To date the war in Afghanistan has gone on for over eight years, at a cost of over one thousand American lives and about $280 billion ( give or take a couple billion ). The Taliban is in control of large portions of the country, and after all this time, we really aren't any closer to winning this war than we were back in 2001. The Afghan economy is dependent on opium production. There is nothing resembling a functioning central government in the country. It's a mess.
President Obama seems to have decided on a counter insurgency strategy to win this war. The strategy by its very nature requires years, probably decades of nation-building. This strategy might possibly work if it was being executed by some other nation besides the U.S. It won't work for us because, quite honestly, we don't have the patience for it. We are citizens of the United States of ADD, and collectively we have the attention span of a three-year-old. We pride ourselves on being able to accomplish the impossible, but we have to have results right now. We have enormous energy and ambition, but we do not, and perhaps cannot, take the long term view of things. The British were a patient people; they built up democratic institutions in their colonies during periods of time that lasted generations. They were extraordinarily successful, but even they gave up on Afghanistan.
I said that the current counter insurgency strategy could possibly work. I would like to emphasize the word " possibly ". A lot of factors would have to come together to make it a success. At this time, things are at a stalemate, and likely to remain that way. The most likely prospect in Afghanistan is more of the same thing; the U.S. pouring soldiers and money into the country and pursuing a goal that is probably a mirage.
If the war in Afghanistan is such a waste, why isn't there more of an uproar in our country? Polls show that Americans disapprove of the war, so why do we keep going on and on with this? It seems to me that we may say that we are opposed to the war, but in fact we just don't care.
There are several reasons for this apathy. First of all, the war is far, far away. Second, the war is being fought mostly by strangers. Only a microscopic percentage of American ever put on a military uniform; many people do not personally know somebody that has been in Afghanistan or that will be going there. The death toll has thus far been extremely low, so most people have not had to worry about having a loved one get killed in action. The war almost seems unreal to most of the population. We are like the citizens of the Roman republic, who sat safe at home while their legions defended against the barbarians. We know very little about the this place where our soldiers fight, and we really don't care to learn much more about it.
I have spoken to a number of people that oppose the war, but they make no effort to help bring about its end. Why? I don't believe that most people are lazy or uncaring. I think that most people are overwhelmed by events. Especially since the economic meltdown of 2008, many Americans have put the war out of their minds. This is understandable. If a person has lost their job or home, a war taking place on the other side of the world isn't that important. We are preoccupied with many things very close to home. A large number of people simply do not have the time or energy to focus on this travesty.
If people do not speak out against the war, it will not end. This is self-evident. So, what to do? To be honest, I don't know. I do know that somehow we have to convince other Americans that the war in Afghanistan is a big deal to them. They have to see that the war makes an impact on their lives. That is the challenge. The irony is that, if you are reading this letter, you probably don't need to do so. You are probably already actively opposing the war. The people that might need to read this, most likely will never see it.
For my wife and I, we need no further motivation to oppose this endless war. We have a son in the Army and he will most likely deploy to Afghanistan in the spring. For us it already up close and personal. My hope is that other people will do something to end this war before it affects their lives as deeply as it is affecting ours.
Frank Pauc is a member of Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice.
Frank Pauc is a member of Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice.
1 comment:
Frank:
Thanks for writing this. As you say, only a small percentage of Americans have a family member serving overseas, so it's especially important they their voices are heard.
Lots of good questions here - I'd like to tackle a couple of them:
"I have spoken to a number of people that oppose the war, but they make no effort to help bring about its end. Why?"
I think the main thing that holds most people back from antiwar activism is that they don't see activism producing a change in government policy. If people protested and then saw the government respond, more people would protest (which is one reason the government tries very hard not to respond to protest.) I don't see an answer for this, except that some protest, somewhere, has to be seen to produce a result (not necessarily an antiwar protest, it could be a labor protest, a health care protest, an environmental protest - but the main thing is it has to succeed and that success has to be communicated to people).
You also asked: "Polls show that Americans disapprove of the war, so why do we keep going on and on with this?"
The easy answer is that we don't live in a democracy. I wouldn't go that far, I think we live in a democracy, but it's a very flawed democracy. My rule of thumb is that having a majority of Americans on your side doesn't translate into policy change, but if you can get to a 70% majority, you do get some change - although not as fast or as sweeping as you'd like.
When opposition to the Iraq war reached the 70% mark, we saw the election of a President who promised to withdraw troops from Iraq, and who is now carrying out that withdrawal. Opposition to Afghanistan is increasing steadily, but we still haven't reached the 70% level. But it's certainly harder to move public opinion if people have tuned out.
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