Subscribe to Common Dreams News Updates
Most Popular This Week
Popular content
Today's Top News
Quagmire Redux
Mr. President, We ask once more: Given the latest casualty figures, public opinion polls, Congressional rumblings and dire warnings from your top military leaders of "mission failure" (whatever that constitutes that hasn't already happened) – given all this, surely it's time to rethink Afghanistan?
This morning, NPR's BBC report included an interview with an Afghan M.P. who made so many sensible, seemingly obvious points that it was hard to imagine the entire U.S. population, listening while driving to work or their kids' schools, not all nodding together with it, a collective, exasperated, war-weary, quiet howl of protest. You need to help us train our own troops, he said, and address the root problems of poverty and unemployment without the corruption of the current government, and articulate a reason for being there, and stop killing our civilians, etc etc. Of course. How could anyone not see this?
Likewise, today's news of General Stanley McChristal's disastrous assessment of how things stand and the high risk of "a longer conflict, greater casualties, higher overall costs and, ultimately, a critical loss of political support." What part of "quagmire" do these people still not get?
Seeing the coming debacle, Brave New Films is about to debut its documentary, "Rethink Afghanistan," to help try and stop it. To see the film, post it, Facebook it or otherwise spread its cautionary message, go here
5 Comments so far
Show AllA Bo sans his hog! Now only presidential pooch, Bo Obama wants to carry on in Afghanistan, probably with that hot-legged wolfhound he saw goosestepping with the Afghan MPs in Kabul. Barack, give US real HOME(Hands Off Middle East)land security. Get US OUT NOW!!
When one is beholding to the military industrial congressional complex and so tied around their agendas what would anyone think is the final answer?
These wars, occupations of other nations and the whole hegemonic movement is what obama, in early 2008 campaigning, promised to maintain for america's only real export now, death, suffering and misery and those members of that complex are holding him to it and he can't and won't go against them.
Now it seems to me that obama has dug that hole that america has been dumped in so deep that he will be very hard pressed to finish this term with any kind of integrity and that still may not keep him from being re-elected considering those who control the elections and who runs.
I know it's not PC to say this but some people do not value what is commonly known in the west as freedom. These people enjoy having a strong leader and are happy paying bakshish. It's been like that in the Middle east for ages. The US is not gonna change that.
Stop trying to impose western values upon people that neither understand nor want them.
This was supposed to be go in, get Osama, get out. But no, now we need to implement a "democracy". Really, just look at the corruption and fraud in the last Afghan election. They still have a tribal system over there (not even feudal) and the US wants them to jump over 500yrs of social evolution. Ain't gonna work...
Chameleon: You're dead wrong. "Bakshish" is corruption. In India, black money (another form of corruption) along with bakshish make up a parallel, illegal economy. To say an ordinary person anywhere prefers this kind of corruption is very cynical. Most people want to live in a reasonably decent society.
I disagree. Been there done that. Bakshish works. You want someting, you pay up, you get it. It's been the way of life in that area forever. It's not really considered corruption the way it is seen in western countries. It is actually expected for services. Kinda like the tip you pay to the pizza delivery guy. Some places charge for delivery but the driver still expects his $1-$2.