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US bluff: Other arduous US Supply Chain routes to Afghanistan not feasible. Recent days have witnessed increased targeting of US trucks supplying essential items to Afghanistan.UK Reality check on the war in Afghanistan. We first brought up this issue several years ago. According to the military and defense experts we talked to, the transportation of arms and food through Georgis is not feasible and is part of the US Army’s psy ops strategy. This sort of press release is an attmept to put pressure on Pakistan. The facts on the ground dictate that the US supply routes have to go through Pakistan. US attacks on Pakistan since 2004 fueled Afghan insurgency

The American military uses jet fuel of a standard only produced in the Gulf States and Pakistani refineries. “This will make it hard for the US to abandon Pakistan even if the northern routes work out,” says Mr. Rahmani. NATO, US seek alternatives to Pakistan supply routes By Anand Gopal | Correspondent 04.12.09

Today as a result of thee failed policies, 80% of Afghanistan is in the hands of wealthy drug-lords who have money and arms. Pakistan is seething with anger at the loss of civilian casualties in FATA and Swat. The writing on the wall for US policy makers is clear. How do they deal with it? They can continue the flawed policy of covert sabotage, and overt war or they can build a new Central Asia.

Central Asia map: Kyrgyzstan moving closer to Pakistan.

Kabul: The Final assault begins. How long can NATO hang on? Will NATO buy the Obama Doctrine? What’s in between the lines? Does Obama have the courage to implement the real solutions to Obama’s Vietnam (AfPak)

Betrayels and Blackmail: Cloaking failure as success, Hiding the defeat, declaring Victory, Withdrawing from Afghanistan within 12 months

How can you convert a population full of American fans into US policy haters? It is a classic test case of lessons learned in a tragedy of errors. What did the Neocons do and how did they do it? Instead of using a covert force of 5000 Navy seal to nab the evil guys, the Bush Neocons waged a global war on terror. They used daisy cutters on Afghanistan, nuclear tipped bombs in Iraq and drones in Pakistan. Abu Graib, Gitmo, renditions and torture have tarnished America and its image as the beacon of freedom. The fire is raging from the Nile to the Euphrates; From the Indus to the Amu Darya. All goodwill is gone.

Vietnam, half a world away, seemed alien to many Americans and to Westerners generally. Afghanistan might as well be the moon. At least Vietnam had been a French colony, albeit a troubled one. Afghanistan resisted colonization, dispatching 19th-century British and 20th-century Russian soldiers with equal efficiency. “Afghanistan is not a nation, it is a collection of tribes,” according to a Saudi diplomat who did not wish to publicly disparage a Muslim neighbor. In Vietnam, the Ngo Dinh Diem government was seen as illegitimate because Diem was a Roman Catholic in a mostly Buddhist country and because it was propped up by the United States. In Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai’s government was essentially created by the United States after local warlords, backed by American airpower, ousted the Taliban in 2001. (Karzai was elected in his own right in 2004, but at a time when he was clearly favored by America and faced no serious rivals.)

As in Diem’s Vietnam, government corruption is epic; even Karzai says so. “The banks of the world are full of the money of our statesmen,” he said last November. His former finance minister, Ashraf Ghani, rates his old government as “one of the five most corrupt in the world” and warns that Afghanistan is becoming a “failed, narco-mafia state.” In a country where seven out of 10 citizens live on about a dollar a day, the average family each year must pay about $100 in baksheesh, or bribes (in Vietnam, this was known as “tea” or “coffee” money). Foreign aid is, after narcotics, the readiest source of income in Afghanistan. But it has been widely estimated that because of stealing and mismanagement in Kabul, the capital, less than half of the money actually finds its way into projects, and only a quarter of that makes it to the countryside, where 70 percent of the people live. Newsweek, With Ron Moreau and Sami Yousafzai

Pakistan to US: No pay-No play: Tough lessons in geography!  The US may be bluffing. Then again it has to continue the war in Afghanistan. it is now looking at the feasibility of a supply route from Georgia to Kabul and the rest of Afghanistan. This is a long and arduous route for America. This supply chain was unsustainable by the mighty USSR even when it owned the six Central Asia republics. Now the route is being revived by the Americans in a last ditch effort to sustain the “unwinnable war” in Afghanistan. Cut and Run: UK Iraq troops wont go to Afghanistan

U.S., NATO Seek Afghan Supply Routes Other Than Pakistan. Burned-out trucks at a NATO terminal outside the Pakistani city of Peshawar.December 11, 2008By Ron Synovitz

Taliban fighters in recent months have been increasing the number and intensity of their attacks on NATO convoys that pass through Pakistan.

Several bold attacks in recent weeks have targeted not just trucks, but also a key terminal near Peshawar where trucks and cargos are kept before making the final part of their journey into Afghanistan.

Those attacks have focused international attention on NATO’s so-called “Lines of Communication” project with Russia and former Soviet republics in Central Asia.

But NATO spokesman James Appathurai has downplayed the significance of the attacks on NATO’s supply system.

