International Socialists

Last week John Key announced that he was authorising the deployment of the New Zealand Special Air Services, better known as the SAS, to return to Afghanistan. This will be their 4th deployment since the war began.

John Key made what I suspect will become the most infamous of understatements “There's no getting away from the fact that Afghanistan is a dangerous place”. Presumably, by this he meant dangerous for the tens of thousands of foreign troops occupying the country. Presumably, he doesn’t mean for the nearly 33 million people of Afghanistan, over 30,000 of whom have died in the last 8 years as a direct result of the conflict, nor for the tens of thousands more who were dubbed enemy combatants  – a significant proportion of whom are likely to have been little more than terrified peasants attempting to defend their homes and their families from invading foreigners.

Today government officials made public intentions to revamp New Zealands taxation system (see here). Among their ideas was the lowering of the staggered income tax rates, with the revenue loss made up by increasing the Goods and Services tax (GST).
GST is a flat tax, on all consumer products, meaning that for basic sustenance it costs everybody about the same amount. However, for those of us on low incomes, for whom things like food and other consumables account for a substantial portion of our weekly income, these flat taxes are a heavy burden.

NZ SAS: Not building schools

The Government has announced today that it will be sending up to 70 SAS troops to Afghanistan. This is a complete joke. All Western forces should instead withdraw from this so called 'front line' on the War on Terror.

Most people admit that when the USSR invaded to Afghanistan that it was a clear case of imperalism. The West, especially the US, backed the Mujahideen to bleed the Soviets dry. The West knew that they were supporting radical Muslims - a fact that they would overlook much later on. And when the West invaded Afghanistan it was sold to us as liberation. 

The US operates approximately 700 military bases in around 100 different nations around the world.  The 2001 invasion of Afghanistan was never about democracy or freedom. It was about the Bush / Blair plan to take control of the region. Afghanistan is situated in a powerful area. It is close to India, Pakistan, Iran, Russia, and China. 

The average Afghani is no better off now that the West has taken control. The government has little control outside of the capital. Warlods and poppy fields are a reality for large parts of the country. Thousands of civilians continue to die each year. 

We should be ashamed that the elite New Zealand troops are being sent to Afghanistan. You are a fool if you believe that they are there to build schools or hospitals. These guys are trained killers.

Furthermore, there is a real risk that we could see New Zealand troops coming home in body bags soon. July 2009 was the deadliest month for foreign troops since the war began. If the Taliban cannot be defeated after nearly 8 years, do you really believe that more bloodshed is the answer?

Shame on John Key. Shame on Obama.