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Afghanistan: This War Won't Work
Jan 25, 2010
The recent Taliban attacks on Kabul provide another wake-up call
about why this war in Afghanistan simply isn't going to work. It won't
bring security to Afghans. It won't turn Afghanistan into a democracy.
And it won't make us safer.
In fact, the war killed more people in Afghanistan last year
than the year before-40 percent more civilians, according to the United
Nations. And the body count this year is already shaping up to be
higher than last year. That goes for U.S. troops too.
And President Obama's escalation, the 30,000 new troops he just
announced he's sending to Afghanistan? That's not helping either. The
Taliban have mostly stayed in the countryside, based in the small
villages where almost 80 percent of Afghans live. But now, after Obama
announced that the additional troops would be deployed in Afghanistan's
"population centers," meaning the cities, guess where the Taliban
headed for their most recent assault?
The same thing happens when U.S. troops go after Taliban or
al-Qaeda targets-they may or may not kill the "right" person, but they
consistently do kill a whole bunch of people guilty only of being in
the very wrong place at the very wrong time. The "wrong" people get
killed.
And what happens then? The grieving and outraged family,
friends, and tribe members of those "wrong" people get angry. Very
angry. They start to hate those who killed their family members-us-even
if they never did before. And some of them turn to violence when they
never would have before. This isn't new-military and political leaders
acknowledge that we're creating more terrorists than we're killing. And
still the policymakers aren't hearing it.
So it doesn't make us safer. And here at home we have another
problem too. Alongside the horrifying human cost-young soldiers killed,
others coming home with horrifying life-shattering injuries, others
returning to face traumatic brain injury and PTSD-we have to pay the
financial cost for this war.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have already cost us $950
billion. Yes, BILLION. That's not counting the $137 billion Congress
appropriated for spending between now and September. And that also
doesn't count the cost of those 30,000 new troops going to Afghanistan,
which will cost roughly $30 billion more just for their first year.
Altogether, that means by the end of this year we will have
spent about $1.08 trillion. Yes, TRILLION-a number so big it's
practically incomprehensible.
What else could we do with that money? Well, just the cost of
the current escalation could provide about six million people with
health care. Or generate 600,000 well-paid green jobs.
Which is more likely to make us safer? Opposition to the U.S.
war in Afghanistan, which peaked at almost 60 percent just a month or
so ago, has dropped after Obama's escalation speech at West Point.
We've got a lot of work to do to make sure his administration knows
this war won't make us safer, and it just costs too much-too many lives
and too much money. Are you listening, President Obama?
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Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. 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. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Phyllis Bennis
Phyllis Bennis is a fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies and serves on the national board of Jewish Voice for Peace. Her most recent book is "Understanding Palestine and Israel" (2025). Her other books include: "Understanding the US-Iran Crisis: A Primer" (2008) and "Challenging Empire: How People, Governments, and the UN Defy US Power" (2005).
The recent Taliban attacks on Kabul provide another wake-up call
about why this war in Afghanistan simply isn't going to work. It won't
bring security to Afghans. It won't turn Afghanistan into a democracy.
And it won't make us safer.
In fact, the war killed more people in Afghanistan last year
than the year before-40 percent more civilians, according to the United
Nations. And the body count this year is already shaping up to be
higher than last year. That goes for U.S. troops too.
And President Obama's escalation, the 30,000 new troops he just
announced he's sending to Afghanistan? That's not helping either. The
Taliban have mostly stayed in the countryside, based in the small
villages where almost 80 percent of Afghans live. But now, after Obama
announced that the additional troops would be deployed in Afghanistan's
"population centers," meaning the cities, guess where the Taliban
headed for their most recent assault?
The same thing happens when U.S. troops go after Taliban or
al-Qaeda targets-they may or may not kill the "right" person, but they
consistently do kill a whole bunch of people guilty only of being in
the very wrong place at the very wrong time. The "wrong" people get
killed.
And what happens then? The grieving and outraged family,
friends, and tribe members of those "wrong" people get angry. Very
angry. They start to hate those who killed their family members-us-even
if they never did before. And some of them turn to violence when they
never would have before. This isn't new-military and political leaders
acknowledge that we're creating more terrorists than we're killing. And
still the policymakers aren't hearing it.
