A Shout Out to Columnist, Historian, Adventurer and Author Eric Margolis

Yesterday's superb article, 'Facing the Writing On the Wall in Kabul', at Common Dreams, by Eric Margolis is a great reminder for us all of Afghanistan's long history of being 'where empires go to die'. Margolis article begins with a description of the painting included here by Elizabeth Butler who captured in oil the triumphs and tragedies of the British Empire. Her haunting painting, “The Retreat from Kabul”, shows the sole survivor of a British army of 16,500, Dr. William Brydon, struggling out of Afghanistan in January, 1842. All the rest were killed by Afghan tribesmen after a futile attempt to garrison Kabul.

Having read a number of Margolis' impressive articles and books including his latest, 'American Raj: Liberation or Domination?: Resolving the Conflict Between the West and the Muslim World', i'm instantly excited when i see an article that says 'by Eric Margolis' because i know it'll be educational and entertaining.

For instance, one quote from yesterday's article shows both how knowledgeable and fearless Margolis' articles are: "The US goal was to turn Afghanistan into a protectorate providing bases close to Caspian Basin oil, and to block China. After an eleven-year war costing $1 trillion, this effort failed – meaning a military and political defeat."

My thanks to Eric Margolis for his lifelong candor and dedication.