AFGHANISTAN - from Quandary to Quagmire!
AFGHANISTAN
FROM QUANDARY TO QUAGMIRE!
As President Obama meets with virtually every knowledgable military commander. members of Congressional Committees, aides and associates in, and out, of the White House, political stalwarts of both parties, members of his own administration - with a single topic on the table - Afghanistan, it would be speciousness of the first order for ViewPoint to jump in and offer ANY suggestion or comment worthy of this space. Yet, there are 'sidebars' to this critical topic and ViewPoint believes it necessary for some public airing, not usually picked up by the media in this country.
To understand and appreciate the decisions being debated at this moment vis-a-vis our role in Afghanistan, one must do a quick summary of reasons why the United States is there in the first place. It was immediately following the devastating blow at New York and America beyond, eight years ago, that the powers in Washington opted to go after the small, little known band of international terrorists, Al Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden, certain that planning and execution of
the attack centered on this group. And intelligence experts from the USA and other countries, pointed to the virtually inpenetrable mountain ranges of Afghanistan as the hideout location where deep caves sheltered the evil doers.
In a matter of days, Washington was gearing up for a swift and deadly pursuit of Al Qaeda, almost mimicing the days of 'the old west' when the sheriff gathered his deputies and and a handful of bounty hunters to 'go get 'im!" - and before any studies had been made of the country, the territory sought, the culture of Afghanistan's people and/or problems, particularly with a rising internal force called the "Taliban", we were en route to our first foray into a third world country that had withstood every attempt, going back centuries, to invade and occupy this small piece of geography know mostly as a major supplier of drugs from the vast fields of poppies - and not much else!
In short order, US troops had the Taliban on the run, semblances of order in villages and cities were visibable to the local population, little girls returned to school classrooms previously denied by the Taliban, men stopped growing beards decreed to be a necessity by the clerical leaders, and almost as an after thought, the forces that swept the Taliban, but never saw a single Al Qaeda member, were redirected to Iraq. It was the time for a futile hunt in another country little known to the USA, except for a built in hatred for a despot named Saddam Hussein whose claim to fame at that time was a direct reference to a substantial array of intercontinental missiles hidden, but ready to launch at any enemy who threatened Iraq!
As the war in Iraq became more intense, and no weapons of mass destruction were found, all attention turned to Saddam Hussein and his supposed highly vaunted army ready to fight the USA and allied countries as defenders, fierce killers, well trained soldiers - none of which turned out to be true - and the one highlight of the American invasion became the discovery of Hussein hiding in a 'spider hole' at a farm far from the 'front' where his troops were going down to defeat rapidly.
Now, enough of the short history. We turn back to Afghanistan - practically forgotten in the push to end the conflict in Iraq. Eight years have passed and Al Qaeda continues to send threatening messages to the world. Indeed, several horrific mass killings of innocent people occur in African countries as explosives devastate office buildings in several cities, market places, even religious centers - and Al Qaeda is blamed - without proof! Osama Bin Laden lives on as far as anyone knows - he continues to hide in the mountainous border area alongside Pakistan - and finally, finally, The USA determines that the time has come to get this guy!
Thousands of war weary, but determined and dedicated fighters are moved from Iraq to Afghanistan. Only this time, the Taliban is waiting for them and in much better position to defend and attack invading forces. In Washington, a new President, a new Congress, and many new leaders of our government and the Pentagon, are suddenly made aware that something has to happen - something that has been overlooked for eight years. WHAT IS OUR ROLE NOW? - WHAT IS OUR GOAL? and, WHAT ARE WE PREPARED TO DO TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING?
Thus, the endless meetings with President Obama sifting every suggestion, every nuance offered, every option analyzed - knowing full well that the buck really does stop with him. The decision,whatever it may be, will be his. And it is here, that ViewPoint has the audacity to tell the President that the answer is written in history, that the options are false and meaningless, that every general of our armies over generations have made it clear that if you want to win a war you must have enough boots on the ground, enough planes in the air, enough armament and firepower to overwhelm the enemy - or you are going to lose the war! Thus, an increasingly unpopular choice, to send 40,000 more troops to find and kill the Al Qaeda bad guys - with no guarantee that they will be found - and America not wanting another 2, 4, or 6 years of fighting, losing our men and women to explosives, shells, firestorms, disease and discomfort in a repulsive territory - makes it virtually mandatory that history be observed and that all involved in the decision making process recognize a fruitless quest - and plan accordingly!
Finally, the current climate of dismay that president Hamid Karsai may have won his new term in office as President of Afghanistan by fraud, deceipt, and corruption - is proof positive that this is no place for an American presence. Not as an army of hunters, not as the saviors of the downtrodden population that lives in poverty, uneducated, unsympathetic to our aims and goals. Beyond the lofty beliefs that an American army can gain the acceptance of Afghans by some form of 'on-the-spot' public relations, there remains a nasty fact of war time hazards that many citizens of the country are likely to be killed or injured by happenstance as bombs drop indiscriminately on homes and villages.
It is clear that we should tell our friends who have stayed with us as a military gesture, and the American public, that we have concluded that it is more intelligent, more prudent, more meaningful for all, to come home, heads held high, marching in order, not running, not escaping - and, if we are as smart, clever, dedicated as we think we are, we will find a way to close in on Al Qaeda - maybe through infiltration, maybe electronically by closing off every means of communication, maybe by making terrorism an unpopular career for rising young men who can shift their talents to some new religion - who knows? What is known is that Afghanistan, and Iraq, and scores of other countries with dubious governments have a generational persistence in fraud and corruption as an intrinsic part of their lives, ways, and means - where bribery is a necessity, and lying and cheating helps make the world go 'round! Not that America, and many democratic countries on all continents have eliminated the negatives. The difference is that results for those who choose the corruption route to success frequently wind up in prison!
When Afghanistan is off the table, let us have some clear headed thinking about what we accomplished in Iraq - and how we can leave that forsaken country with a blueprint for the future - without American presence, without American dollars, with a hand shake and a final toast to "Good Luck!" - and that should be enough!
Richard Carlton
October 15, 2009
Issue No. 20
When Afghanistan is off the table, let us have some clear headed thinking about what we accomplished in Iraq - and how we can leave that forsaken country with a blueprint for the future - without American presence, without American dollars, with a hand shake and a final toast to "Good Luck!" - and that should be enough!
Richard Carlton
October 15, 2009
Issue No. 20
Bravo Richard. Succinct, intelligent and to the point.!!! Thanks.
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