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For Immediate Release
August, 22 2017, 09:30am EDT
Contact:
Contact Paul Kawika Martin at 951-217-7285, or,email Paul,.,Contact Jon Rainwater at 510-469-3700, or,email Jon,.
The Time Is Now To Repeal The 2001 Authorization For Use Of Military Force
Last night, President Trump announced a "new" strategy for U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. In it, he made clear that the one thing that he won't be changing is waging ongoing and unending war.
WASHINGTON
Last night, President Trump announced a "new" strategy for U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. In it, he made clear that the one thing that he won't be changing is waging ongoing and unending war.
After nearly 16 years, it's long past obvious that military options are not going to bring the longest war in American history to an end. Adding a reported 4,000 additional troops[1] to the 8,400 soldiers already there is not going to accomplish what 100,000 U.S. troops couldn't do in 2011. The last 16 years has taught us there is simply no military solution in Afghanistan. Yet that's apparently the only option the Trump administration even considered.
Indeed, it's hard to consider smarter, diplomatic channels when 8 months into an administration, the U.S. still doesn't even have an ambassador to Afghanistan. Ongoing war will certainly not solve the myriad of challenges Afghanistan faces today, including protracted political rivalries, rampant corruption and extraordinary poverty.
It's time for Congress to correct the mistake it made when it passed the 2001 Authorization For Use of Military Force (AUMF) but failed to include an end date to the authorization.
By sending in potentially thousands more U.S. troops with no withdrawal date mandated, the war will now continue through its third presidency. When asked how long the U.S. will retain a military presence in Afghanistan, a senior U.S. official responded, "How long have we been in Korea?"[2]
The answer to that question is 64 years and counting.
The war in Afghanistan has already cost the U.S. dearly in blood and treasure. Over 3,500 U.S. military and civilian contractors have lost their lives. That number is dwarfed by the more than 26,000 Afghan civilians who have died as a result of this war. All this at a cost of nearly $800 billion. We simply can't afford to continue on this path.
Congress needs to take responsibility and reign the president, especially this president and this war, in.
When the AUMF was passed in 2001, it was intended to bring the perpetrators of 9/11 to justice. That goal has largely been accomplished. Yet, with Trump's announcement tonight, and Congress failing to fulfill its constitutional duty, the war in Afghanistan will continue with no real plan for a lasting peace. Rather, we continue to have a blank check for a war with no end in sight.
Humbly for peace,
Jon Rainwater
Executive Director
Peace Action
Peace Action is the United States' largest peace and disarmament organization with over 100,000 members and nearly 100 chapters in 34 states, works to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons, promote government spending priorities that support human needs and encourage real security through international cooperation and human rights.
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