buffer between Russia and southern seas
allows decommissioning of US military presence in Saudi Arabia
Why does America fight in Iraq and Afghanistan? The common answers are numerous, superficial, and largely misguided. Some say we are fighting for freedom, liberty, democracy, or other ideals. Others insist that it the wars are based on greed and fought for oil, pipeline access, or even - more darkly - for heroin. Pragmatists will simply say the goals were simply to drive the odious regimes of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein from power. All of these supposed justifications are partially true, or at least have a kernel of truth within them, but each of them are focused on particular aspects of the task at hand and fail to encompass the broader picture. In fact, there are grand strategic reasons for the United States to be so deeply engaged in such ongoing conflicts on the opposite side of the globe. It is the purpose of this paper to explicate the grand strategic rationale for each of these conflicts, first singly, then together.
Afghanistan is a landlocked nation, among the poorest in the world. Lacking little in the way of marketable natural resources or native industry, the biggest export of this nation has traditionally been opium. Yet, this little mountainous nation has earned the nickname of "Graveyard of Empires," as the Greeks, British, and Russians all suffered terrible defeats in these lands. The immediate question that comes to mind is: What were such imperial powers even doing in Afghanistan, when it appears to have so little to offer? What in this poor and sorry land co
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