Staggering Cost of Afghanistan Effort Raises Questions

What exactly is our objective in Afghanistan?

 

Wreck the Chinese deals and see that the mining and rebuilding contracts are awarded to US companies. The US companies will subcontract the work to the chinese and make 50% profits.

 

We've long used these conflicts to maintain a well-trained officer corps.

 

Did you ask which is the strongest lobby in dc, and what their interests are?

 

As I see it:

We bid on and lost valuable mining contracts to the Chinese.
We happen to be engaged in military conflicts in the region of these copper mines preventing the Chinese from engaging their operations. They are effectively frozen out of their deal.

We will remain in Afghanistan until the govt breaks the Chinese contracts and awards them to US corps. Then we will remain there to protect the US business interests in the region.