SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants crowd into the Herat Kabul Internet cafe to apply for the SIV program on August 8, 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Many Afghans are in desperate need of assistance completing the forms and obtaining required human resources letters, a particular challenge for those whose U.S. government work ended years ago. (Photo: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
There 'Will Never Be' a US Military Solution in Afghanistan: Rep. Barbara Lee
The California Democrat was the only member of Congress to vote against the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
Aug 16, 2021
Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee--who cast the sole vote against the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force that was used to justify the war in Afghanistan--reiterated on Sunday her assessment that "there is no military solution" to address the worsening chaos in that country.
Lee's (D-Calif.) remarks came in an interview on MSNBC's "American Voices with Alicia Menendez" as the Taliban effectively took control of the country and desperate Afghans tried to flee.
"Our focus now," said Lee, "has got to be... the safety and security of everyone at this moment, and I think it's a very dire situation."
"This is an example, though, that there is no military solution," she said. "We've been there 20 years, we have spent over a trillion dollars, and we have trained over 300,000 of the Afghan forces," Lee added, calling the current situation "a tragedy."
\u201cWhat\u2019s happening in Afghanistan currently is a humanitarian crisis.\n\nLet\u2019s be clear: there has never been, and will never be, a U.S. military solution in Afghanistan. \n\nOur top priority must be providing humanitarian aid & resettlement to Afghan refugees, women, and children.\u201d— Rep. Barbara Lee (@Rep. Barbara Lee) 1629082667
Citing Brown University's Costs of War Project's estimate that the war in Afghanistan cost U.S. taxpayers over $2 trillion, guest host Anand Giridharadas asked Lee about just where all the money ended up.
After acknowledging the hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops and Afghan civilians who lost their lives as a result of the war, the California Democrat pointed to "many, many reports [showing] that there was an enormous amount of corruption" and graft.
"It was just an untenable situation," she said.
\u201cCosts of the war in Afghanistan since 2001:\n\n$2 trillion (and counting). https://t.co/N2d7mrzBjm\n\n5.3 million displaced from their homes (and counting). https://t.co/1cv2uutMKy\u201d— The Costs of War Project (@The Costs of War Project) 1629125058
Asked if the U.S. would learn any lessons from current disaster, Lee said: "Listen, 20 years ago I said that there was no military solution in Afghanistan. Of course we have to deal with the terrorist threats, of course we have to deal with national security."
"But," she said, "we have to remember we have three stools of our foreign and military policy: diplomacy, development, and defense." And those three aspects have "been out of balance."
"We need to get back to rebalancing," said Lee, praising the Biden administration for what she said was "doing the right thing" by pulling out of Afghanistan.
Lee's 2001 vote against the AUMF was referenced on Sunday by MSNBC political analyst Mehdi Hasan in a Twitter thread in which he lamented that "those of us who warned against invading and occupying Afghanistan 20 years ago have been tragically, awfully, vindicated."
"I also wish everyone had listened to Rep. Barbara Lee back in September 2001," he wrote.
According to the Costs of War Project, over 5.3 million Afghans have been displaced since the U.S. occupation and invasion in 2001. The project further estimates that 241,000 people have died as a direct result of the war.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee--who cast the sole vote against the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force that was used to justify the war in Afghanistan--reiterated on Sunday her assessment that "there is no military solution" to address the worsening chaos in that country.
Lee's (D-Calif.) remarks came in an interview on MSNBC's "American Voices with Alicia Menendez" as the Taliban effectively took control of the country and desperate Afghans tried to flee.
"Our focus now," said Lee, "has got to be... the safety and security of everyone at this moment, and I think it's a very dire situation."
"This is an example, though, that there is no military solution," she said. "We've been there 20 years, we have spent over a trillion dollars, and we have trained over 300,000 of the Afghan forces," Lee added, calling the current situation "a tragedy."
\u201cWhat\u2019s happening in Afghanistan currently is a humanitarian crisis.\n\nLet\u2019s be clear: there has never been, and will never be, a U.S. military solution in Afghanistan. \n\nOur top priority must be providing humanitarian aid & resettlement to Afghan refugees, women, and children.\u201d— Rep. Barbara Lee (@Rep. Barbara Lee) 1629082667
Citing Brown University's Costs of War Project's estimate that the war in Afghanistan cost U.S. taxpayers over $2 trillion, guest host Anand Giridharadas asked Lee about just where all the money ended up.
