Strib oped: Now we're paying for '80s foreign policy

[question everything]

Bruce Kvam
Published June 12, 2004

(snip)

In its zeal to destroy the Soviet Union, the Reagan administration's CIA recruited fundamentalist Muslims throughout the Asiatic Soviet Republics to foment rebellion. Through our proxy Pakistan, the CIA financed mujahedeen fighters in Afghanistan, including the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. By miring the Soviets in the Afghan war the Reagan administration hoped to drain the Soviet Union of money and blood, much as America was drained by Vietnam. The Soviets left Afghanistan in defeat. That loss may well have been the nail in the Soviet Union's coffin. But there were other consequences:

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The Reagan administration reopened diplomatic ties with Saddam Hussein and became Saddam's major arms supplier in his inconclusive war against Iran. At the same time the United States sold weapons secretly to Iran, using the proceeds to illegally fund right-wing insurgents in Central America. Saddam thought he could get away with invading Kuwait because we needed him to continue to stalemate Iran. He was wrong.

That miscalculation caused us to base our troops in Saudi Arabia to force him out. The American presence on Saudi soil caused Osama bin Laden to launch his jihad against the United States, ultimately leading to the tragedy of 9/11.

This is not to say that Reagan caused 9/11. No one but the villains who committed these atrocities can be blamed. But we funded, trained and empowered Osama and the Taliban. We created the environment that allowed them to grow and prosper. We befriended and funded, with the money we spend on Saudi oil, the totalitarian regime that encouraged Osama and his Wahabi sect to preach their hatred against America to deflect criticism against themselves.

(snip)

The current Bush administration learned none of these lessons, as illustrated by its association with people such as Ahmad Chalabi and Pervez Musharraf, the dictator of Pakistan, where Osama and the Taliban still roam freely. The enemy of our enemy is not our friend.

More...
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/4824593.html

Bruce Kvam, a programmer, lives in Minnetonka.

[2Design]

1. Nice to see the truth brought to light....now if we could only see it in

every news paper.....