Australia is still waiting for an honest appraisal of its involvement in other countries wars of choice, almost invariably carried out for other than the officially professed reasons.
On Monday, 16 March 2020 the ABC broadcast an exposure on its Four Corners program about alleged war crimes in Afghanistan committed by Australian special forces soldiers.
The ABC is to be commended for bringing this issue before the public. In the course of the program we were told that the alleged war crimes had been under investigation for a period of four years. There was no explanation as to why the inquiry was taking so long, although its very links and the relative secrecy surrounding the inquiry does invite the cynical conclusion that there is no pressure being applied to bring the matter to the point where prosecutions are carried out.
The Nuremberg and Tokyo war crimes trials, which were vastly greater than the alleged misdeeds of Australian (and other) soldiers in Afghanistan were commenced and concluded in less time than this investigation has taken thus far.
Although the ABC is to be commended for bringing these allegations before the general public, it has taken a very long time. Other issues relating to the October 2001 invasion and occupation of Afghanistan have been known about for literally decades.
According to the ABC News website the first ever Parliamentary debate on Australian involvement in the Afghanistan war occurred in October 2010. It is astonishing that a country such as Australia could wage war on a foreign nation for the parliament to hold its first (and only?) debate years after the event occurred and that it continued for a further decade without serious parliamentary debate.
It is a similar situation with Australia’s involvement in the war on Iraq, which commenced with the allied invasion in March 2003. Although the matter was discussed in parliament at the time, the following years have also seen an astonishing paucity of debate.
To its credit, the Labor opposition opposed the involvement of Australia in the Iraq war, although they did absolutely nothing in the six years they were in power, 2008-2014 to give effect to their earlier opposition and withdraw Australian troops. The real history behind that reticence is yet to be written.
One suspects that the real reason for this reticence in debating in the parliament what is after all a matter of huge public significance, is the utter subservience of the Australian parliament to the wishes of the United States. That includes the latter’s propensity to wage war in one form or another on all governments that do not meet the requisite standard of subservience.
In early 2020 the Iraqi parliament voted unanimously for foreign troops to withdraw from their country unless invited to stay. The United States and Australia were manifestly not invited in the first place, much less invited to stay. The reaction of the two countries? The United States and Australia simply ignored the wishes of the sovereign Iraqi government. Their troops are still there.
Part of the Australian government’s justification for staying in Afghanistan was that they were “training” Afghan soldiers. The ABC Four Corners documentary made no mention of such a role, which is not to say that it is non-existent. What the documentary did show were Australian troops on patrol in areas where they were looking for alleged Taliban sympathisers or activists. If “training” consists of the murder of unarmed civilians then there are surely better activities to be involved in.
What the program completely failed to mention was the Australian role in Afghanistan heroin production. That industry has been virtually eliminated under Taliban rule pre-2001. The vast renewal of Afghanistan heroin production post invasion was not happenstance. As has now been well documented by United Nations studies among others, the United States has been the prime instigator of the revived heroin industry in Afghanistan, and its chief financial beneficiary.
It is a measure of the cowardliness of the Australian mainstream media that the role played by the occupying forces as the principal reason for the resurgence of the heroin trade is almost completely ignored. Of course, such dirty truths do not sit well with the official propaganda about the occupier’s benevolent role in Afghanistan.
If the recently concluded peace deal between the United States and the Taliban actually proceeds and survives, the United States will have to find another source for its worldwide heroin trade, just as they did after being kicked out of Indochina. Indeed, the British faced the same dilemma in the 19th century when they fought three wars in Afghanistan, not least of the reasons being the control of the heroin trade. The principals may vary, but the same game continues to be played.
The focus of the Four Corners program was clearly much narrower. It is difficult to see how the alleged war crimes in Afghanistan can be properly viewed other than in the context of Australia’s endless wars fought on behalf of its erstwhile ally, the United States.
That war was commenced on the basis of a fundamental lie, that Osama bin Laden had masterminded the attacks of 11 September 2001 in Washington and New York city. The Americans further alleged that the Afghanistan government had refused to surrender bin Laden to the American notion of justice. The Afghanistan government not unreasonably asked for evidence of bin Laden’s involvement in the 9/11 attacks. It was never forthcoming, not surprisingly as (a) it never existed; and (b) the invasion of Afghanistan has been decided upon months before 9/11 and had wider geopolitical goals.
