Yup imperialism only enshrines reactionary tendancies within the occupied territories since it helps their one and only goal, retaining their hegemony. Couple this with the character of imperialism which entails sucking all capital and natural resources out of the occupied territory and the complete lack of industrialisation. In no way could an imperial victory be deemed as progressive in this context. But over the years on revleft you will come across many Western Leftists who come from imperial countrys and have latent loyalties based on nationalism, whether they are willing to come to terms or accept that is another story.
You're massively correct in the thread related to Afghanistan. If the Northern Alliance is to be allowed a victory; Massive human rights abuses regardless are going to occur, most likely a massive part of the opposition will be slaughtered by the Northern Alliance and the majority of the illusions of progress that have been pushed into place will in fact be reversed as there will be no reason to appease the Imperialists. Afterward with the decaying situation in Pakistan, the United States will use Afghanistan as a Military Fortress in Central Asia in order to push forward their own interests while those inside of it vastly suffer.
