Afghanistan: The Modern Silk Road

Hi ATS,

I think we have all expected or shall we say considered the fact for an ulterior motive for the war in Afghanistan for a very long time now. It is something that I definitely do not agree with, though I often bite my tongue when in conversations on the matter as there are a lot of people who have lost friends and family members to this war and to the different armed services.

I know think however that the truth will start to become more apparent. There are signs of investment now appearing such as there was post-Iraq invasion, including construction contracts etc. When considering the Afghan war there are a few questions I have asked myself a few times which help me get some perspective. A few of these are:

• Is it really feasible that we would go to so much expense (Human more than monetary), to protect ourselves from a threat that seems almost non-existent?

The most troubled areas seem to be Pakistan and India, and most of the ‘terrorism’ in Britain seems to originate from these areas.

• Is it really feasible that there is a very dangerous man and a group of loyal militants who are plotting to destroy the entire western civilisation?

The majority of us believe that Osama Bin Laden is dead, and that the Taliban was in fact first founded to stave off the Russian invasion is Afghanistan to begin with, which brings me onto my next couple of points.

• If the might of the Russian army couldn’t break the back of Afghanistan in a decade, what do we feel we can do different?

I fail to see how under stringent budget cuts, harsher conditions, and a better supplied enemy, we feel we can do better than what the Russians did.

• Where are the ‘enemy’ getting their arms from?

There is definitely a supply keeping the enemy going, It can only be presumed that this is happening at a very high level.

• Why has the Poppy yield not decreased?

I have not yet seen any evidence indicating that the yield has decreased, if anything I believe it could be found that the opposite is true, at least for the first few years since the invasion.

I could go on with my question & answers, but I think I have made my point for now. By asking these simple questions and then looking for the answer, it would seem that all the evidence amounts to what we all agree anyway, that the war is failing miserably, or its targets are different to what we are being told. Take a look at the following links, make a few searches for the keywords listed yourself, and see if anything seems to make any more sense:

The Great Game

This is what it was all about in the first place, do things really change? Do we really learn from our mistakes? Or is the ego, and the desire to be dominant instead of merely sustainable, the real foce that makes the World go round.

The New Great Game

The great game is just as Great, just as Playfull than it ever was, only now days the stakes are a lot, lot higher.

The Silk Road

Trade routes are things that have powered civilisations for years, and in time of a crisis and a lockdown, whoever has the access to the natural stuff, be it minerals, oil, gas or crops, is the one who is going to come out on top.

Modern Silk Road Strategy

Reinhardt is quite a peculiar fellow and has appeared in many threads on ATS. Whatever people may think, he certainly provides a very unique economic perspective on things and he is adamant that investment in foreign infrastructure in the main game when it comes to big money hitters. The name of the game is Enterprise Corruption, and it has been seen over and over again in history, Afghanistan is just the latest instalment.

Modern Investment?

One of the most promising ways forward for the U.S. and NATO in Afghanistan is to focus on removing the impediments to continental transport and trade across Afghanistan‘s territory. Many existing international initiatives from the Mediterranean to the Indian sub-continent and Southeast Asia are already bringing parts of this network into being. Absent is the overall prioritization, coordination, and risk management that will enable Afghanistan to emerge as a natural hub and transit point for roads, railroads, pipelines, and electric lines. America and its coalition partners can provide these missing ingredients.

Hmm, what about our security and helping the Afghan people? Or are they just a means to an end? I have downloaded the Ebook available, I am sure it would be a very interesting read.

Have a go yourself, search for the above as well as the following in regards to Afghanistan, particular noting dates of headlines and WebPages and try and see the correlations to them and the military presence. The result is a very interesting timeline:

INVESTMENT
RAILROADS
HIGHWAYS
PIPELINES
MINERALS

And keep a very close eye on the markets within the next six months. Not long after that the first corruption charges will be under investigation and that’s when we really know that it will be a long, long time before the troops will really be coming home.