So it doesn't make us safer. And here at home we have another
problem too. Alongside the horrifying human cost-young soldiers killed,
others coming home with horrifying life-shattering injuries, others
returning to face traumatic brain injury and PTSD-we have to pay the
financial cost for this war.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have already cost us $950
billion. Yes, BILLION. That's not counting the $137 billion Congress
appropriated for spending between now and September. And that also
doesn't count the cost of those 30,000 new troops going to Afghanistan,
which will cost roughly $30 billion more just for their first year.
Altogether, that means by the end of this year we will have
spent about $1.08 trillion. Yes, TRILLION-a number so big it's
practically incomprehensible.
What else could we do with that money? Well, just the cost of
the current escalation could provide about six million people with
health care. Or generate 600,000 well-paid green jobs.
Which is more likely to make us safer? Opposition to the U.S.
war in Afghanistan, which peaked at almost 60 percent just a month or
so ago, has dropped after Obama's escalation speech at West Point.
We've got a lot of work to do to make sure his administration knows
this war won't make us safer, and it just costs too much-too many lives
and too much money. Are you listening, President Obama?
Phyllis Bennis
Phyllis Bennis is a fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies and serves on the national board of Jewish Voice for Peace. Her most recent book is "Understanding Palestine and Israel" (2025). Her other books include: "Understanding the US-Iran Crisis: A Primer" (2008) and "Challenging Empire: How People, Governments, and the UN Defy US Power" (2005).
The recent Taliban attacks on Kabul provide another wake-up call
about why this war in Afghanistan simply isn't going to work. It won't
bring security to Afghans. It won't turn Afghanistan into a democracy.
And it won't make us safer.
In fact, the war killed more people in Afghanistan last year
than the year before-40 percent more civilians, according to the United
Nations. And the body count this year is already shaping up to be
higher than last year. That goes for U.S. troops too.
And President Obama's escalation, the 30,000 new troops he just
announced he's sending to Afghanistan? That's not helping either. The
Taliban have mostly stayed in the countryside, based in the small
villages where almost 80 percent of Afghans live. But now, after Obama
announced that the additional troops would be deployed in Afghanistan's
"population centers," meaning the cities, guess where the Taliban
headed for their most recent assault?
The same thing happens when U.S. troops go after Taliban or
al-Qaeda targets-they may or may not kill the "right" person, but they
consistently do kill a whole bunch of people guilty only of being in
the very wrong place at the very wrong time. The "wrong" people get
killed.
And what happens then? The grieving and outraged family,
friends, and tribe members of those "wrong" people get angry. Very
angry. They start to hate those who killed their family members-us-even
if they never did before. And some of them turn to violence when they
never would have before. This isn't new-military and political leaders
acknowledge that we're creating more terrorists than we're killing. And
still the policymakers aren't hearing it.
So it doesn't make us safer. And here at home we have another
problem too. Alongside the horrifying human cost-young soldiers killed,
others coming home with horrifying life-shattering injuries, others
returning to face traumatic brain injury and PTSD-we have to pay the
financial cost for this war.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have already cost us $950
billion. Yes, BILLION. That's not counting the $137 billion Congress
appropriated for spending between now and September. And that also
doesn't count the cost of those 30,000 new troops going to Afghanistan,
which will cost roughly $30 billion more just for their first year.
Altogether, that means by the end of this year we will have
spent about $1.08 trillion. Yes, TRILLION-a number so big it's
practically incomprehensible.
What else could we do with that money? Well, just the cost of
the current escalation could provide about six million people with
health care. Or generate 600,000 well-paid green jobs.
Which is more likely to make us safer? Opposition to the U.S.
war in Afghanistan, which peaked at almost 60 percent just a month or
so ago, has dropped after Obama's escalation speech at West Point.
We've got a lot of work to do to make sure his administration knows
this war won't make us safer, and it just costs too much-too many lives
and too much money. Are you listening, President Obama?
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