Afghanistan:
A Natural Catastrophe Made Worse by U.S. Imperialism

May 12, 2014

In a mountainous region of Northeast Afghanistan, more than 2,000 villagers were buried under 300 feet of mud on May 2nd. After a torrential rainfall, two consecutive mudslides washed away hundreds of houses built from dried-earth bricks. Emergency relief teams tried to locate survivors, equipped only with shovels and one mechanical digger to search among the rubble.

These men and women were victims not only of a natural catastrophe, but also of Afghanistan’s total under-development. The country is without roads allowing help to arrive quickly, without houses built from resistant materials, and without any system to warn of dangers such as landslides.

These conditions are disgusting since the Western powers–the United States first and foremost–present themselves as the champions of civilization. They have spent billions of dollars in this country on bombs and other weapons of destruction for more than ten years. Just a tiny fraction of this money would have been enough to build roads, hospitals, schools, and houses worthy of the name, capable of dealing with the harshness of the territory.

So, there is nothing natural about this catastrophe that has befallen Afghanistan!