George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 18

< Part 17 >

“Worse than most wastelands.”

People of races rarely seen in Afghanistan were driving cars along what could barely be called a main road. The car was a Toyota truck, common even there. Initially, the Afghans had wanted to drive expensive German foreign cars that they couldn’t even dream of affording, but after hearing the military advisory group’s sarcastic remark, ‘If you have a secret desire to get robbed, go ahead!’, they settled for a suitable used car locally and were content with adding an extra cushion to the seat.

In the back of the truck were several Afghan regular soldiers, who had been undergoing basic military training, and one American soldier. The weapons and equipment they used were American, making it difficult to distinguish them unless you looked closely at the patches on their uniforms.

In fact, the wasteland would have been better. At least wastelands are flat. The whole country was mountains everywhere, and the only relatively flat places were deserts. People complain that deserts are rugged, but at least they aren’t as bad as real mountains. Even Kabul, the capital and heart of the country, was at an altitude of 1,791m [5,876 feet].

Mountains, mountains, and more mountains. Because the usable area was such a mess, the initial plan was to build magnificent skyscrapers, but they were short of water purification facilities to improve living standards and factories to improve GDP [Gross Domestic Product, a measure of a country’s economic output].

“Well, I’m more interested in factories than skyscrapers, to be honest.”

Although the payment was coming from the new Afghan government, the money was ultimately from American aid. The Afghan subcontractors wouldn’t have to worry about getting stiffed on their construction costs. However, someone in the new government must have been clever, because they restricted subcontracting to no more than two levels, making it difficult to gauge whether investing here would be profitable.

In short, they could invest elsewhere if they wanted to.

“Still, this place is more stable than others. It wouldn’t be bad to think of it as a preliminary investment.”

This place was going to be a pro-American country, and if they laid the groundwork well this time, they might actually get an order to build a skyscraper someday. Moreover, Kabul was basically a crossroads of Eastern and Western civilizations, making it very suitable as a tourist destination. Some of the ruins might even be turned into theme parks. Considering all that, investing in the Afghan reconstruction project in advance might be an excellent choice.

“For now, let’s just focus on fixing Kabul. Let’s go back to Kabul.”

There was plenty of time.

* * *

“There’s no time! Move it!”

The Taliban weren’t just gathered in Kabul. Originally, if Kabul were annihilated by the American army, they planned to start a guerrilla war as part of the Mujahideen [Islamic guerrilla fighters], spreading Taliban supporters and militias thinly throughout Afghanistan. The problem was that the shock and terror had been implanted in their subconscious, and now Kabul was being defended not by the American army, but by the new government’s army.

It was an open secret that the residents, who had suffered so much during the Taliban regime, longed for the old days when they weren’t starving and mostly supported the restoration of the monarchy.

When the deposed old king regained the throne in the form of a president and began recruiting, half-gray veterans flocked to him, and when Abdul Haq, the commander of the Mujahideen, volunteered to be the commander of the new government, there weren’t enough guns to supply them all. It was like pouring water into an already full cup with a drum.

Of course, not everyone joined the army out of noble ideals. There were also plenty of people who chose to enlist because they wouldn’t starve and could get proper medical treatment even for minor injuries. In any case, the regular army, whose nutritional status was gradually improving, whose physical condition was improving, and who had received regular training with weapons from developed countries, gradually began to annihilate the guerrillas.

What is the most important and fatal thing about guerrillas? Isn’t it the locals who harbor animosity towards the invaders? Without the cooperation of the locals, even the most basic guerrilla tactics, such as terrorism and ambushes, were difficult. After all, guerrillas are people too, and they need to eat to move.

“It’s all because of those damn Americans.”

Two hours and 27 minutes? What a load of crap. It was true that it took only about two hours to seize Kabul, but how can you declare the end after seizing only the capital! That’s just typical propaganda. Of course, local battles for Allah were still taking place all over Afghanistan. However, the opponent was not the United States, but the new government’s army. In that sense, it was no exaggeration to say that the American army’s fight was over, but it still sounded like nonsense to the Taliban.

“Afghanistan, wait a little longer until I return.”

This man, who was looking at the lights of Kabul in the distance with a bitter heart, was a key member of the Taliban. His country had been invaded by the Western world, and an era of Islamic oppression had arrived. How could he not lament this? But there was not enough time. He had to send as many comrades as possible out of the country to continue the Mujahideen.

