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Opinion: Ending a failed U.S. military policy
Wednesday, Oct. 7 marks the eighth anniversary of the current occupation of Afghanistan. At a time when President Barack Obama is increasing the troops in Afghanistan and escalating the war, people of conscience are organizing to resist the war and educate the public on the real issues that are driving U.S. military policy in the Middle East.
In concert with hundreds of educational events and vigils happening around the country about the current wars in the Middle East, the Nashville Peace Coalition is hosting a vigil and a popular education panel as well. It will take place on West End Avenue & 25th in front of Centennial Park from 4-5:30 p.m., followed by an educational panel from 6-8 p.m. at the Friends Meeting House, 530 26th Ave. N. (Both events are free and open to the public. For more information, call 593-0304.)
Following the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, many in this country initially supported the war in Afghanistan because they believed that it would reduce the threat of another attack on U.S. soil, and that it would enable the U.S. to bring to justice Osama bin Laden and others responsible for the attacks.
Once the Taliban fell, the war was touted as a success. However, while public attention shifted to the war in Iraq, the conflict in Afghanistan entered a new phase of violence and decay.
President Obama was elected on a platform of change and with hopes for diplomacy instead of war. As the war in Iraq winds down, more troops have been sent to Afghanistan. Some in the Pentagon are calling for more.
Now, 54 percent of Americans believe the Afghanistan war is a mistake. The peace movement is challenged to organize into a movement to end the war in Afghanistan as one of the big steps towards addressing the crisis in our communities. Our best interests and the interests of the Afghanistan people lie in the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. forces.
With every bomb dropped and every civilian and military death, we are no closer to helping the Afghan people and the region to grapple with their problems. In fact, the U.S. presence is the biggest obstacle to doing so.
Today, as calls grow louder for the U.S. military to send more troops to Afghanistan, it is time to address the realities and counter the misconceptions surrounding the war and occupation. We must become better informed about the true consequences of US foreign policy in Afghanistan. We need to listen to the Afghan peacemakers and grassroots movements that are calling for alternatives to military action and work with them to devise strategies for building a lasting peace.
Lugo, a peace activist and 2006 Green Party U.S. Senate candidate, heads the Nashville Peace Coalition.
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For many Afghani women the image bubba carrying an M16 is their only hope of a life with human dignity. Don't assume, tell them first that the US leaving is in their best interest, and then write the peace editorial.
Nothing creats more war than a bunch of peaceniks. It was true at the beginning of this country and it is true now. The peaceniks left American troops hanging without support in Canada when troops were sent to take Canada to prevent a larger engagement in the states. I suspect that the fickle congress and the peacenicks probably caused Benedict Arnold to betray his country after being wounded twice in the service of his country.
The congress starved the troops for funds to exist with worthless Continental dollars. The peaceniks preferred to pay the Medeterranean pirates rather than pull our revolutionary war ships out of mothballs and resist. They considered the continued impressing of Americans into the British navy as an inconvenience, mostly for people who were kidnapped.
Peace that tolerates injustice is the worst kind of peace. I don't see how this group can avoid being a tool of the oppressor, especially if they don't seem to care.
Great letter, well-written, articulate and weighty.
There is one unspoken truth about the American peace movement, it is often naive and somewhat self-deluding. Most, peace activists do not identify the enemy properly so there efforts are doomed to failure.
The enemy of the peace activist is the War Lobby. The War Lobby is not a monolithic entity, it consists of three seperate, but related lobbies.
The War lobby consists of the Defense lobby, the Israel lobby and the Energy lobby (acronym DIE). The peace movement has no qualms about attacking the policies of the Defense and Energy lobbies, but is reluctant to attack the policies of the Israel lobby, out of fear of being labelled as "terrorist-enabling, Holocaust-denying Anti-Semites" etc.
The interests of the Defense Lobby, the Israel lobby and the Energy lobby all come together in the Middle East and in the oil-producing regions of central Asia.
As long as the peace movement continues to exempt the war-mongering Israelis from criticism, their efforts will be ineffective, counter-productive and a general waste of time and talent.
Bin Laden struck on 9-11 because of US support for Israel, that's what his audio tapes tell us. So we invaded and now occupy Afghanistan.
Then Israel trumped up the threat level and phony intelligence on Iraq, so we invaded and now occupy Iraq.
Now the Israelis want the US to strike Iran, at their behest.
Of course, the clever Israelis have never sent a single soldier to fight alongside our GI's in any conflict. With belligerent, perfidious (USS Liberty) allies like Israel, who needs enemies?
Get real guys! We have been attacked many times prior to 9\11. These religeous nuts are blowing themselves up for their God. Afganistan is the capital for these nuts and they plan on controlling that country. Can you imagine an entire country full of people willing to blow themselves up in the name of Allah? Once they have control of the country and are able to build a nuke, where do you think it will be pointed? We must defeat them at all cost or we are doomed! Do you think people whom are willing to blow themselves up for their "cause" would be willing to give in just because the U.N. imposed a few sanctions on them? Do you really think that Israel is the only reason we are hated by them? They hate our religeon and our way of life in the west. To them we are the great Satan and must be eliminated.
Like it or not we have the choice of giving up our way of life and religeon or fighting until we win. I truly feel for the families that have lost soldiers in Afganistan and I am repulsed by the lives lost in Iraq in a war that never made any sense. The war in Afganistan is a just war and should be fought as if the exsistence of our country depends upon it. Because it does. As far as Iran, they are just as dangerous for all the same reasons. A war there is also warranted. We should not pull out of Afganistan, instead we should pour everything we have into it. We should put every bit as much effort and resources into it as we did world war II. Our exsistence counted on it then and it depends on it now.
Find a better cause than bringing our country down.
This is not a failed U.S. military policy.
It's a success story.
The whole intent is to control the oil in the region.
The attack was just an excuse to go over there,
and then make a right turn toward Iraq.
It's all about oil. Not religion, not fanatics. Oil.
Our guys are dying for oil.
What a waste.
Titansjoe, loosen your helmet's chin strap, remove your cup and loosen your football pants; walk around and take a few deep breaths.You'll be OK.
'll bet that Titansjoe has never put on a military uniform and gone on patrol in a war zone, thousands of miles from home. Guys like Titansjoe are like the Titans cheerladers, not the actual players. Joe waves the pom-pom and cheers, but Joe ain't going into harm's way....we have way too many Joes in this country and too few actual players.
Panda, the "good reasons" for our war on terror are faith-based - protecting poor, helpless, nuclear-armed Israel - you know, more Promised Land and Chosen People, prophecy fufillment crap.
The "real reasons" for these elective wars are less noble and less popular with the US public - protecting the interests and investments of big oil and the defense industry.