While the Four Corners program is to be commended therefore for giving a public broadcast to grave allegations of alleged war crimes, it is not enough. Alleged atrocities carried out by an occupying army cannot be divorced from the reasons that took them there in the first place.
Australia is still waiting for an honest appraisal of its involvement in other countries wars of choice, almost invariably carried out for other than the officially professed reasons. Both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are classic illustrations of that point.
Afghanistan, like Iraq, is no exception to this general principle. As long as the ABC and other major mainstream media outlets continue to ignore these uncomfortable realities, the vastly greater is the likelihood of Australia yet again waging an illegal war on behalf of United States geopolitical interests.
*Barrister at Law and geopolitical analyst. He may be contacted at joneill@qldbar.asn.au.
James O’Neill is a former academic, and has practiced as a barrister since 1984 — first in New Zealand and then, since 2002, in Brisbane. He writes on geo-political issues, with a special emphasis on international law and human rights.
Comments
12 responses to “JAMES O’NEILL.-Four Corners Program on Australian Alleged War Crimes in Afghanistan Raises Wider Questions”
This pudding is being seriously over-egged.
Odd Four Corners didnt mention investigation into Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith’s war crimes in Afghanistan.
Hi Stu. You would have to admit that 9/11 was one of the most brilliantly conceived and executed operations in military history. The comparison that occurred to me was a German paratrooper raid on a building in Norway. I recall a documentary but can’t find a reference. The New York destruction was not organised in a cave in Afghanistan. The alleged involvement of Osama Bin Laden does not answer Cicero’s cui bono question. The 9/11 story takes us into the realm of speculation comparable to the Kennedy assassination. I have no idea what it was all about but I doubt if Bin Laden had anything to do with it.
I can recall the efforts that had been made to eliminate the poppy crop prior to the US deciding that it needed to be in Afghanistan for all the wrong reasons. Lies once again, the US trade mark.
If one looks at it now, heroin is a burgeoning industry adding billions through the CIA involvement to the US government, the corrupt country that makes all of our politicians jump when directed. As a country, this is our greatest disgrace, being part of that consortium of murderers and plunderers.
Sadly is does seem that one of the the roles of the Australian soldiers there was to protect this crop. As Mr. O’Neill has stated, never a word appears in the media on this subject. But being fair, Murdoch and his majority control of Australian media couldn’t care one iota about such an action and the Channel 9 group are far too interested in football and crass advertising revenues. And sadly, that’s it in 2020.
The AAP soon dead and buried. A crime. One more avenue for truth lost.
So who is left?
Just the ABC who brought us the program this week. So thanks again to our ABC without whom we would be unaware of any world events such as cold blooded murder by Australian troops, an event of some eight years ago. But never a whisper in our feeble press.
A quote…..
“We shall go down in history as the greatest statesmen of all time, or as the greatest criminals”
― Joseph Goebbels during WWII.
He was wrong. The USA, has become by far the greatest criminals in history and have truly surpassed even the ambitious propagandist for the Third Reich. As well, the USA has a way to go yet in plundering and hegemonic pursuits before they, like all other empires, slip down the greasy pole towards the end of their empire.
My impression from watching the Four Corners program is that there seemed to be a couple of “rogue soldiers” who were primarily responsible for the alleged war crimes. It strikes me that this raises two issues:
u
(a) First, the Army ought to review the effectiveness of its psychological screening/monitoring program. Some people are more susceptible to aggression and moral failure, and the Army urgently needs to identify these people, at the entry level, and also post-entry.
(b) Second, the Army ought to review its organisation culture. Why didn’t the SAS soldiers act on the ethical & moral failure that they witnessed committed by their colleagues? The failure to act is itself a kind of ethical failure.
Organisations pay too little attention to ethical training. This needs a deliberate ongoing commitment. The capacity to make ethical decisions have to be developed, just as physical endurance have to be developed. Difficult ethical decisions are cognitively demanding, and we cannot just let soldiers go into war without being fore-armed with a strong moral sense. (I say this painfully aware of my own moral vulnerability.)
The Army lets its own soldiers down by not taking ethical issues seriously.
