The Questions We Should Be Asking About Afghanistan

by: ZP Heller

Wed Apr 15, 2009 at 11:21

"Can more be done to create more of a coalition so that the U.S. isn't burdened with bearing the cost in lives and treasure alone?"

"Since over half of the citizens of Afghanistan are female, shouldn't we ask them what kind of help they want from us, if any?"

"What would happen if we pulled out military troops and replaced them with agricultural experts, economic development experts, Peace Corps volunteers, medical corps, and specialists to help in development of strong governmental structures and other "helpers" to help Afghans obtain an improved quality of life?"

"Why don't we try diplomatic negotiation with all involved parties, including The Taliban FIRST?"

These are some of the questions we all should be asking right now about the war in Afghanistan. They are a sampling from over 460 viewer-submitted questions Brave New Foundation received for their upcoming series of three debates between Lawrence Korb of the Center for American Progress and The Nation's Katrina vanden Heuvel. Clearly, people are starting to see that regardless of whether you oppose the war in Afghanistan, substantive debates from experts on both sides of the issues would benefit everyone. That's why Korb, who favors more troops and resources, will go head-to-head with vanden Heuvel, who calls for regional diplomacy and military withdrawal. They will debate whether military escalation is the best method to combat terrorism, and the effect more troops will have on an already unstable Pakistan; Korb and vanden Heuvel will agree upon a third topic chosen from the hundreds of submitted questions like the ones above.

Though this war continues to intensify, we still don't know the answers to some of the most basic questions, which is why the ultimate goal of Rethink Afghanistan and debates like these is an educational one. Raising public awareness and fostering discussion will prompt Congress to hold substantive oversight hearings that bring in experts to explain policy and offer answers.

Every single aspect of the war in Afghanistan must be opened up to debate, especially considering the fact that over 172 billion of our tax dollars have gone to this war to date. That means we should be talking about the staggering costs, about exit strategy, about the rights of Afghan women, and whether diplomacy can win over hearts and minds. And we should be ranking the importance of these issues for Congress, which you can now do with this new voting tool where you also can submit your own written questions.

ZP Heller :: The Questions We Should Be Asking About Afghanistan

Just this week, VoteVets' Brandon Friedman wrote an interesting piece about how Gen. David McKiernan went into some of Afghanistan's most violent areas to connect with tribal elders ahead of the 21,000 troop surge. Apparently, McKiernan said he is studying the Quran apologized for mistakes of the past, including killing civilians and arresting people based on false information in tribal fights. Now, I haven't agreed with Friedman on a lot of issues regarding the war, and I have to wonder if McKiernan can possibly win over hearts and minds this late in the game when 21,000 more troops will likely result in more civilian deaths (and thus more "mistakes" for which McKiernan will have to apologize). But the bottom line is that whether diplomacy can be effective when coupled with a massive troop surge is a perfect topic for debate--a perfect question to post for Congress.

I wonder if Friedman would vote that one up, or if we could at least discuss it.

Tags: afghanistan war, Barack Obama, brandon friedman, brave new foundation, costs, david mckiernan, katrina vanden heuvel, lawrence korb, Pakistan, rethink afghanistan, The Nation, (All Tags)

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The Questions We Should Be Asking About Afghanistan | 7 comments

8 years into the war and the idea is to debate and educate (0.00 / 0)

How very Modern American.

I was under the distinct impression that it is the Constitutional duty of the US Congress to educate themselves and debate the issue BEFORE they declared war and invaded a sovereign nation. But, oh well, that never seems to happen, so we just keep throwing bodies and dollars at the problem, hoping for a miracle.

If you want to start the debate - do it after the US and allies pull out, or declare a cease-fire.

Negotiating with the Taliban is troublesome - we'll end up suporting some form of Sharia Law in the tribal areas (everything but enclaves of Kabul) and that will not help the women and girls.

"It sounds wrong...
...but its right."

by: SpitBall @ Wed Apr 15, 2009 at 16:33:26 PM UTC

by: you @ soon

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First year or so pretty good (0.00 / 0)

Our initial engagement was actually pretty good. We used already existing internal opposition to the Taliban to take them out of power and forced Al Queda into hiding. These were the guys that planned 9/11, so the objective was fairly clear. Had we gotten bin Laden, we could have declared victory and left.

However, we didn't get the main target (however symbolic) and over time our objectives became more and more mushy.

by: Mark Matson @ Wed Apr 15, 2009 at 16:48:30 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

USAma bin Ladin has little to do with the Taliban (0.00 / 0)

and the capitulation to them by the Pakistani and Afghan governments. But, you're right, it would be better FOR THE USA if we had captured USAma and buggered off. Then we would not have this debate and we could return to writing letters of protest when we see reports of girls' schools being leveled, or woman forced to ask permission to leave their homes. Instead, we feel responsible for the situation because we enterd the country on a false mission and have yet to come to terms with that fact.

My point is the military mission in Afghanistan is geting in the way of the kind of programs that could, maybe, provide a better way forward.

"It sounds wrong...
...but its right."

by: SpitBall @ Wed Apr 15, 2009 at 18:18:26 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Refused to hand him over (0.00 / 0)

The correct response was to demand bin Laden and those we worked with over the the U.S. for trial. The Taliban government refused. That's the direct association.

by: Mark Matson @ Fri Apr 17, 2009 at 21:05:14 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Great Post (0.00 / 0)

I'm someone who always considered Afghanistan the "good war", but that doesn't necessarily mean we should stay their forever, or even any longer at all.

by: Mark Matson @ Wed Apr 15, 2009 at 16:42:58 PM UTC

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why were the first two comments deleted? (0.00 / 0)

One of which was mine.

by: NCDemAmy @ Wed Apr 15, 2009 at 17:05:32 PM UTC

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The Questions We Should Be Asking About Afghanistan | 7 comments

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