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Socialist Party USA: Recent Statements
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Massacre
in Afghanistan - Time to End the Occupation
Statement by the
Socialist Party USA, National Action Committee March 13, 2012
 The bloody US occupation of Afghanistan reached a new low
as a 38 year old US Army Staff Sergeant embarked on a killing spree
that resulted in 16 civilian deaths. Most of the victims were
children, all were unarmed and many were not only shot and stabbed, but
burned alive. The solider had already done three tours in Iraq
and had suffered a traumatic brain injury. Despite this, the US
military certified him as a sniper and shipped him out to join the
occupying forces in Afghanistan - another tool in their killing
machine. So while Pentagon spinsters play off the attack as the
action of one “troubled individual” with “family problems,” Afghan
civilians see it for what it is – another illustration of the violence
of an occupying army.
The killings come on the heels of mass protests in the capital of Kabul
and other cities over the burning of the Koran by the US
military. This, along with the videos of American soldiers
urinating on dead Afghans has fueled the mass anger that was released
in street protests and increased insurgent activity. Afghan
civilians have now spent more than a decade living under the military
occupation of NATO forces led by the US government. This
means restrictions on civil rights, death by drone bombing and a
seemingly endless series of military offensives by NATO forces.
American elections have provided no relief to them as Barack Obama has
proved to be every bit the war President that George W. Bush was.
Scandals about private mercenaries have done little to relieve the
oppression. And even the massive financial crisis that has
gripped the Western world has done nothing to weaken the will of
the global militarists to rule over Afghanistan. Deeply
politically entrenched military weapons makers and military service
company lobbyists have made common cause with war hawks in the Pentagon
to ensure that the military occupations continue despite budget
cutbacks elsewhere.
Only a globally coordinated anti-war movement that connects people in
NATO countries with Afghan civilian groups can drive out the
occupiers. This movement will not be made by governments or NGOs
or by social media outlets. It can only come to life as a result
of the determined resistance of everyday people who are willing to put
their bodies on the line in the name of peace.
Instead of such a movement, Afghans have faced a series of betrayals by
the West. Under the guise of supporting democracy in Afghanistan,
the US installed Hamid Karzai as the puppet President of the
country. Not surprisingly, the Karzai government has proven to be
a deeply corrupt and oppressive regime that aims at securing privileges
for a close circle of friends while obeying the orders of the
occupiers. This has resulted in mass discontent in the population
and the resurgence of support for Taliban resistance forces. It
is a cruel twist for Afghan civilians that Western Occupation has
provided a new future for Taliban fundamentalism.
The recent acts of the Occupiers, especially the Koran burnings and the
massacre of innocent civilians, demonstrate that this bloody occupation
must end immediately. Americans have a global responsibility to
participate in a movement to remove US troops immediately. This
is a desperate short-term goal for the global anti-war movement that
has resonated throughout the various Occupy Wall Street
movements. In the longer term though, we need more than
this. Our movement needs a sustained push to put an end to the
Military Industrial Complex.
Many people ask Socialist Party USA members why we are running a
candidate for President this year. The killings in Afghanistan
provided a clear answer to this question. Stewart Alexander and
Alex Mendoza carry a clear message of anti-militarism with them on the
campaign trail. The peace initiative they propose is one that can
resonate throughout the globe. An immediate 50% cut to the
military budget, the removal of US occupying troops, the elimination of
all foreign military bases and the responsible elimination of weapons
of mass destruction set the Socialist Party USA apart from the Democrat
and Republican parties of war.
This is not about a “disturbed” 38 year staff sergeant or about
building democracy in Afghanistan or about weakening the grip of the
Taliban. Democratic Socialism is about building a peaceful world that
puts an end to one of the greatest threats to human security in the
21st century – the US military. Our democratic revolution is
built upon the hopes and aspirations of millions of people throughout
the world to live a life based on peace, solidarity and freedom.
The immediate removal of US troops from Afghanistan and a moratorium on
drone bombings are small steps in that direction. Only democratic
pressure from below can make this happen.
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