“First of all, it’s not that dangerous. These [attacks] are high-profile events. But they are, from what I understand from the military, statistically and strategically insignificant if you look at the bulk of the logistics effort,” Appathurai tells RFE/RL.

“They are of concern. But they basically make no statistical difference to the supplies going into that country,” he says. “But of course, the Taliban in that region is trying to undermine logistics to that area to the extent that they can.”

Appathurai says NATO’s interest in building alternative overland supply routes into Afghanistan can be dated back more than two years — long before the Taliban started targeting convoys and cargo terminals.

“My understanding is that these discussions are going quite well. They are supported by the Russian Federation. Is there any change in the last few months? No. I think they are going forward,” he says. “We always hope for them to go forward more quickly. But I understand that there are no political problems. Only technical ones. And those are being addressed.”

New Routes Needed

There currently are about 65,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan — including soldiers in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force as well as U.S.-led coalition forces.

About 75 percent of the supplies for those foreign troops — military equipment, food, fuel and other vital provisions — arrive from the West by ship at the Pakistani port of Karachi. From there, those supplies are loaded onto trucks and driven hundreds of miles across Pakistan to cargo terminals on the outskirts of Peshawar. Finally, convoys of trucks carry the supplies into Afghanistan through the Khyber Pass.

Matthew Clements, the Eurasia analyst at the London-based publication “Jane’s Country Risk,” says he agrees that the amount of NATO supplies destroyed in Pakistan by the Taliban in recent months has been insignificant compared to the total amount of supplies moving through that route.

“It wasn’t a large percentage,” Clements says. “However, the theory is that if these attacks continue on this sort of scale and become more regular, it is going to impact on the supplies reaching NATO forces. Hence, I think there is a genuine concern within NATO of the need to diversify its [supply routes].”

Obama advisor Weinbaum predicts total Afghan policy review: Sees focus on talks & Reconciliation

Lesson Number One: Africa is not a country. South Africa is a country. Noruth America includes Canada, US and Mexico. These were the lessons that the Republicans failed to grasp and lost an election.

Lesson Number Two: Afghanistan is a landlocked country. Karachi is the Pakistan port throught which 80% of the arms and food itemsto Afghanistan flow. All supply lines to Afghanistan run through Pakistan.

Lesson Number Three: Blaming Pakistan won’t help the war on terror.. If you continue to kill Pakistanis, the nation cannot support the US war in Afghanistan. Pakistan Assembly: War not in its interest-Want it stopped!

Lesson Number Four: No pay. No Play.

After controlling most of Afghanistan, the insurgents target supplies from Uzbekistan and the Central Asia Republics Uzbekistan pressured the IMU is scared of Taliban reprisals on supplies to Kabul Anti-Occupation forces choke US Afghan war Reality check on War in Afghanistan The implications of the IMU activity in Pakistan The Grand Bargain? Pakistan key to Afghan Great Game Tough lessons in geography

Peek into Obama’s brains: Bruce Reidel on Pakistan. While the new administration may be looking at revising the Afghan policy, the current one is still moving ahead with the failed policy. Book Review: The Limits of [US] Power by Andrew Bacevich

• Afghanistan: Gen. Petraeus’ Pakistani advisors: Indians jittery
• Barack Obama is not a stranger to Pakistan
• Obama should fire VHP Hindu extremist Sonal Shah
• Obama advisor Weinbaum predicts total Afghan policy review: Sees focus on talks & Reconciliation

US bluff: Other arduous US Supply Chain routes to Afghanistan not feasible

Clements has been closely following developments on possible alternative supply routes. He notes that Russia and Uzbekistan both signed an accord with NATO in April that calls for cooperation on delivery of supplies into Afghanistan.

“They’ve been in discussions and there was an agreement indeed signed at the April [2008] NATO summit in Bucharest between Russia and Uzbekistan with NATO for the overland delivery of supplies to NATO forces [in Afghanistan],” Clements says.

“This would be nonlethal military supplies, so obviously not ammunition or war machines, etc. It would be more like food and fuel and these kind of things. Now, this was signed although it still has not been implemented. And little progress has been made on it,” he adds. “Obviously, some damage was done to any progress by the downturn in relations between Russia and the West — especially following the August conflict between Russia and Georgia.”

Overland Through Russia

Clements also says that Moscow, despite its disagreements with the West over the conflict in Georgia and the U.S. missile-defense shield, continues to pledge support for NATO operations in Afghanistan because it is in Russia’s best interest, as it realizes “the risks that [failure in Afghanistan] could pose to its own southern borders and also the risk posed by the expanding drug production and exports from [Afghanistan.]“

“There are a number of options [for alternative overland supply routes] on the table. But I think [NATO] would bring supplies to the Baltics. The access to ports is quite important. So to the Baltics and then through Russia, and overland through mainland Europe [into Russia] as well. These are all possible options,” Clements says.

