The Real Reason We're (Still) In Afghanistan

Since there are, by military analysts own admission, at most 100 Al Qaeda dweebs left in the region, and we can basically thump the Taliban at will, the truth is that while we're justifiably worried about what's going on in Pakistan and the frightening prospect of terrorists somehow getting control of a nuke, there is another really big reason why we're there that has not one fucking thing to do with terrorist dorks squatting in caves.

In 2003, China made a territorial claim on the Indian province of Sikkim (apparently following Eddie Izzard's "Do you have a flag?" model of diplomatic relations). This border was set by British and Tibetan authorities in 1914, called the McMahon Line, but China has basically said, "Screw the treaty, we own that 90,000 sq. km."

There have since been Chinese troop incursions into the utterly peaceful nation of Bhutan in 2006, which have quite justifiably pissed off India. India has parked bunkers in the northeastern state of Sikkim, and China has demanded that India remove the two bunkers even though the bunkers are on Indian territory.

In 2006, China's Ambassador to India, Sun Yuxi flat-out claimed on Indian television that the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh was Chinese territory. In 2007, there were rumors of China moving 20 km further inside the Indian territory of Arunachal Pradesh (an area China now refers to as "Southern Tibet"), which China denied. India has accused China of occupying 8,000 sq km of Kashmir as a part of a flare up over the territory in 1986 with Chinese and Indian forces actually fighting against each other in the Sumdorong Valley.

In addition to the Indian Chief of the Army Deepak Kapoor complaining of Chinese helicopters violating Indian airspace, the Chinese have pulled ridiculous stunts like sending grazing herds across the border, and painting rocks in Indian territory with the Cantonese characters for "China" written in a lovely shade of Commie red.

In 2008, Chinese troops threatened to destroy stone structures (ie. the monasteries) in Sikkim's Finger Point region, and then a month later sent troops one km into Indian territory. In total, there were over 65 incursions into this region which is known for it's Buddhist treasures in Tawang (the birthplace of the sixth incarnation of the Dalai Lama, and the location of the 327-year-old Galden Namgey Lhatse Monastery, which is second in size only to the main Potala in Lhasa, Tibet). This is a region China just wants to monetize for the potential tourist dollars it would bring in. Unfortunately, Tawang is also rich in minerals that no doubt China wishes to exploit/rape the same way as they have in their own country like a plague of locusts. Ironically, atheist China has made international claims on this territory under supposed "religious grounds". Something which India counters by basically saying, "Well if you try to claim that, we'll claim Mount Kailash which is sacred to Hindus."

And it should NEVER be forgotten that because China occupies Tibet, they basically own the high ground that controls the fresh water supply for the entire Indian Subcontinent. China basically has never forgiven India for providing refuge for the Dalai Lama and hundreds of thousands of Tibetans fleeing the totalitarian regime that is illegally occupying their sovereign nation. This, even though India signed the stupid Panchsheel Agreement which basically legitimized the invasion of Tibet by India acknowledging that China was it's "new neighbor". After signing the agreement, China proceeded to make multiple incursions all through the 1950's into Indian territory like Ladakh. China did things like to build the Tibet-Xinjiang Highway through the Indian territory of Aksai Chin.

The never talked about truth of our occupation of Afghanistan is that it's basically America guarding India's flank from the Chinese.

It also serves the purpose of blocking direct paths of contact between China and Iran, who's oil relationship continues to grow.