FOLLOW THE MONEY, FIND THE TRUTH.

The plan was to never win the war. Theres too much money to be made.

Military personnel don't ask questions, they only follow commands like a lapdog. That's one of our biggest problems.

When the military is commanded to turn on US civilians, they will do so without question.


True Story:

I just asked a combat vet that recently returned from Afghanistan about why America was in several middle eastern countries. I specifically asked him why we are in Iraq if no WMD's were found. He had no clue.

[edit on 2-7-2010 by The_Zomar]

I was in the military myself and I can tell you now that the last people to know about why they are doing what they are doing...is the people on the ground.

Personally I am a bit irked by your statement because you obviously feel that people in the military are mindless toys of TPTB.

They follow orders because they are bound by law to do so. Not to mention it is not the individual actions of the soldiers/sailors/marines/airmen that are necessarily evil or bad...but rather it is a culmination of many factors...

That being said they are not complete idiots...sure if they were told to go against the American people there would be plenty of mindless people that do it...but then again there would be a lot of mindless civilians as well....

To separate them apart from your average American is a bit underhanded. Sure the position they are in is not the best looking from anyone standing outside of the military...but they are people and they are Americans too....damn patriotic half the time as well...and not in the sense of supporting the government...but rather the country and its welfare.

idk...just my 2¢

[edit on 2-7-2010 by Dennislp3]

Originally posted by Dennislp3
That being said they are not complete idiot...sure if they were told to go against the American people there would be plenty of mindless people that do it...but then again there would be a lot of mindless civilians as well....

What do you mean about mindless civilians? You mean they would retaliate? I sure as hell would.

And if military men and women don't know what they are doing or why, then WHY did they join the military in the first place!?

[edit on 2-7-2010 by The_Zomar]

To be honest in Britain, I would say from experience that the vast majority don't sign up to the armed services to protect our countries but because they get could pay, relative stability, they have poor education and it seems like a good option at the time.

I think the problem here lies with the fact that society is geared into making it an easy decision. 'Life getting you down? Join the Army!'

To this extent people are being exploited into risking their lives to make the bigger corporations profit. Thats what makes me angry, and the reason I have made this thread to just try and show the simple facts to people who are not fully aware, either through ignorance or denial.

Like it or love it, there are Globalists out there who can manipualte our lives for profit, just like a game of Monopoly, and they do not care for us little guys. We saw it in Iraq clearly for the first time but we didn't really understand it, now Afghanistan is going to be one huge poker table and there will be a lot of money being taken in.

Remember the house ALWAYS wins.

reply to post by carlitomoore


Its exactly the same in the US. No-one joins for "god" or for country. They join the military for the green!

The army always offers something like a 20 grand signup bonus (don't quote me on the number) but they are always disappointed when the army gives them under half and tells them they will get the other half later. (they never do)

I know I joined because like stated above I did it for work and all....I was in a very bad spot and the military gave me what I needed.

And you can say I didn't it for money...ok...why else does anyone do any job? When I joined the Marine Corps my signing bonus was $5k...and that wasn't an up front offer.

So attacking people because we are trying to support ourselves with a guaranteed job is a bit low...now if we were getting rich off of it you might have a point...but the military is the last place to be if you want to be rich.

You also ask why people signed up if they wont know whats going on. You don't know that when you sign up and on top of that you don't know the big picture (I wasn't meaning on a local level)

And by mindless civilians I am talking about those that WOULDN'T fight back and those that would rat out the ones fighting back to the PTB. I know if you surround yourself with stuff like ATS it will seem like everyone is aware and willing to fight...but its not the case. Not to mention when bullets fly a ton of people sitting at a computer saying they will fight all of a sudden realize they DON'T want to fight.

Like I said...I was just kinda irked at your blanket assumptions and assuming that people in the military are bad.