I see that the Defence Minister has asked the Australian Federal Police to investigate the killing shown on Four Corners. If the AFP’s recent investigation of Angus Taylor is anything to go by this looks like the whole mess is just being swept under a different carpet.
Why did the previous military review of this killing find that the soldier in question had no case to answer because he was supposedly acting in self defence ? Didn’t the commanders at the time have access to the same helmet cam video of the execution as was shown on Four Corners ?
The entire military chain of command who reviewed this incident and cleared the killer should also referred to the AFP.
The image of the sandy beret has been severely tarnished by incompetent leadership.
The current CDF and Chief of Army are both ex SAS b, surely one or both of them should/ would have been aware of the cultural issues which have lead to this Four Corners story. All the information has come from within the Regiment.
Bravo – my thinking, too!
It sickened me to my stomach watching that four corners program last Monday night. In the specific case of the murder of that young Afghani man by that gutless, disgraceful coward, how can it take 4 years or more to “investigate” it? Four corners suggested the criminal thug is still in the armed forces and the actual murder occurred in 2012!
The entire sorry saga of our subservient lickspittle role in doing the hegemon’s dirty work in Afghanistan and Iraq and all the other places leaves a nasty rancid stain on the Australian identity, sitting alongside other stains like Terra nullius, stolen generations and our offshore refugee gulags.
Apparently Defence has now identified the murderer in the video, really, 8 years later? Is that just coincidental with four corners airing the program last Monday. Anyone and everyone else, from the bottom to the top should be brought to justice for this and other war crimes committed with our tax dollars and in our name. Not in my name. And to think of how Assange is being tortured and destroyed for bringing similar atrocities to light. Not a lot the Government is doing about that either.
As we face economic collapse and an overwhelmed and underfunded health Care system here’s a suggestion. Instead of increasing our defence expenditure, like the tens of billions being wasted on pathetic submarines that will be redundant before they even touch a drop of water, how about cutting defence spending and putting more money into fighting real enemies like the Coronavirus. Surely this would be better than using the money to send psychopathic murderers into foreign lands where we have no business being, other than that the United States told us to do it, and slaughtering young father’s with two young daughters, such as the man murdered in the four corners video.
James,
I wonder when the men in dark suits with suitcases will invade your Office or home?
The ABC is to be commended on bringing this atrocious behavior of our armed Forces in Afghanistan to public attention . Had it not done so, the alleged soldier responsible would have most likely, escaped justice .We have already seen the extent, this Government and previous governments of both political colours, will go to hide these incidents from public gaze.One only needs to remember the raids on the ABC and a reporter’s home, the farcical trial of the lawyer and the unidentified agent over the East Timor bugging, and the recent secret trial of someone else .What is this country coming to?
I am a Veteran who ended up conscripted to the Vietnam conflict .I now suffer the consequences of that unjust war.The U.S have lost all conflicts since W.W II.
I just wonder how long it will take for the people of this country to wake up and demand that we junk the so called alliance with the United States.We would gain absolutely nothing out of it if placed under threat, our survival did not suit the U.S. , they would refuse to come to our aid . They “have history”, coming into the “European Wars (1914-18, 1939-45) only after their strategic interests were threatened . With an unbalanced President like Trump, there is no telling what conflict we could end up in next.
I think we might have gone off the reservation with this post. You had me until the bit about OBL not being involved in 9/11. Aliens?
Check out the real truth, Stu. James is absolutely correct but one can be excused for thinking otherwise as it was a professional charade from day one and served its purpose, that purpose being American expansionism, justification for wars and the list goes on. Still happening today. Heroin, oil, Iraq, Iran if they can muster up the courage, Venezuela, South America, Libya, Yemen,. What other detail does one need. One dirty deed after another with little lapdog Australia tagging along as required.
Please, Stu. Do not mention the White House circus performance, all the conmen and Hilary Clinton sitting around cheering as the SEALS performed for one and all and then, wait for it…… the big dumping of the Bin Laden in the sea. Come on now.
Bin Laden was a very seriously ill diabetic and required dialysis. Very hard to get that kind of equipment and treatment in the wilds of Afghanistan.
He served his purpose well. Fooled lots of people, but mainly American voters.