Kathy Kelly joins Scott to talk about everyday life in Afghanistan for the civilians affected by the war. She explains the damage a continuing U.S. military presence has had on an already troubled country, where harsh winters and arid summers can make bare survival a challenge. Thanks to United States occupation Kabul, once the safest and wealthiest part of Afghanistan, is now one of the most dangerous. All over the country, clean rain water and snow melt have become tainted with sewage, and basic commodities like food and fuel are hard to come by. So why have American forces stayed there? Some argue that military presence will help ensure American interest in Afghanistan’s vast natural resources, but Kelly is more cynical. The harsh reality is that there isn’t enough political security or infrastructure to make that kind of endeavor possible, so pipe dreams of valuable ores and rare earth metals are more likely the cover used by military officials who want to keep bases close to Russia and China.
Discussed on the Show:

• Fools Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan
• Afghan Peace March
• Bacha Khan
• “On Purpose, in Kabul” (VCNV.org)
• “A Mile in Their Shoes” (VCNV.org)

Kathy Kelly runs Voices for Creative Nonviolence and works with the Afghan Peace Volunteers in Kabul. Read her writings at Antiwar.com and follow her on Twitter @voiceinwild.
This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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