July, 12 2010, 03:58pm EDT
Why Are We in Afghanistan?
WASHINGTON
TOM ENGELHARDT
Engelhardt is founder of TomDispatch.com; his book The American Way of War: How Bush's Wars Became Obama's was just released. Engelhardt's latest piece is "Why Are We in Afghanistan? As Petraeus Takes Over, Could Success Be Worse Than Failure?" which states: "It's now past time to ask that question, even as the Obama administration repeats the al-Qaeda mantra of the Bush years almost word for word and lets any explanation go at that. Why are we in Afghanistan? Why is our treasure being wasted there when it's needed here?
"It's clear enough that a failed counterinsurgency war in Afghanistan will be an unaffordably expensive catastrophe. Let's not wait a year to discover that there's an even worse fate ahead, a 'success' that leaves us mired there for years to come as our troubles at home only grow. With everything else Americans have to deal with, who needs a future Petraeus Syndrome?"
You can also listen to an audio interview with Engelhardt here.
A nationwide consortium, the Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) represents an unprecedented effort to bring other voices to the mass-media table often dominated by a few major think tanks. IPA works to broaden public discourse in mainstream media, while building communication with alternative media outlets and grassroots activists.
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