Al-Qaeda had to send Osama bin Laden, the great star of Islamic fundamentalism, to Allah’s side [meaning, to die], but in other words, only the leader had died, so if they could just change the ‘head’, they could fully preserve its function and continue the Mujahideen.

The same was true of the Taliban. Although their power had shrunk to the point of being called remnants, that was only true within Afghanistan. As soon as they crossed the border into Pakistan, there were compatriots who were continuing the holy war against the Northern Alliance.

“I will return!”

* * *

“Pahad won’t be coming back, will he?”

Hassan, the second son, was fondling the ball that he always played with his friend Pahad. The soccer ball, which had lost air and whose leather was frayed and half-ragged, represented Hassan’s feelings. This was not Hassan’s. It was a gift that Pahad had given him when he left for Afghanistan.

Pahad and Hassan had been playing with this soccer ball every day, nurturing their dream of becoming soccer players. Just because his family was poor didn’t mean Hassan’s dream would disappear, so he wanted to become a soccer player someday and support his family.

That’s what Hassan’s parents thought!

Hassan liked soccer, but he didn’t want to become a soccer player who had to kick a ball all day long. Seriously, who can live kicking a ball 24 hours a day, 365 days a year?

In fact, Hassan had recently become interested in cars. Hassan wanted to build cars. He didn’t know exactly how to build a car, but he diligently drew pictures of cars in the newspaper. Sometimes he sketched the appearance of the car in the newspaper right next to it. He imagined how it worked inside, and sometimes he asked a close uncle. According to that uncle, Hassan had talent.

The problem was that he had just as much talent for soccer. Simply put, no one in the neighborhood could keep up with Hassan. Everyone fell behind when he ran, and the soccer ball went into the goal when he kicked it. And sometimes he would get excited and imitate the celebrations of famous soccer players. That’s why it was even worse that his parents’ thoughts weren’t entirely wrong.

That’s that, and hobbies and work are different areas, aren’t they? No matter how much you like a food, you get tired of eating it every day. In that sense, he wanted to drink a cool cola rather than traditional tea. His parents were worried that young people were forgetting traditions, but there must be a reason why traditions are disappearing and being forgotten by the younger generation. At least traditions that make people uncomfortable should disappear.

“Do you want to go too?”

“No, Father.”

“Yes, that’s the right choice.”

The right choice. That’s a nice thing to hear. Hassan was only just 12 years old. But when he thought about how much his parents expected of him, he couldn’t just refuse.

Even on days when his father went hungry, Hassan could eat as much as he wanted, and he was even vaccinated by a white doctor who he didn’t know where they got him from. He didn’t really understand what a vaccine was, but he was told to keep his mouth shut if he wanted to live, so he did. Then, by chance, he found out what a vaccine was. He was sure he would be shot if the Taliban found out.

In any case, his parents were not just forcing him, but they were giving him as much as they could.

It wasn’t just his kind parents who were tightening Hassan’s noose with expectations. His older brother, Emad, saved all the money he earned from the factory and bought his clumsy younger brother expensive soccer shoes. Unfortunately, he had to paint all the soccer shoes with soot to disguise them as cheap shoes before he could even show them off to his friends.

It was common sense in Pakistan if you didn’t want to get shot and robbed. It was a neighborhood where there were a lot of things to get shot for.

“But unfortunately, we can’t stay here. The Taliban’s movements are ominous. You should get ready too.”

That meant moving. Hassan didn’t remember it, but he had already moved three times. The last move was vaguely remembered by the young Hassan.

At that time, many friends scattered and occasionally met again by chance in this city, and Pahad was one of them. But this time, they were going from domestic to foreign. He was such a nice friend that he even gave him his treasure, the soccer ball. Now that the country was divided after the city, it was impossible to meet.

“Where are we going?”

“We’re going to Iraq. Your uncle has settled down in Iraq.”

“Iraq?”

He was glad that he had at least heard of the country. However, judging from the newspapers and what the adults were saying, it wasn’t a very good country. At least he heard it was safer than Pakistan.

“Iraq, huh.”

If his uncle had settled down and his wonderful parents had decided, it must not be a bad place.

* * *

Iraq is a garbage country. There’s no sewer like this sewer. There are levels to sewers, so it didn’t win the title of the worst country in the world, but it wasn’t a country where foreigners could proudly say, ‘I’m Iraqi! I’m a native Iraqi who was born and raised in Iraq!’

