12.02.2009

War or Peace


We are going to send 34,000 more soldiers to fight in Afghanistan. Britain chipped in 500 and most everyone else in the world is trying to figure out why we’re still fighting there anyway. We can’t withdraw everyone and leave the war ravaged Afghans to pick American bullets out of their houses. And we can’t send in more troops to attempt some form of victory without the rest of the world throwing their hands up asking “when will it end?!” So we find ourselves in a classic pickle. We? Yes we all do. Those who want to “get the hell outa there” have to consider the trillions invested in the mission already. They have to consider the shambles that would be left behind. They must be willing to idly watch a struggling nation clean up a mess that we are responsible for. Those who want more troops sent in to the fighting must first consider the lives that will be sacrificed for this mission. They must realize the financial cost continued war will require from our struggling economy. At some point we have to stop, take a deep breath and ask ourselves what the mission is again. What was the mission back in 2001 when we entered into this war? Our objective was to find and bring Osama bin Laden to justice and to eradicate terrorist Al Qaeda and Taliban cells in the region. If these objectives are feasible then we must complete them with all our power, resources, and national enthusiasm we can bare. If these objectives are impossible and we as a nation and a military have found them to be so, then we must leave Afghanistan immediately. After announcing that 34,000 troops would be dispatched over the next year Obama also announced that the US will begin to withdraw from Afghanistan in July of 2011 depending on our situation over there. Obama says we’re fighting a “war of necessity”. Are “wars of necessity” the same as wars that you want to win? If yes then we’d assume that the necessary amount of troops needed to win the war would be dispatched. Yet only half of what General McChrystal requested were promised. I understand that some 60,000 troops are a lot of men and women’s lives, but why not finish the job and get out of there? If we are going to fight a war at all then why don’t we win it? And if we’re not going to win and accomplish the mission then why are we still in it at all? This is our pickle. Our country’s divided, and it seems that even our President hasn’t decided where he stands. Does he want to win the war, or does he want to withdraw troops and get out of that mess? Either choice will lead to many people disliking him, but that comes with the territory.

3 comments:

  1. It is a large task to take on a war that has many facets and social issues that we have no way of understanding. Kudos to you my friend.

    I also praise you for bringing up such a touchy subject without being overly angry and blaming. (Political blogs are a bummer to me, in that I should be a conservative, and am not. I almost always feel guilty.)

    Happy blogging my friend!

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  2. Yes, yes and yes. Who could disagree with this? Somewhere along the line the mission became to build Afghanistan into a democracy. Personally, I don't think that's possible at this point. Noble, but unlikely.

    Awesome picture, by the way. Hahaha!

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  3. Have you ever considered that Afgan might just actually be a staging ground for possible if not probable war with IRAN.Hmmmm...Worth considering.

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