The US war on the Taliban is founded on something deeper, but actually more obvious, than waging a war against militant insurgency and/or ideology. ‘The short answer is that today, as has been the case since 1979, neither a specific ‘militant’ nor ‘ideology’ is ‘being fought.’ Rather, the target of operations, for which more troops are now being sought, is anyone who challenges the interests of an oil-drenched ‘New World Order.’

The US has had a history of continuous meddling in Afghanistan. ‘The ‘New World Order’ sought by Bush (Sr.) played an important part in directing the Clinton administration’s policies as well.’ History shows that ‘just as in the Cold War period (1979-89) and the era of proxy war (1989-92), so too in the early phase of the Taliban era (1992-1998), neither the ‘militant’ nor his ‘ideology’ was being fought. Rather, he was courted and his ideology utilized for US strategic and economic interests, particularly as both converged in a slick of oil by 1995.’

The Taliban regime was openly discredited only when absolute control of that oil was challenged. In the process, the Taliban’s ‘militant’ strategy and his ‘ideology’ were publicly fought from 1998 to 2001.

Many would ask if 9/11 had an impact on US’ strategy on the Taliban. In American Theocracy written by Kevin Phillips, it is said that ‘a study of the convergence between US Evangelical Christian ‘extremism,’ US geo-political policy and global oil interests – one thing did change. Although the Taliban continued to offer negotiations on the handover of Usama bin Laden, the atrocities of 9/11 “gave Washington [oil] policies a convenient new all-inclusive justification: fighting terror was about everything, and everything was about fighting terror. Oil motivations, rarely a popular or easy foreign-policy justification, could now be submerged within a primal response to a deep-seated national combination of fear, loathing and outrage. Petroleum strategy could now become only a minor facet of an antiterrorist mobilization.’

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Via counterpunch