The military doesn't brainwash us into little lap dogs. They prepare us for war and teach certain things but I have yet to meet anyone in the military who was not a real person.

Not to mention...when I was in the military over a year ago there was plenty of awareness of these things we talk a bout on here and plenty of talk about it...the general consensus was simple...we do what we are told until we are told to do too much.

Finally as a proving point that not everyone is a lap dog I can safely say that in training I had many of instructors (all enlisted men and officers) on more then one occasion straight up say they saw that politics was fishy and put the military people in bad spots....

Once you enter you cant leave and the easiest way out is to just do your 4 years and call it good....any other way is bound to cause massive issues for you.

You would be better of befriending people of the military...rather then assuming they are all bad.

This has detracted from the opening point I was trying to make, no-one said that servicemen were 'bad' or 'lapdogs', I said they were being exploited for someone elses greed, and unless someone can prove to me that we are occupying other nations for the good of the world and keep a straight face whilst doing it, that is what I believe is happening.

"Can you see that we will not withdraw our military presence in Afghanistan for as long as the silk road needs to be operational, and the Great game is still in place?"

In that sense, there will ALWAYS be a military presence there, short of a World War and the wells and mines running dry. Do not expect our leaders to bring home our servicemen anytime soon, no matter what they are telling you.

[edit on 3-7-2010 by carlitomoore]

Just to try and get this discussion back on track and attract a little input, I thought I would share some more evidence, if you would call it that.

Simply go to the google homepage and start to type......

'China Afghanistan' and note the hits relating to borders, policies and mines...

Then try...

'Afghanistan Rail' and note the hits relating to railroad projects.

WHo needs a horse and cart when you have got an armoured vehicle being protected by sympathetic governments?

Now these questions again raise more, such as..

What is the main purpose of the railway?
Who will benefit?
What is Chinas' involvement?

I would love to have some input here guys, and If anyone has a map showing coalition casualties, could you please try overlaying it onto major infrastructure such as railroad, highways and pipelines?

I think it would be interesting to see the result.

What inpact does this have on the troop movements?

Opium Production

Farmers in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand, the source of around 90 percent of the world's opium, agreed the harvest will fall this year. The farmers and other experts cited high rainfall in some areas, drought in others, free seeds for alternatives such as wheat and good prices for food crops, and a mysterious disease withering poppies in some areas.

Antonio Maria Costa, head of the UNODC, told the BBC that Afghanistan's 2010 opium output could fall by up to 25 per cent, thanks to the disease, a fungus that could have infected about half of the total poppy crop.

UNODC said opium output was down by 10 per cent in 2009 to 6,900 tonnes, but yield rose 15 per cent because farmers extracted more opium per bulb. Production far outstripped annual world demand of 5,000 tonnes, it said, with stockpiles of opium estimated at 10,000 tonnes as cartels hoarded in an effort to push up prices that had fallen by 30 per cent in a year. Stockpiles were equal to two years' supply of heroin for addicts, or three years of morphine for medical use, it said.

If opium is the talibans main source of income, the wise thing would be to cut out that funding. Is the mystery fungus a coincidence?

Or is this just a gimmick, and the taliban is being supplied by some other means? Their equipment is getting more advanced all the time, so WHERE IS IT COMING FROM & HOW IS IT BEING PAYED FOR!?

How many headlines read 'ITS NOT OUR WAR'?. And how many responses include the words 'National, Security'?

Has it not been said the biggest threat is from Domestic Terrorism?

It is all a CON.

Arms Sent by U.S. May Be Falling Into Taliban Hands

Pretending to Fail? Result: Longer Occupation.


Taliban attacks in Afghanistan show growing sophistication

Good Education comes through Good Teaching, which costs money. Which required income.

Courtesy of Enterprise Corruption, and me finally trying out ATS Media Portal!

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/6294d7b1e038d47e.jpg[/atsimg]

Leads to a coincidence and Image 2...

