the hell is going on in Afghanistan. Our forces are there in occupation to opportune, preserve & protect US sovereign interests, be they public or private concerns, in order to maximise profits & future developments for those concerns. Put simply, we all know the US has been broke for quite a while now, & that China is the major debtor. There will come a time, for the US, when the best case scenario for alleviation of that debt is conflict, be it international posturing a la the Cuban missile crisis, or actual military engagement of some sort. The past , present & future positioning of the US war machine & it's inherent civilian accompaniments is aimed at rendering China vulnerable to whatever leverage can be gained prior to the line where the gloves come off. China will not seek to engage in a military fashion. Nor should it, why damage something you already own , especially when it is worth so much money. This renders China vulnerable to exploitation by way of denial of access to resources hence the heavy investment of time & money ( not to mention lives)by the US in the Middle East, where resources & their control are the primary bargaining chip. Iran didn't play chicken with the US recently because it wants a war, whatever the simplification of our media will tell you about the rivalry of Muslim vs Christian ideals etc. Iran played chicken because they know how valuable they are in the scheme