There was an abandoned building at the intersection. On the second floor, there was a thick window that made it hard to tell whether light was coming in or not, and the window was covered with thick blackout curtains, advertising with its whole body, ‘There’s something here!’

Apart from that, the darkroom had excellent soundproofing for a makeshift design. In that room, several people were exchanging opinions. However, whether the squatters were impressed by the building’s concept or not, the opinions being exchanged were so extreme that if other people heard them, they would have to have a regular torture chamber party.

That’s because what they were talking about was the ‘Iraqi Revolution’.

Their common point was that they had spent part of their lives abroad. Therefore, they could be seen as a kind of revolutionary network formed naturally around students who had studied abroad. Perhaps that’s why they were very rare in the Middle East, with very little religious color. In other words, they were called apostates, and they also called each other apostates.

Of course, some people were very reluctant to use the word apostate. One person bluntly grumbled, ‘It’s not like some adolescent kid made up the word,’ but it was already decided.

“Then it’s my turn. The conflict between Sunnis and Shiites is escalating. I expect something significant to happen in the next few years. I personally witnessed a large shipment of weapons being smuggled from the former communist bloc last time.”

“There are too many possible routes. I can’t pinpoint the origin with just that information. Could they be Chinese-made weapons?”

“I’m not sure, but they were definitely AKs.”

“China also produces AKs. Double-check. I heard they’re transitioning to new-style rifles. Some might be available on the black market.”

That wasn’t entirely wrong, but the production of the Type 95 rifle wasn’t sufficient to replace the Type 81 rifle, an unlicensed copy of the AK, which would remain in active service for some time. It was more likely that an ‘anonymous donor’ seeking to sow discord in Iraq had supplied them.

“I managed to find some sympathizers in Iran during my last business trip, as expected.”

“The organization is growing rapidly. Shouldn’t we start prioritizing security?”

“Are we going to keep calling each other apostates [those who renounce their religion] forever? Shouldn’t we have a proper organization name?”

“You’re mistaken. As I said before, having a name is a security risk. Besides, it’s best to avoid attention right now. The reason they can’t track us is because we only meet sporadically in foreign countries.”

That was a valid point. They were in Iran. Meeting in Western countries might actually be safer, but some countries were known to dispatch special teams to kidnap and imprison groups of Arabs. Governments think alike. The only difference is their control over the media.

In any case, everyone agreed. Being captured by Saddam Hussein and tortured to death was out of the question.

“Next, I saw remnants of the Chechen Revolutionary Army flowing into Georgia. What about cooperating with them?”

“Chechens? They’d sooner devour us.”

“Ah, I suppose so.”

“More importantly, their methods are too extreme. Furthermore, they adhere to an ideology completely different from our goal of overthrowing dictatorships. They primarily support nationalism.”

“My turn. Looking at Afghanistan, our distant neighbor, the number of Western democracy supporters and radical revolutionaries has increased in Iraq. Additionally, there’s been a change in brokers, and many have already left for Afghanistan. I believe it’s because they drastically reduced food rations and increased taxes sevenfold to purchase a large number of surface-to-air missiles after witnessing the rapid collapse of the Taliban regime. Notably, soldiers raided every house and confiscated all fuel, claiming it’s temporary, but who knows how long it will last.”

The rumor that Saddam Hussein’s face turned pale after seeing Osama bin Laden, the leader of the mega-giant force Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban, the ruling regime of a country, collapse so quickly, was already widespread. Hussein was even more terrified because of George H.W. Bush, the father of the current President of the United States, whom he had attempted to assassinate in the past.

Witnessing the United States’ ruthless retaliation, Iraq was experiencing growing pains as it tried to bolster its military power. They were drastically lowering the conscription age and producing more heavy weapons and bunkers. However, they were only focused on quantity, so maintenance was neglected, leading to defective guns and bent turrets.

“That’s dangerous.”

“Indeed, it is.”

Saddam Hussein had been in power in Iraq for nearly 22 years. A man who shot a member of parliament for the slightest suspicion during a parliamentary speech and received a standing ovation would undoubtedly go hunting after seeing a peaceful demonstration by a group of rabbits.

In fact, everyone was certain that he was simply bored because it hadn’t been hunting season for a while. If there was a protest, a bloody crackdown that everyone, young and old, could enjoy would begin less than a day after the slow and reluctant police response!