After acknowledging the hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops and Afghan civilians who lost their lives as a result of the war, the California Democrat pointed to "many, many reports [showing] that there was an enormous amount of corruption" and graft.
"It was just an untenable situation," she said.
\u201cCosts of the war in Afghanistan since 2001:\n\n$2 trillion (and counting). https://t.co/N2d7mrzBjm\n\n5.3 million displaced from their homes (and counting). https://t.co/1cv2uutMKy\u201d— The Costs of War Project (@The Costs of War Project) 1629125058
Asked if the U.S. would learn any lessons from current disaster, Lee said: "Listen, 20 years ago I said that there was no military solution in Afghanistan. Of course we have to deal with the terrorist threats, of course we have to deal with national security."
"But," she said, "we have to remember we have three stools of our foreign and military policy: diplomacy, development, and defense." And those three aspects have "been out of balance."
"We need to get back to rebalancing," said Lee, praising the Biden administration for what she said was "doing the right thing" by pulling out of Afghanistan.
Lee's 2001 vote against the AUMF was referenced on Sunday by MSNBC political analyst Mehdi Hasan in a Twitter thread in which he lamented that "those of us who warned against invading and occupying Afghanistan 20 years ago have been tragically, awfully, vindicated."
"I also wish everyone had listened to Rep. Barbara Lee back in September 2001," he wrote.
According to the Costs of War Project, over 5.3 million Afghans have been displaced since the U.S. occupation and invasion in 2001. The project further estimates that 241,000 people have died as a direct result of the war.
Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee--who cast the sole vote against the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force that was used to justify the war in Afghanistan--reiterated on Sunday her assessment that "there is no military solution" to address the worsening chaos in that country.
Lee's (D-Calif.) remarks came in an interview on MSNBC's "American Voices with Alicia Menendez" as the Taliban effectively took control of the country and desperate Afghans tried to flee.
"Our focus now," said Lee, "has got to be... the safety and security of everyone at this moment, and I think it's a very dire situation."
"This is an example, though, that there is no military solution," she said. "We've been there 20 years, we have spent over a trillion dollars, and we have trained over 300,000 of the Afghan forces," Lee added, calling the current situation "a tragedy."
\u201cWhat\u2019s happening in Afghanistan currently is a humanitarian crisis.\n\nLet\u2019s be clear: there has never been, and will never be, a U.S. military solution in Afghanistan. \n\nOur top priority must be providing humanitarian aid & resettlement to Afghan refugees, women, and children.\u201d— Rep. Barbara Lee (@Rep. Barbara Lee) 1629082667
Citing Brown University's Costs of War Project's estimate that the war in Afghanistan cost U.S. taxpayers over $2 trillion, guest host Anand Giridharadas asked Lee about just where all the money ended up.
After acknowledging the hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops and Afghan civilians who lost their lives as a result of the war, the California Democrat pointed to "many, many reports [showing] that there was an enormous amount of corruption" and graft.
"It was just an untenable situation," she said.
\u201cCosts of the war in Afghanistan since 2001:\n\n$2 trillion (and counting). https://t.co/N2d7mrzBjm\n\n5.3 million displaced from their homes (and counting). https://t.co/1cv2uutMKy\u201d— The Costs of War Project (@The Costs of War Project) 1629125058
Asked if the U.S. would learn any lessons from current disaster, Lee said: "Listen, 20 years ago I said that there was no military solution in Afghanistan. Of course we have to deal with the terrorist threats, of course we have to deal with national security."
"But," she said, "we have to remember we have three stools of our foreign and military policy: diplomacy, development, and defense." And those three aspects have "been out of balance."
"We need to get back to rebalancing," said Lee, praising the Biden administration for what she said was "doing the right thing" by pulling out of Afghanistan.
Lee's 2001 vote against the AUMF was referenced on Sunday by MSNBC political analyst Mehdi Hasan in a Twitter thread in which he lamented that "those of us who warned against invading and occupying Afghanistan 20 years ago have been tragically, awfully, vindicated."
"I also wish everyone had listened to Rep. Barbara Lee back in September 2001," he wrote.
According to the Costs of War Project, over 5.3 million Afghans have been displaced since the U.S. occupation and invasion in 2001. The project further estimates that 241,000 people have died as a direct result of the war.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.