Pakistan, the well-known columnist Munnoo Bhai published extensive extracts from Alan's article The fall of Kabul with the comment that this is the "best analysis one can find anywhere". The Jang newspaper is read by up to 20 million people every day, and Munnoo Bhai's column is widely read.
 
Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul: Is the war over? Print E-mail
By Alan Woods   
Thursday, 15 November 2001
In less than a week, Taliban forces have been swept from most of northern Afghanistan, including the key cities of Mazar-e-Sharif, Herat, Kunduz, Taloqan, Bamiyan, Jalalabad and the capital Kabul. The question is: How did a force that only two months ago controlled most of Afghanistan get swept from the battlefield so quickly, and is the battle over?
 
The Fall of Kabul Print E-mail
By Alan Woods   
Tuesday, 13 November 2001
Events inside Afghanistan are moving quickly. So quickly that it is difficult to keep up with the lightening changes in the situation. The fall of Kabul came more quickly than anyone could forsee. Washington hoped that it would be able to hold back the Northern Alliance's advance until it had succeeded in putting together a coalition of non-Taliban forces (read: American stooges) to take over the country. However, in war, events cannot be directed like an orchestra under the conductor's baton. Alan Woods explains how this affects the situation on the ground in Afghanistan.
 
Afghanistan - An Historical Overview Print E-mail
By Doctor Zayar   
Monday, 15 October 2001
To understand the present war that is taking place in Afghanistan, one must take into consideration the factors that have shaped the history of this tragic land. Doctor Zayar gives an overview of the history of Afghanistan from the middle ages to the present day.
 
Into the whirlwind - The first week of the war in Afghanistan Print E-mail
By Alan Woods   
Friday, 12 October 2001
Alan Woods reports from Russia on the developments during the first week of the war on Afghanistan and particularly the way in which Russia is advancing her interests in the whole of Central Asia and the Caucasus on the back of the 'war on terrorism'. Woods also outlines the difficulties which the US will increasingly find in this campaign.
 
Oppose imperialist war in Afghanistan! Print E-mail
By Fred Weston   
Monday, 08 October 2001
"The bombing of Afghanistan has now begun. The most powerful and richest country in the world, the USA, is bombing one of the poorest countries on this planet. And Britain, as usual, is behaving as an obedient lapdog to US imperialism. However they may try to disguise it, this war is not about “justice” or “fighting terrorism”. The aim is to terrorise the peoples of the former colonial countries, to bully them into submitting to the will of the rich and powerful. It is a warning: 'either you do as we say, or you get bombed!'". A first emergency analysis by Fred Weston.
 
On the brink Print E-mail
By Alan Woods   
Wednesday, 03 October 2001
Everything on a world scale is now subordinated to the perspective of war. The fact that the attack on Afghanistan (and other countries) has been delayed does not mean at all that the risk of hostilities has diminished. Alan Woods looks at the world situation as the build up towards war unfolds.
 
Afghanistan, Bin Laden and the hypocrisy of American imperialism Print E-mail
By Doctor Zayar   
Wednesday, 26 September 2001
"Many people have been shocked at the media pictures of the unfolding tragedy in Afghanistan. The Taliban regime has carried out a reign of terror, with ethnic cleansing ... severe repression against oppressed nationalities and members of other religions, the smashing of statues of Buddha, the public execution of women in Kandhar the whipping... The howling of the oppressed women of Afghanistan reverberates throughout Asia. The question is: who is responsible for this bloody civil war, all these deaths, the hunger, ethnic cleansing and sheer barbarism? The answer is very simple. It was American imperialism which reduced Afghanistan to the level of the Dark Ages and completely destroyed civilisation there." Pakistani Marxist Doctor Zayar explains the responsibility of US imperialism in bringing the Talibans to power, explain the current situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and makes an appeal to the American working class.
 
Bracing for a new Afghan war - Report from Pakistan Print E-mail
By Lal Khan   
Wednesday, 19 September 2001
"The dark clouds of war and destruction loom large over Afghanistan and Pakistan. As time clicks away the atmosphere of speculation, uncertainty, confusion and deep fear grips these impoverished societies. The threat of Imperialist aggression in the aftermath of the attacks in New York and Washington is dangling like a sword over the heads of the people." Lal Khan, editor of the Marxist paper Jeddo Judh (Class Struggle) in Pakistan, explains the background to the coming to power of the Taliban, their relationship with the Western oil companies, who is Osama Bin laden and finally reports on the mood in Pakistan and the effects a war could have on the Musharraf regime.
 
Reaping the Whirlwind - The Taliban Movement in Afghanistan (Book review) Print E-mail
By Fred Weston   
Tuesday, 18 September 2001
"Pluto Press have recently published a new book, Reaping the Whirlwind, The Taliban Movement in Afghanistan, by Michael Griffin. He has done a service in providing some quite detailed information about the origins of the Taliban and the background that led to their emerging as a force capable of taking control of most of modern-day Afghanistan."
 
US Attacks on Sudan and Afghanistan Print E-mail
By Alan Woods   
Saturday, 15 August 1998
The brutal air strikes on Sudan and Afghanistan constitute a further sample of the bullying tactics of US imperialism and will be condemned by activists in the labour movement everywhere. By such means Washington uses its powerful airforce in order to throw its weight around and intimidate and blackmail all the peoples of the third world. This latest escapade is clearly intended for US public opinion, to show that "something has been done" in relation to the terrorist bombings in Kenya.
 
Afghanistan: Socialism or Barbarism Print E-mail
By In Defence of Marxism   
Tuesday, 24 March 1998
Marx explained that in the long run capitalist society would either be replaced by Socialism or it would degenerate into Barbarism. The situation in Afghanistan is a living example of what Barbarism means. In this interview, held on March 22, 1998, Afghan socialists explain the situation in their country after the victory of the Taliban.
 
Afghanistan: Why the Russian bureaucracy invaded Print E-mail
By Ted Grant   
Tuesday, 15 January 1980
We are republishing Ted Grant's 1980 article on the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, together with an introduction by Alan Woods. In this article we find a scientific Marxist analysis of the class content of the 1978 Afghan revolution and its historical origins. In addition, we have an explanation for the principled position that we took with regard to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan that occurred the following year.
 
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