“Russia does offer the most direct overland route from Europe — and across, obviously the Black Sea or the Caspian Sea and through Central Asia to Afghanistan,” he adds. “Russia also has a more advanced infrastructure than the Caucasus or Central Asia.”

But Clements says other supply routes are possible that would not pass through Russia — including a Caucasus route with supplies arriving from the Black Sea and moving across the Caspian Sea into Central Asia — perhaps with Turkmenistan or with Uzbekistan’s involvement.

However, he notes that the situation “has changed quite a lot in recent years. Obviously, the [use by U.S. forces of an air base] was closed by Uzbekistan following the harsh criticism [by Washington] of its actions in Andijon. But I think since then that Uzbekistan has become slightly frustrated with the fact that its turning toward Russia hasn’t received quite what it thought it would do. I think [Uzbekistan] has realized that there is an opening again for U.S. influence and for U.S. aid. And it has opened itself up to a degree.

“But at the moment, it still remains fairly embryonic, and few other details have emerged on what could happen. I certainly haven’t seen anything suggesting there would be a reopening of an air base,” he says. “But it does show that Uzbekistan is open to more cooperation with NATO and the United States.”

Clements says Turkmenistan also has become a more feasible option since the death of President Saparmurat Niyazov in 2006, as “the new administration has opened itself up — not just to the West but also to Russia and China. And it is seeking to expand its best relations,” he says.

“One of the things it has put forward is a kind of opening toward the United States and Western aid and investment,” Clements adds. “And a part of this could obviously be through military cooperation — although, again, this does remain embryonic, and no concrete deals have been put forward in terms of bases or overland [supply] routes.”

Clements concludes that it is the lack of transport infrastructure in Central Asia and the Caucasus that is the biggest hurdle to overland supply routes through those regions.

He says there needs to be a lot of investment in the restoration of old railroads and highways, and the building of new ones. That means it could take years and millions of dollars before a reliable alternative overland supply route can be established for NATO forces in Afghanistan. RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service contributed to this report. 

Blaming Pakistan won’t help the war on terror.

American Military Aware of Vulnerability

“The American military and NATO military officials are well aware of their vulnerability here and have been looking for long time for alternatives to develop so we don’t have to rely on Pakistan,” Riedel said. “But the problem is the geography doesn’t change. There is no other way to bring in supplies.” ABC News Internet Ventures.The U.S. Supply Line for the Afghan War Remains as Vulnerable as Ever By NICK SCHIFRIN and HABIBULLAH KHAN PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Nov. 10, 2008 —

The hijacking took place a week after Pakistani officials lodged strong complaints over cross-border bombings by US drone aircraft with Gen. David Petraeus, during his first trip to Pakistan as chief of US Central Command. General Petraeus had said that the US would take Pakistan’s complaints under consideration.

But a few days later another drone attack in northwestern Pakistan killed at least 13 people, signaling that there had been no immediate change in US policy. Since August there have been more than 18 such attacks on Pakistani soil, which the Pakistani government have repeatedly protested.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Pakistan is reluctant to strongly follow up on this incident,” says Masood, of the hijacking. The government and military are probably frustrated with America’s continued lack of response to Pakistani protests against cross-border strikes, he continues.

“They might be tempted to highlight their leverage over the situation in Afghanistan,” he says.CSM

Concerted Police Action, without a failed war, can solve Afghan terror

US AfPak policy review results mimic Chinese demads given to Hillary Force is all-conquering, but its victories are short-lived. ~Abraham Lincoln In 1821 The Taliban was a construct of the CIA and was armed by the CIA:–Congressman Dana Rohrabacher Obama’s Vietnam & Cambodiazation of the Afghan war Solutions to “Obama’s Vietnam” Kabul: The Final Spring Offensive? End of NATO? Afghanistan: The writing is on the wall. Can Obama read it? UK Brig. Smith: “We’re not going to win this [Afghan] war”
Failure and Defeat in Afghanistan: Inevitable Frustration & misdirected Payback for ally Pakistan US Charge of the Light Brigade into Pakistan is a US failure and has to stop  

Pakistan’s do more list for the USA Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan & Swat run by Taliban Huge Migraine for India

Facing the Khyber poltergeist & Ganges hobgoblin NATO war: UK 1880 defeats in Afghanistan

The folly of the UKs “Charge of the Light Brigade” in Afghanistan AGAIN reminds us of Britian’s previous defeat in Afghainstan. Unfortunately the lessons of the unmitigated disaster of “Auckland’s Folly”, (First Anglo-Afghan War 1838–42) have not been taught to the Oxbridge students.

Bin Laden used Reagan’s USSR strategy to Destroy US Capitalism? Cambodiazation of the Afghan war Rescueing the Pashtuns of Afghania from Afghanistan

Unite! Erase the Durand Line Solution: Fixing “AfPak” expedites the inevitable union between Pakistan & Afghanistan The emerging “Leave Pakistan to Afghanistan” strategy goes mainstream–Extricating the US from the Lost in the Khyber