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/ccadebf19c5273dd.jpg[/atsimg]

Leads to the conclusion and Image 3...

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/f71bf0ae6613bc7b.jpg[/atsimg]

There is plenty, plenty more of this information out there, and with WikiLeaks hot on the case now, there is a better chance than ever for the first time in history that this Con is brought to light.

Apart from Enron maybe...

I don't know if have seen these threads or not by ATS member Slayer69 but they are quite relevant to what you are tal;king about there and may interest you.

Battle of the Titans: The New Great Game II

The New Great Game

Lots of really good info in there that may interest you.

Good thread and an important topic that doesn't get enough attention. especially with the announcement of the trillion dollars worth of minerals they claim to have just found.

reply to post by GAOTU789


Thanks for that, I havn't seen them no! I do think it is an important topic because ask anyone what they think about the war in Afghanistan, and the majority will say that it is not our war, we shouldn't be there, bring our troops home etc etc.

But no-one really asks the question, "Hey, why are we there anyway?!"

Those that do are told that it is for national security. But again the vast majority of people don't beleive this, even with the intense media coverage. But then guess what..

NO ONE QUESTIONS FURTHER! You know like, "Well there has got to be another reason other than National Security, I wonder what that is then!?"

Like it or love it, there is a financial aspect to nearly all of the modern worlds actions. Why would a war be any different? Because people are dying, no sir that does not make it a seperate entity.

So when you look at the financials behind it, from a twisted viewpoint it all starts to make a little sense.

FOREIGN INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IS THE FUTURE!

Hmm...
This maybe something or nothing:

Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai

Ashraf Ghani is the guy quoted in the first of the three images above. Take a look at some of his credentials and what he has managed to pull off in recent history:

His academic research was on state-building and social transformations.

He joined the World Bank in 1991, working on projects in East Asia and South Asia until the mid 1990s. In 1996, he pioneered the application of institutional and organizational analysis to macro processes of change and reform, working directly on the adjustment program of the Russian coal industry and carrying out reviews of the Bank’s country assistance strategies and structural adjustment programs globally. He spent five years each in China, India, and Russia managing large-scale development and institutional transformation projects. He had worked intensively with the media during the first Gulf War, commenting on major radio and television programs and being interviewed by newspapers.

After 9/11, he took leave without pay from the World Bank and engaged in intensive interaction with the media, appearing regularly on PBS’s News Hour as well as BBC, CNN, other television programs, the BBC, Public Radio, other radios, and writing for major newspapers. In November 2002, he accepted an appointment as a Special Advisor to the United Nations and assisted Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, the Special Representative of the Secretary General to Afghanistan, to prepare the Bonn Agreement, the process and document that provided the basis of transfer of power to the people of Afghanistan.

Returning after 24 years to Afghanistan in December 2001, he resigned from his posts at the UN and World Bank to join the Afghan government as the chief advisor to President Hamid Karzai on February 1, 2002.

As Chancellor of the University, he worked to institute a style of participatory governance among the faculty, students, and staff, Textadvocating a vision of the university where men and women with skills and commitment to lead their country in the age of globalization can be trained.

Since leaving the university, Dr. Ghani has co-founded the Institute for State Effectiveness, of which he is Chairman. The Institute has put forward a framework which proposes that the state should perform ten functions in the contemporary world in order to serve its citizens. This framework was discussed by leaders and managers of post-conflict transitions at a meeting sponsored by the UN and World Bank at the Greentree Estates in September 2005.

On March 31, 2004, he presented a seven-year program of public investment called Securing Afghanistan’s Future to an international conference in Berlin attended by 65 finance and foreign ministers. Described as the most comprehensive program ever prepared and presented by a poor country to the international community, Securing Afghanistan’s Future was prepared by a team of 100 experts working under the supervision of a committee chaired by Mr. Ghani. The concept of a double-compact, between the donors and the government of Afghanistan on the one hand and between the government and people of Afghanistan on the other, underpinned the program of investment in Securing Afghanistan’s Future. The donors pledged $8.2 billion at the conference for the first three years of the program –- the exact amount asked by the government -- and agreed that the government’s request for a total seven-year package of assistance of $27.5 billion was justified.

