There is a disconnect at Democratic Underground regarding Afghanistan. I can go back in time to 2001 and there was clear opposition to the Afghanistan war on this site. But the vast majority of America, Democrats included, supported the Invasion of Afghanistan. The vast majority also concluded that Afghanistan was a just war. Only now, after 8 years of bad policy and Bush turning his back on the problem in Afghanistan and the International Community who has also made the sacrifice of blood in that country, does a reconsideration of whether or not the war was justified.
I posed the question as a poll here, was the invasion justified? It's a 50/50 split. Had this been asked 8 years ago, the answer would have been quite different, and I believe many have changed their opinion since then.
But that is not the main source disconnect on Afghanistan. The disconnect comes from two points. Those points are:
1. Is Al Qaeda a real threat?
2. Can the situation be made better in Afghanistan?
Again, I posed another poll on the first point. Again, the results are the same. Division, this time a little more people saying AQ is not a threat, but still close to a 50/50 division. One thing is clear. AQ still poses a threat to our soldiers in Afghanistan. The casualty count appears to be growing each month, half of which are due to IED attacks. Obviously, there must be more than 100 AQ in Afghanistan to be causing such a high rate of death and destruction. Yes, AQ is still a threat in Afghanistan. That leads to the obvious question: Why not leave?
Leaving means allowing Al Qaeda to reestablish itself in Afghanistan and continue operating as a terrorist organization. If you do not believe they are a terrorist organization, there is nothing I am going to say to help bridge the disconnect. But if you do consider that most countries of the world also consider AQ to be a terrorist organization, based primarily in Afghanistan with some of it's leadership in Pakistan, then you must consider that leaving Afghanistan will allow AQ to reestablish itself. It is a fact that they will and that the current Afghanistan government is too weak to prevent it.
But staying and further increasing troops in Afghanistan only makes sense if
1. the AQ/Taliban insurgency can be put down and
2. the government of Afghanistan can step up and take over security
In other words, it only makes sense to stay and fight if we can make the situation in Afghanistan better. Many here will not like to admit it, but yes it is possible. That was proven in Iraq. However, the solution in Iraq and the solution in Afghanistan are quite different indeed. Afghanistan was not as developed and lacked the infrastructure and civics that Iraq had. This is a significant difference and it will make the work more challenging and more difficult. But Afghanistan has one thing that Iraq didn't. The support of the world to make it better.
When we invaded Afghanistan as a response to the attacks on 9/11, we did so with the blessing, support and yes, troops of the world. We did not go into Afghanistan alone. Between the UN controlled, NATO commanded force, ISAF, and between the international troops who are members of Operation Enduring Freedom, the world has committed nearly half the troops and resources to the efforts in Afghanistan.
Bush turned his back on this support when he lied us into an illegal war in Iraq. Note that we did not have the support of the world to go into Iraq as we did in Afghanistan. We do not have similar levels of International troops in Iraq like we do in Afghanistan. And we never had the commitment from the world to fix Iraq like we do Afghanistan. In fact, what was lacking in Afghanistan was the U.S. The world continued to support, and escalate, their efforts in Afghanistan while we let them down. Only since Obama has become President has that started to change. And they need more help from us to continue the work and finish the job. There is real work to be done, and it is not all combat. But one thing is certain. We are not alone in solving the problem.
If you believe the invasion of Afghanistan was unjust, then there is a fundamental disconnect between you and I.
If you believe that Al Qaeda is not a real threat, then there is a fundamental disconnect between you and I.
If you believe that the problem can not be fixed, that there is no solution in Afghanistan, then there is a fundamental disconnect between you and I.
There isn't much I can do but offer why I believe we have a chance to succeed in our goals in Afghanistan. These are real goals as set forth by President Obama, back in March of this year when he put forth his Afghanistan strategy. I posted those goals here: (
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/berni_mccoy/852). I believe President Obama has the intelligence and fortitude to carry it through. His approach is a stark contrast to NeoCon policy that has been maintained by Reagan, Bush and would have continued under McCain. You are free to disagree. Only time will tell who is right.
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