“Black oppression and U.S. global imperialism are complements.”
Donald Trump recently extended U.S. imperialistic plans for Afghanistan. His “made in America” plan resembles that of his ruling class predecessors Obama and Bush.
Trump’s plan drew mixed reviews from the U.S. Congress. Some thought it lacked specifics. Others bolstered the plan. An overriding question remains. What way forward for U.S. imperialist aims in the region?
And what about Russia? It is a second rate power but matches U.S. nuclear capacity. Does an adversarial relationship still exist? The U.S. harbors relations with former Soviet countries in the South Asia region.
U.S. efforts to build a compliant Afghan government failed miserably. Despite the U.S. invading, occupying and providing aid to the Afghan Army and police, the Taliban -- the enemy -- controls two-thirds of the country. Imperialism contains its contradictions.
The CIA 30-odd years ago brought together the Mujahedeen (corrupt reactionary warlords possessing reactionary interpretations of Islam financed through the opium trade) to fight the Soviet Union defending the progressive Soviet-friendly Afghan leadership. They included the Taliban and Osama bin Laden -- Obama’s trophy.
“We need to see Trump’s actions in the larger context of U.S. and worldwide imperialism.”
All U.S. ruling class circles share concern over China’s growing economic influence amongst its Asian counterparts. China’s planned “Belt and Road” initiative that links Asia, Africa, and Europe, including Russia, provides an example. Disparate trade balances between the U.S. and China makes matters more complex for big business profit makers.
Tehran’s newfound coziness with the Taliban and its joint support with Russia over Syria provide another worry. Still another imperialist eye-catcher is Afghanistan’s newly discovered mineral reserves. Underlying all is the continuing capitalist world crisis fueled by the falling rate of profits.
What do all of these things mean for black people? We need to see Trump’s actions in the larger context of U.S. and worldwide imperialism. He is not just some crazy, racist bigot. It is all part of the same package. Black oppression and U.S. global imperialism are complements.
Eliminate “we” when black people talk about America’s imperialist wars. Remember Tonto’s newfound awareness. The Lone Ranger and Tonto found themselves surrounded by indigenous people in the song “What you mean we white man.” Replace white man with “owner of the wealth and means of production white man.”
We need a 365-day independent, anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist, anti-racist, anti-sexist and anti-homophobic black working class led party. A black coalition with similar pedigree will do for now.
U.S. out of Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa. Keep hands off Syria and North Korea.
Dr. Morgan is a Black activist scholar. He can be reached at kmorgan2408@comcast.net.
Not just Trump, but the whole US ruling class must pay for the mass Covid death toll among Blacks, because only the ruling class has the power to systematically allocate life-death chances for
Obama’s fans like to think of the First Black President as scholarly and above the fray of dirty politics, but he appears to have conspired with the FBI to set up the incoming administration.
The threat that the American Left sees in China aligns with the white supremacist underpinnings of American exceptionalism.
The elevation of anti-blackness as a kind of universal problem eliminates the basis for solidarity among the colonized and puts some African Americans on the side of U.S. imperialism.
Trump and Biden promise their fans a roaring hate-fest this election cycle, as they vie for the honor of defending America’s right to full spectrum dominance of every corner of the globe.
