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The West Again Feigns Concern For Human Rights in Afghanistan
Right on cue — outlets are penning scold pieces, the NY Times had an embarrassing podcast episode, and everyone tries not to mention US sanctions
A year out from the disastrous American withdrawal from Afghanistan, the country and its devastated population have been brought back into the headlines. It is the role of the Western press to tell nice liberal citizens what to care about and when, but more importantly, what to ignore. It’s the classic Chomsky ‘worthy and unworthy victims’ discourse.
The situation in the country hasn’t changed that drastically in recent months, but it has been one year since US troops hightailed out of Kabul as desperate Afghans clutched onto airplane wheels, the Saigon ’75 parallels harder to ignore than a punch in the face.
The one-year anniversary came around so American media spin machines, as they did one year ago, are reviving their citizens’ interest in the plight of poor Afghans — a plight largely ignored for twenty years of military occupation.
The Afghan people are obviously highly oppressed, they’ve been in conflict for four decades, human rights abuses abound, and pressure needs to be put on the Taliban on behalf of women, young…
