Full Circle
Daily Ramble
Full circle. Listening to Sam Harris speak with Peter Bergen on the Making Sense podcast about the plight of Afghanistan, the words “full circle” kept ringing in my mind.
9/11 was an ominous date for me at the ripe age of 21. Before 9/11, I wanted to catch waves, enjoy beers with buddies, and chase women — not a political bone in my body. At the time, I was living in San Diego. I distinctly recalled driving to work in my ‘86 Toyota Pickup, ironically nicknamed the Silver Bullet for its impressively slow pace, when the radio jockey started speaking in alarming terms about a commercial airline running into one of the trade towers. Getting into work, I gathered around a television with co-workers who watched the news with ghastly faces as the twin towers imploded. It was beyond overwhelming. Work was called for the day, and I went out for a clear-my-head surf. I knew society had turned, and I was no longer capable of shutting politics out.
20 years on, the reverberations of that event are still being felt. There were many decisions made in the wake of the attack, but the decision to invade Afghanistan was the only one that made sense to me. The official story was that Osama Bin Laden had masterminded the attack on the World Trade Center, and Afghanistan was where he’d set up shop. So going after him made sense. But Iraq and the powers bequeathed on the US President by the Patriot Act? Now, with the luxury of hindsight, it is abundantly clear that the invasion of Iraq had no justifiable grounds, and the Patriot Act set up the privacy-eroding practices and war powers that every US President since GW Bush has utilized with glee and abandon.
Seeing the Taliban take over Afghanistan after a 20-year investment of time and money by US soldiers and taxpayers is like a distant, dismal echo off the walls of history started by the attack on the Twin Towers. Julian Assange stated in 2011 that the purpose of the Afghan war was to wash money out of US taxpayers and into the coffers of the international military contractors. It’s hard not to think his comments were prophetic since the private military contractors seem to be the only winners on the US side of the situation. The abrupt departure of US forces left 10-15k Americans behind and countless Afghan supporters who are likely to be targeted by the Taliban now. If the US was looking to marginalize more people in the Muslim community, this helped.
The implications of routing US armed forces have just started to ripple outwards but will certainly cast a historical shadow. The big dog in the geopolitical playground, the US, has just shown weakness. China, Russia, Iran, and any other major nation-states that have taken exception to America’s exceptionalism are readjusting their geopolitical calculus. Military action between China and Tawain just got a lot more likely, for example. But, of course, the Taliban, who fought an entrenched 20-year effort, is the most emboldened of all. They resisted the nation-building efforts of the US and won. I’ll be shocked if the extremist elements in the Muslim community don’t get wind in their sails.
What started as an attack on American soil has come full circle. The revenge America would inflict on the Afghan mountain tribes responsible for jabbing a stick in America’s eye happened. But then the unthinkable happened — those mountain men hunkered in, fought as they almost always have, and drove the largest, most powerful nation out of their country. What started as a justified response has turned into a tragic retreat as the walls shoring up America’s resolve crumbled. It’s a three-part Shakesperean tragedy that started 20 years ago with two planes flying into the heart of the Big Apple. A hopeful beginning, a forgotten middle, and a tragic end to wrap it all up — the circle is complete.
Juxtaposing Things on the Interweb
Bitcoin Price Prediction
Weekend: $45.5k - $51.5k
Today: $48.7k - $50.5k
Tomorrow: $47.2k - $51.5k
By the time the weekend rolled around, Bitcoin had already cleared the $49k hurdle I’d discussed way too frequently last week. It didn’t clear it and keep going, though. Instead, it bounced between $48.2k and $49.8k all weekend. Finally, it broke up at the beginning of today’s session, pushing towards the next resistance area near $51.5k but only got as far as $50.6k. Ideally, we’d see the price find footing above $48.8k for continuation into the low to mid $50ks. However, should the $48.8k area fail to hold, the doors to the mid $40ks open again.
Bitcoin Q & A
Q: Can Bitcoin help in Afghanistan?
A: Yes.
The takeover by the Taliban has left the banking sector and Afghan central bank in disarray, threatening the afghani’s use — the currency of Afghanistan. Western Union has also pulled out of the country, making it difficult for locals to receive outside money. Without a readily accessible form of currency to trade, the situation is likely to get worse. By being outside the conflict, Bitcoin can fill the gap if the afghani becomes unusable.
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