I will analyse this information on a following post, I am getting this stuff down as and when I find it, my interest has been sparked slightly.

Anyone intersted in the war in Afghanistan should probably read this document and save a copy for your convenience.

Securing Afghanistan's Future

This Agenda was created for the conference on 31st Marh 2004 which we can see from the post above resulted in the MASSIVE investment package into Afghanistan.

Now there may be nothing untoward in it, but lets look at it this way:

It promotes Globalisation.
Most of the heads were from the World Bank and the UN.
It provides a reason for occupancy: MONEY.

My money is on it describing Minerals, Railroads and Trade, just like what I psoted above. Disclaimer: I did not come up with this theory, I was aware of it bud did not believe in it until seeing the material on Enterprise Corruption. Thank You Reindhart.

This is likely to be my last reply without any input from somebody. The aboce document is A MUST READ! It basically can answer all your questions on the War In Afghanistan. It deserves its own thread in my opinion, but it will probably die of death like this one.

As this may be my last post, let me make this crystal clear:

I have no objection to promoting the growth of underprivelidged nations. If you take time to look at the figures in this document, the progress of Afghanistan is Phenomanal, UNBELIEVABLE in fact. The point I have been trying to make is that it has been gone about in completely the wrong way.

WE used a War on terrorism to support an invasion of than Nation, with our Governments ang corporations only interest being to make money and exert control. That is the bottom line of it. Now because it is harder than anticipated, our soldiers are dying, and will continue to do so, until a return on investment is acheived.

Anyone who has been involved in project management will see everything for what it is, a project. It has stakeholders, Investors, profits/losses risks, steering groups, the works.

Yes we are helping the nation in a sense, but we are also condemning it to a life of perpetual debt and Western Socialism and all our other irrelevant values.

PLEASE READ THE DOCUMENT AND MAKE YOUR OWN MIND UP, DON'T JUST READ MY UNSTRUCTURED RAMBLINGS!

New Silk Road Built by China Connects Asia to Latin America

Silk Road in the MSM Today

The high-speed rail link China Railway Construction Corp. is building in Saudi Arabia doesn’t just connect the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. It shows how Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America are holding the world economy together.

Ties between emerging markets form what economists at HSBC Holdings Plc and Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc call the “new Silk Road” -- a $2.8-trillion version of the Asian-focused network of trade routes along which commerce prospered starting in about the second century.

If someone starts a thread on silkroads after this then Im gonna get a nosebleed!

Just some more information relating to this thread that someone (somewhere!) may or may not find interesting:

CONSTRUCTION











MINERALS







Hope this gets someones attention as we are approaching the third week of September which is generally stimulus week, coupled with the spending cuts in Britain, there is definately going to be some deals on the table wrt Afghanistan, and those who are looking for it will be able to find it.

Thanks to Enterprisecorruption.com again for being so knowledgable on the subject.

This stuff is too good to be true, its history repeating itself! This sums up everything I have been talking about in this thread; Our troops, The Bankers, Corruption.

Kabul Bank

Kabul Bank Wiki

Central Bank Takes Over

Afghanistan's central bank has stepped in to take control of the troubled Kabul Bank. Central bank chief Abdul Qadir Fitrat said investigations had also been started into the dealings of the bank's top two directors and shareholders.

Corruption at Kabul Bank

(Reuters) - Afghanistan's ailing Kabulbank paid its top two directors and shareholders, currently under investigation for banking fraud, $500,000 each in bonuses in 2009, according to an independent audit earlier this year.

Is there not even a MOD checking this who is willing to discuss it!? These news stories deserve a thread of its own. This needs attention!