This wasn’t just based on Saddam Hussein’s reign. During the 1991 Shiite uprising, 100,000 people died like dogs due to the military crackdown. No, their deaths were worse than dogs. Experiencing that twice was out of the question.

“What about the United States or Europe? If we ask for their help, will they willingly assist us?”

“Well, there’s no guarantee they’ll help, and historically, both East and West, involving foreign powers has never ended well.”

“That’s true. But even just aid would put us on a different level than before…”

“Aid? What kind of aid? Are you suggesting we engage in armed struggle?”

“If necessary.”

At that moment, a fire ignited in his previously listless eyes.

“Hey, Hoshyang! Armed struggle isn’t inherently bad, but!”

“First, don’t use my name. Second, I’m willing to give my life if I’m held responsible.”

“What a son of a bitch! If only I could settle this with your life! Is your life worth more than two people’s?”

“Are we just going to be terrorized by that Saddam bastard forever? A protest will erupt even without our instigation, and citizens will die! Shouldn’t we at least arm them and let them resist?”

“Taking up arms is a coup! We’ll lose international support! More people could die! The 100,000 who might be sacrificed could increase to 1 million!”

“Then let’s have a coup! Look at Afghanistan! Real change requires force! Peace can’t accomplish anything!”

“That was the US military! The US military! Not civilians, but the world’s most advanced regular army! What can you do with a militia!?”

“Damn it! Goddamn it! Are you saying we should just stand idly by? Are we supposed to just collect data while knowing they’re going to die like dogs!?”

“Someone who acts solely on intense emotions won’t succeed! If you think data collection is useless, then leave! We’re diligently tracking trends in the Middle East better than anyone else! We’re just waiting for the right opportunity!”

“You traitor! Because of you, the citizens who revolt will die! There’s no better opportunity than this!”

“How do you know that!?”

“What?”

“How do you know that!?”

* * *

“That’s because I am the President of the United States! That’s why I know better than anyone else! You who rush into disasters are the real heroes! Look! The United States is now demanding more heroes!”

Wow, there are so many people.

“During World War I, Uncle Sam recruited soldiers. But now, we need firefighters, not soldiers! Therefore, I pledge to recommend a bill to Congress to expand fire-related personnel and budgets!”

After the memorial service against the backdrop of the collapsed World Trade Center, he immediately announced the expansion of firefighting personnel and budget allocation. It was something he had planned all along, and 9/11 simply provided the impetus to demonstrate action both domestically and internationally.

He addressed the external concerns, and now it was time to solidify the internal front, domestic affairs.

Most fire departments in the United States, especially in rural areas, were volunteer fire departments organized as fire associations. Because these associations are organizations, they strictly adhered to budget protocols, sometimes being overly harsh to those who hadn’t paid their dues.

To exaggerate slightly, if a fire broke out in a house with overdue dues, the firefighters would arrive promptly, but even if the homeowner begged desperately, they might simply say, ‘No way!’ and watch the house burn.

Despite being a superpower, the United States is vast, and its fire safety standards are relatively poor compared to other developed countries.

Of course, this is in comparison. In reality, the US has always maintained a top position in terms of size and budget. The problem is that the allocated funds are insufficient to cover the needs.

Applause erupted, and everyone shouted my name, raising their voices to an embarrassing level.

“Okay. What’s next on the schedule?”

It hadn’t been long since George Bush became president, but I was already familiar with the seats in this Cadillac One [the presidential state car]. When I first entered this car, I was anxious about what might happen, but that anxiety had almost vanished, much like the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Local wars were occurring, but aside from a small number of military advisors, the US military would never set foot on that land again. The reason for my diminished anxiety was likely my conviction that history was progressing smoothly under my guidance.

I don’t know when a butterfly effect [a small change causing a large impact] will unleash a storm and wrest the reins of history from my grasp, but I vowed to myself that I would never become arrogant or overconfident and relinquish them myself. George W. Bush’s term is only 8 years, or perhaps just 4, but if I remain vigilant and avoid neoconservative policies, the world will move in a positive direction.

‘Well, even if it doesn’t…’

Even if the world takes a turn for the worse, the United States will always stand tall at the center, whether as the good guy or the bad guy.

When the United States moves, the world moves.

And that United States is George W. Bush. It is the United States that I command.

Fear my power, the light of the United States!