The somewhat dubious motivations for Americas wars in Western Asia explained by former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, Lawrence Wilkerson.
In this video, military expert and former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, Lawrence Wilkerson, in referencing President Obama’s speech at West Point where he announced a 30,000 troop escalation in Afghanistan discusses the motivations behind America’s military exploits in Afghanistan and Western Asia with a sobering assessment for those who believe hegemony can be maintained through military force.
The most remarkable aspect of Wilkerson's explanation for the purposes of U.S. presence in Western Asia, particularly Afghanistan, is that nowhere does he mention Al-Qaida or defeating the Taliban. The former Chief of Staff under Colin Powell and former U.S. Army Colonel who worked in the State Department during the September 11th attacks quite bluntly explains that our main concern in Afghanistan is the continued construction of the TAPI Pipeline that would "allow the Central Asian Republics to export energy to Western [American] Markets ‘without relying on Russian routes.’" Wilkerson states with sarcasm that ‘oddly enough our troops are laid out in Afghanistan around the path that Pipeline would take.’
The segment ends with an open question about the direction the Obama administration will take in this dangerous part of the world, and whether Obama will continue with the clumsy belligerence that was the hallmark of the Bush Administration. Wilkerson is hopeful that Obama does not get swayed into endless war as attempted by the Bush administration. Sadly, as the interviewer illustrates, Obama’s choices thus far indicate a tendency toward that same horrid direction.